One day to celebrate the earth is never enough for Sims. Initiatives and events sprung up throughout the month of April to promote electronics recycling across the globe with efforts that included community events and digital campaigns. Sims published a specific Earth Day landing page to provide public details on all activities planned and for users to conveniently find collection events near them.
Sims kicked-off the month by coordinating more than 35 pop-up electronics collection events in various locations spanning from California to New York. Turnouts were strong and attracted many consumers with the desire to have their items recycled in an environmentally safe manner. With support from these communities, Sims’ collection events collected and diverted over 250,000 pounds of e-waste from entering our landfills. “Earth Day serves as a great reminder for businesses and consumers to take action and recycle their retired electronic devices,” stated Steve Skurnac, president of Sims Recycling Solutions. “At this time of the year there seems to be an increase in incentivized recycling opportunities because of Earth Day, and it is great to see the rise in e-waste collected that occurs as a result.”
In other news, the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) worked with Sims to promote the environmentally responsible recycling of electronics in their region. Together SWALCO and Sims host 18 permanent collection sites and an array of one-day and seasonal collection events throughout Lake County, Illinois annually. These events were especially highlighted around Earth Day. Last year, with the help of Sims Recycling Solutions close to four million pounds of e-waste was collected.
“We are fortunate to be partnered with Sims Recycling Solutions, not only are they an Illinois business, they are uniquely qualified to provide support to our program by having the capability to properly manage the high volume of materials coming from all our collection sites,” said Pete Adrian, program coordinator for the SWALCO electronics collection program.
As electronics continue to be the fastest growing waste stream, Sims Recycling Solutions not only wanted to put effort into collecting e-waste for recycling, but also to educate the public about the importance of recycling.
To encourage interest in the matter, Sims created an infographic explaining the environmental need for electronics recycling and showcasing some of the benefits that are enjoyed as a result of responsible recycling. The infographic takes viewers through each step of the electronics recycling process from collection to separation into reusable commodities. In addition, tips – such as suggested industry certifications – are provided so consumers can better select a recycler that will handle materials safely and responsibly.
This infographic is currently hosted on the Sims Recycling Solutions website.
Electronics recycling was also encouraged through a viral social media campaign that asked users to demonstrate their Earth Day electronics recycling efforts. This social media photo contest spotlighted environmental consciousness and conservation efforts by offering the grand prize winner a laptop refurbished by Sims.
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