EBay Inc. and Intel Corp. have jointly launched a recycling campaign, designed to encourage Americans to safely dispose of mounting piles of used computers and other electronic goods once they are no longer required.
U.S. consumers retire or replace roughly 133,000 personal computers per day, according to research firm Gartner Inc. EBay lists roughly $2.5 billion worth of new and used computers every year, as well as $2.5 billion worth of consumer electronics such as cellular phones, gaming equipment and hand-held computers.
The problem is, disposing of these things properly often isn't cheap, and many people and companies don't want to go to the additional expense and hassle of disposing of the kit properly. A website has been launched, which can provide American people with information on how to get rid of old electronic goods properly.
According to a study commissioned by San Jose, Calif.-based Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, roughly half of all U.S. households have working but unused consumer electronics products. Roughly 400 million gizmos will be thrown out by 2010.
Other corporate sponsors include Apple Computer Inc., Gateway Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM.