Just what do you do with your old VCR when a digital video recorder made it obsolete? What are your plans for your analog TV now that high-def is looming large? New research from the Consumer Electronics Association finds that, rather than being unceremoniously tossed aside as garbage, in the last 12 months most unwanted consumer electronics devices find their ways to secondary users by being sold, donated, or recycled.
CEA research found the biggest beneficiaries of hand-me-down consumer electronics were charities (34 percent), friends (28 percent), and family members (26 percent), with nine out of ten computers and notebooks, eight out of ten televisions, and seven out of ten cell phones either being donated, recycled, or resold.
Nonetheless, the CEA found consumers generally aren’t yet deeply aware of electronics recycling options. Although most Americans feel that recycling household items (glass, paper, plastics, aluminum, etc.) is important, fewer feel it is equally important to recycle household appliances or consumer electronics, and fewer than half Americans do so. Recycling convenience is also a factor for many study participants: 58 percent said they would prefer an electronics recycling program which offered curbside handling, and 57 percent believe local, state, and federal governments should play a significant role in bearing responsibility for electronics recycling. However, only 35 percent of respondents felt participation in consumer electronics recycling programs should be required by law.
