by Brianna Crandall — April 27, 2015—A recent Earth Day survey from ecoATM, an Outerwall brand and creator of a nationwide network of automated electronics recycling kiosks, shows the impact of Earth Day through the years on day-to-day actions; the shift from an emphasis on cleaning parks to recycling; and the number of Americans who currently admit to throwing away recyclable items.
In 1970, Earth Day was originated to help save the environment from air and water pollution, but today, the celebration takes on a new meaning, according to the survey conducted by Edelman Berland in March of 1,000 U.S. consumers. A full 47% of Americans associate Earth Day with recycling, while only 23% associate it with cleaning up local parks or beaches—which most resembles the day’s original purpose.
Despite growth and widespread accessibility of recycling programs, 62% of Americans still admit to throwing away recyclable items. Some of the most common items are:
- Batteries (44 %)
- Clothes (38%)
- Ink Cartridges (24%)
- Coins (6%)
- Cell phones (8%)
- MP3 player (4%)
The company points out that at least the number of those who have tossed small electronics is relatively low, and that recycling options have increased greatly since the first Earth Day.
As a humorous but insightful side note, ecoATM asked some of its youngest fans specifically about e-waste, and garnered somewhat surprising responses. When asked what would happen if the bad things in phones end up in a landfill, the kids replied:
- It could explode;
- It might make an earthquake; and
- If the chemicals get in the ground or the water it could make some animals sick; especially worms!
“Thankfully, recycling gadgets has become more common than trashing them; however lack of convenience and the potential of using the device again were two main reasons cited from respondents who choose not to recycle their devices,” said Randy Erman, director of product marketing at ecoATM. “Making recycling easier is one of the main reasons we introduced ecoATM; we offer a safe and convenient place to recycle small electronic devices that could otherwise contribute to e-waste in our nation’s landfills.”
ecoATM eCycling stations hosted by mall and retail facilities accept over 5,500 types of tablets, phones and MP3 players, and have already collected over 4 million devices at 1,890 kiosks nationwide. ecoATM uses patented, advanced machine vision, electronic diagnostics, and artificial intelligence to evaluate electronics. ecoATM kiosks provide features that validate sellers’ identities and deter the sale of stolen phones. In addition, ecoATM holds Responsible Recycling (R2) and ISO14001 certification for the highest standards of electronics recycling, as well as ISO27001 certification for information and personal data security.
