Dell Inc. has announced that it will award $120,000 in a series of $10,000 grants to select communities, universities, and other nonprofit groups to conduct computer recycling events this spring. “These events are intended to keep reusable and recyclable equipment out of landfills while raising awareness of responsible product end-of-life options,” said Pat Nathan, Dell’s Sustainable Business Director, in a press release. The grant-funded events will be in addition to Dell’s own computer recycling collection events. “We want to empower communities to run their own collection events and to help educate consumers about the importance of computer reuse and recycling end-of-life options. Single-day events are very effective in raising awareness about recycling and gathering historic computer waste while interested parties like Dell do their part to develop a more robust national electronics-recycling infrastructure.”
Robin Schneider, executive director of Texas Campaign for the Environment and a leading critic of what she feels are lackluster efforts by Dell to deal with the world’s growing electronic waste problem, was less than impressed. “The most important thing about the release is that they clearly acknowledge that one-day events do not constitute a real recycling system,” Schneider said. “The $120,000 in grants will be just a drop in the bucket. Our focus is on a real solution, but Dell is finally admitting that these events don’t constitute a real solution. … Dell says it’s interested in creating a real recycling system, and we’ll work with and press them to do that.”
Dell also offers consumers a home pick-up recycling option for $7.50 per unit. For more info on the grants and Dell’s programs, go to www.dell.com/recyclinggrant. For more on TCE, go to www.texasenvironment.org.
This article appears in November 21 • 2003.