Waste Management and Sony Electronics to Host Free Electronics Recycling Event

Consumer Recycling Event to Raise Awareness of Permanent Drop-off Locations



    PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 7 /EMWNews/ -- To encourage consumers to

recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, Sony

Electronics Inc. and Waste Management Recycle America are asking

Portland-area residents to take action and recycle their old electronics

for free Saturday, August 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Portland

Metropolitan Exposition Center. Additionally, the first 2,000 participants

to drop off their unwanted electronics will receive a free, environmentally

friendly cloth tote.



    The event is part of Sony's ongoing Take Back Recycling program, which

provides free recycling for Sony products. This national effort is also

bringing attention to recycling e-waste and educating the public that there

are alternatives to trashing electronics, and that -- through recycling --

natural resources can be used again and greenhouse emissions are reduced in

the process.



    Typically, residents would need to pay for their televisions to be

properly collected and recycled, but as part of their ongoing efforts to

help consumers recycle electronic devices safely, Sony Electronics and WM

are picking up the tab. In addition, the companies have committed to

collecting and processing these items in an environmentally sound manner.



    "Sony intends to lead the industry in environmental stewardship by

providing consumers with end-of-life solutions through our Take Back

Recycling Program," said Mark Small, vice president of environment, safety

and health for Sony Electronics. "These special recycling events help us

inform consumers that with Waste Management, Sony has established a local

permanent drop-off location, which they can use all year long to recycle

their electronics when unplugged for the last time."



    This coming February, all television stations will be required to

convert from analog broadcasting to digital. Some older televisions will

not be able to pick up the digital transmission without a special

converter. Sony Electronics and Waste Management -- through the Take Back

Recycling Program -- are ready to help consumers by offering a convenient

way to recycle their old television sets as well as publicize the permanent

network of drop off points to recycle electronic waste.



    "People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste

responsibly and economically," said Joe Aho, senior manager of eCycling,

Waste Management Recycle America. "We hope to collect as much recyclable

material as possible through this free event. It is our way of

demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing

outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship."



    According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 million tons

of e-waste ended up in landfills in 2005, while only about 380,000 tons

were recycled. By recycling old electronics products, useful materials --

such as glass, plastic and metals -- can be collected and re-used in the

manufacture of other products. Since their partnership began, Sony and

Waste Management have collected a total of 9.2 million pounds of electronic

waste, and the companies anticipate that number will grow exponentially.



    Sony Electronics and WM, along with LG Electronics, Gateway and Acer,

are also coordinating efforts to help implement the Oregon e-waste

recycling law, which will take effect in January 2009. Their joint

compliance plan, dubbed the Independent Producer Responsibility Group Plan,

represents the highest level of commitment a manufacturer can make to take

responsibility for the products it manufactures by recycling its own

branded products.



    A complete list of eCycling drop-off centers can be found at

http://www.sony.com/recycle.

    About Waste Management and WM Recycle America, L.L.C.



    Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of

comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries

provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal

services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of

waste-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include

residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout

North America. More information and how Waste Management achieves Think

Green(R) can be found at http://www.thinkgreen.com.



    WM Recycle America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management and

is the largest recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business

lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and

finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its

capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America

offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing,

commercial and residential customers. WM Recycle America eCycling Services

operates a national network of e-waste processing centers, including

Minnesota's only ISO9001 and 14001 Certified electronics processing

facility. More information can be found at http://www.recycleamerica.com



    About Sony Electronics



    Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of

audio/video electronics and information technology products for the

consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and

development, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing,

distribution and customer service.



    Sony has played a key role in the development of Blu-ray, Disc(TM), CD,

DVD and Super Audio CD technologies, among many others. The company is

noted for a wide range of consumer audio-visual products, such as the

BRAVIA(R) LCD high-definition television, Cyber-shot(R) digital camera,

Handycam(R) camcorder and Walkman(R) personal stereo. Sony is also an

innovator in the IT arena with its VAIO(R) personal computers; and in

high-definition professional broadcast and video equipment, highlighted by

the XDCAM(R) HD and CineAlta(TM) lines of cameras and camcorders, and the

SXRD(TM) 4K digital projector. The latest news and information is available

at the company's Web site at http://www.sony.com/news.