Electronics giants hook up to tackle waste

Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba have teamed up to create a US-based electronic product recycling management company.

The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM) will provide a recycling service to electronics manufacturers and others, including state and local governments.

"We believe that an independent company to manage collective electronic recycling is the best way to achieve the economies of scale and efficiencies necessary to create a sustainable recycling system for used electronics products," said David Thompson, president of MRM.

"MRM has already entered into collection and recycling agreements with Hitachi Electronics, JVC, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer, Sanyo and Syntax-Brillian, and looks forward to working with other manufacturers."

The trio hopes to provide cost-effective services to manufacturers which must satisfy recently enacted requirements in Minnesota for the recycling of used electronic products.

MRM is planning to set up recycling programmes in Connecticut, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Washington from late 2008/early 2009, and to offer services as needed in other states or on a national scale.

"In the first five months since Minnesota's electronic recycling law took effect, MRM collected a significant 750 tons of used products," said Brad Moore, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

"We are pleased with MRM's effort in being the first manufacturer organisation to offer a convenient recycling service to citizens in all parts of our state, and hope that it will decrease the illegal dumping of waste electronic products."