Dive Brief:

• The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has released a report that details the accomplishments and challenges within the consumer electronics industry in regard to recycling.
• As listed in the "Third Annual Report of the eCycling Leadership Initiative," a record volume of electronics recycling was reached in the consumer electronics industry. According to the report, 620 million pounds of e-waste was collected nationwide effectively doubling the figures from three years ago.
• The report itself aims to get the electronic industry- including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, non-profits and the government, on the same page about recycling. The CEA is working toward standardizing various state laws across the country.

Dive Insight:

The organization maintains goals which include increased measures to improve consumer awareness of collection sites, expand the volume of e-waste recovered and release transparent figures about the program. According to the report, the CEA is looking to collect used cathode ray tube glass to remove the material from the hands of consumers and recycling it for a new purpose. The report also details steps the group would like to take to increase the recycling of e-waste in the future. Proposed measures include alerting consumers to places that accept e-waste, while facilitating the process to encourage participation. As seen with recycling in general, the ease of recycling directly impacts the amount of materials recycled. Simplicity yields an increase in numbers, when recycling is viewed as a hassle, numbers decrease.