Electronics Conference Names ecoATM Innovative Product of the Year
The International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo 2010 will recognize ecoATM with its Innovative Product of the Year Award at its May 26-27 event in Burlingame, Calif.
The judges cited the automated eCycling system's abilities to identify, test, value and provide immediate payment for used mobile devices such as phones and iPods; track relevant information about the devices into the recycling downstream; and add value through services such as data removal and compliance reporting.
The ecoATM kiosks have been successful in collecting exponentially more devices than mail-in or POS-based systems while motivating consumers to recycle by making it simple and rewarding: the kiosks pay consumers for their recycled devices on the spot either in cash or store credits.
Other awardees include Sprint Nextel for Sustainability Leadership for its Project Connect recycling program, and Best Buy for Green Retailer.
"By tracking the serial numbers of every device we recycle into our audited downstream, we can be sure that the devices are either properly recycled into reuse, or are destroyed and run through the most efficient materials reclamation processes in the world in order to protect the environment here and overseas," said Seth Heine, chief green officer and co-founder of the company."
ecoATM's patent-pending kiosks support a multitude of compliance-related reporting needed by OEMs and retailers, such as conformance with state electronics recycling laws, as well as Second Hand Dealer Law compliance. In California, for example, information about the consumer such as a driver's license or state ID, as well as detailed information about the devices recycled needs to be documented in order for the recycler to be remunerated by the state for Advanced Recycling Fees (ARF). "The current manual systems requiring retail staff to gather a great deal of paperwork and to report are cumbersome, ineffective, and don't meet the requirements of the law or even the business environment in general. Visibility brings accountability and efficiency. ecoATM automates the collection of that data and incentivizes consumers to help solve this growing problem," said Heine.