Wacom rolls out e-waste take-back program

Wacom® Technology Corp. announced the start of its e-waste take-back program for customers looking to recycle interactive pen display models that are no longer being used or ready to be retired. Wacom customers interested in participating can consult www.wacom.com/ewaste to access recycling data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The site features a shipping label tool whereby customers can print out a UPS label for the nearest recycling center, affix it to a box containing the old equipment and drop it off at a UPS center or satellite office for shipment to the recycling location. The Wacom-sponsored take-back program currently covers the following 10 states: Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Nearly 100 percent of the display materials are recycled and the program is free to all participants.

E-waste legislation has passed in 23 states and sets mandatory manufacturer or retailer participation in recycling programs as well as a ban on depositing computer monitors and other display types into landfills. Wacom participates through state administered recycling programs in 11 of these states including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New York and South Carolina also recently passed e-waste legislation, but the programs are not yet operational.

Wacom anticipates that e-waste initiatives will continue to gain traction in other states and might one day include recyclable products other than its displays.