ECS Refining Introduces Ecollective

ECS Refining, a recycling and end-of-life services company that specializes in electronic, industrial equipment and hazardous wastes, has introduced a consumer electronics recycling initiative called Ecollective. Through the initiative, ECS aims to provide a convenient consumer drop-off location for electronics within 10 miles of most U.S. households.

“For industry stakeholders, such as collectors, electronics manufacturers, retailers and city municipalities, Ecollective provides clear integration points to help them accomplish their goals, objectives and requirements for their e-waste take-back programs,” according to a press release from ECS Refining. 

Ecollective seeks to implement a national solution to the e-waste problem “by leveraging existing infrastructure, implementing best practices and employing public outreach and communication,” according to ECS Refining.

“Environmental stewardship has always been a driving force for ECS Refining, and we have developed responsible and efficient recycling services and techniques to process many kinds of hazardous wastes, including e-waste,” says Jim Taggart, founder and president of ECS Refining. “Ecollective is our way of collaborating with the industry to step up and solve the problem. It will support our industry partners’ objectives so that we can all provide consumers with a convenient way to recycle their e-waste responsibly.”

According to ECS Refining, Ecollective will drive incremental business to partnering e-waste collectors through marketing programs that direct consumers to the Ecollective website. At the site, consumers can locate a local electronics collector affiliated with the program. ECS Refining will recycle the material collected through the Ecollective network, and all data will be securely destroyed, according to the company, enabling collectors to operate under a national brand that is trusted by consumers.

For manufacturers of consumer electronics, Ecollective offers a turnkey recycling program, which, according to ECS Refining, allows them to achieve regulatory compliance in extended producer responsibility states. “The Ecollective program can also be tailored to their needs by integrating sales promotions for customers who want to return an end-of-life consumer electronics product to its manufacturer,” the company adds.

Similarly, Ecollective enables retailers to implement an electronics drop-off program that, according to ECS Refining, “can enhance their existing take-back program and can provide a solution that requires zero retail or warehousing floor space.”

The Ecollective program will initially focus on California. ECS Refining is currently in talks with state-approved e-waste collectors across California, as well as electronics OEMs, electronics retailers and municipal solid-waste facilities looking to add e-waste collection to their residential refuse pickup. The company has plans to roll-out the program to other markets with state legislative programs.

Ecollective will be rolled out to consumers and businesses using a public awareness campaign that begins in October.

Parties interested in joining the Ecollective initiative can contact Mark Robards at ECS Refining at mrobards@ecsrefining.com.