In celebration of their 15th year of in-store tech recycling, Staples is announcing the launch of their Free Tech Take Back Program. The new initiative will reward customers for recycling responsibly by offering $5 in rewards when they recycle their old tech or paper in store and $2 in rewards for bringing in old ink or toner cartridges.
“We are excited to be able to reward customers for their environmentally-friendly efforts so that we can continue to make a positive impact,” said Michael Hurwitz, Vice President, Merchandising at Staples US Retail. “In the past year alone, recycling initiatives at Staples have helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 205,255 tons.”
While tech recycling is not new to Staples, this rewards program is being introduced to incentivize customers and combat future electronic waste ― one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. Since Staples first began their recycling program over a decade ago, they have helped recycle:
- 153 million pounds of electronics since 2012;
- 11,000+ tons of shredded paper since 2021;
- 42 million+ toner cartridges since 2012; and
- 169 million+ ink cartridges since 2012.
For its efforts, Staples has earned the highest score of tech recycling retailers on the Electronic Retailers Electronic Recycling Report Card.
Details on the Rewards Program
Customers can bring items eligible for free tech recycling — which range from DVD players to rechargeable batteries to flash drives ― into their Staples store and speak to an associate at checkout about the program.
Customers are responsible for removing data from their devices prior to drop off. Once recycled, they may earn rewards and unlock exclusive offers in the Staples Connect™ app. The Staples warehouses consolidate the electronics into full truckloads and ship the material to the facilities of our national recycling partner ERI Direct. There, the material triages based on potential for remanufacturing or parts harvesting. Items that can be refurbished or that may have reusable parts are separated and processed separately.
Recycle Paper with Ease
To recycle old documents like bills and junk mail, customers just need to place the items in the National Association of Informed Destruction (NAID)-certified Iron Mountain containers located in Staples for $0.99 per pound (price subject to change). The data security company safely and securely shreds the documents and delivers the paper to a pulping mill for recycling.
For more information about eligible tech products, full program details, and environmental impact, visit staples.com/recycling.
