十億磅的廢棄電子產品，如不經過妥善回收再利用，累積起來足以裝滿50英尺長的拖拉機掛車，一字排開長達475英里之遠，或是填滿7萬1千個座位的足球場。
消費電子行業巨頭於4月13日啟動了第一個全國性的電子產品回收計劃。回收目標為至2016年前，每年重達十億磅的電子產品。
13日當天上午在華盛頓特區，帶頭參與該項廢棄電子產品回收計劃（eCycling）行動的有美國消費電子協會（CEA）、百思買公司、松下北美公司、索尼電子公司、和東芝美國信息系統公司等等。
年度在拉斯維加斯舉辦的消費電子展，其主辦單位消費電子協會總裁兼首席執行長蓋里夏培洛（Gary Shapiro）表示：「推出eCycling計劃的行動畫下了美國電子產品回收歷史上的一個分水嶺。」
該計劃乃是一個透過消費電子產品製造商、零售商、收藏家、回收者、非政府組織及各級政府之間合作，經過CEA協調而產生的結果。
為達到十億磅回收再利用的目標，目前由業界贊助的5000多個回收站必須要有更高的消費意識，並且提高搜集回收物品的機會。
該計劃主要行動之一為教育消費者。利用新的線上工具和移動應用程序，讓回收廢舊電子產品就像買新的電子產品那麼容易。
業內人士也願意肩負增加電子產品回收量的責任，並就eCycling的程序與規範上提供透明有依據的指標。
十億磅的目標的確不容易達到，遠比2010年所回收的電子產品增加了3倍多。爲了便於追蹤進度，CEA將利用2010年為基準，發行一全國性進程年度報告，以測量 eCycling增長的進度。
CEA傾向於支持第三方認證的做法，也鼓勵該類有回收設備的場所能回收循環利用更多的電子產品。針對eCycling計劃，消費電子行業亦支持實施非強迫性回收業者的認證系統，以至於多達十億磅的回收物品得以在經第三方認證的設施裏循環利用。
該計劃也積極尋求繼續與由奧巴馬政府發起，白宮環境質量委員會、環保署、以及總務管理局聯合發起的電子產品管理特別小組合作。該特別小組正在研擬一項全國性有關負責任電子產品回收的策略。
One billion pounds of obsolete electronics, if not properly recycled, would fill enough 50-foot tractor trailers to stretch 475 miles or completely fill a 71,000-seat football stadium.
Today consumer electronics industry leaders kicked off the first nationwide electronics recycling initiative, with the goal of recycling a billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016.
At an event in Washington, DC this morning, the eCycling Leadership Initiative was formed with participation from the Consumer Electronics Association, Best Buy Co. Inc., Panasonic Corporation of North America, Sony Electronics Inc. and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., among others.
"The launch of the eCycling Leadership Initiative is a watershed moment in the history of electronics recycling in the United States," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, CEA, which stages the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The eCycling Leadership Initiative is a collaboration among consumer electronics manufacturers, retailers, collectors, recyclers, nongovernmental organizations and governments at all levels, coordinated by CEA.
To hit the one billion pound recycling target it will take greater consumer awareness of the more than 5,000 collection sites currently sponsored by industry and an increase in the number of collection opportunities.
A major component of the initiative will be consumer education using new online tools and mobile apps to help make recycling used electronics as easy as buying new ones.
The industry also wants to increase the amount of electronics recycled responsibly and to provide transparent metrics on eCycling efforts.
They are starting with a tough metric as a goal - one billion pounds is more than a threefold increase over the 2010 level of electronics recycling. To keep track, CEA will issue an annual national progress report that will measure eCycling growth, using 2010 as a baseline.
CEA supports the movement toward third-party recycler certification and encourages more recycling in such facilities. Specific to the eCycling Leadership Initiative, the consumer electronics industry supports the voluntary implementation of these recycler certification systems so that the billion pounds is recycled in third-party certified facilities.
The Initiative is also looking at ways to continue to work with the Obama administration's Taskforce on Electronics Stewardship, co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the EPA, and the General Services Administration. The Taskforce is developing a national strategy for responsible electronics recycling.
全文及圖片詳見：ENS報導
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
