Dell furthers the recycling message - do we need to do more?

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080417006342&newsLang=en

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), TechTurn and the National Recycling Coalition will host an Earth Day computer recycling event for consumers in the Washington metropolitan area.

The free event, to be held at Freedom Plaza downtown, is part of Dell’s ongoing commitment to educating consumers about responsible computer recycling options and keeping IT equipment out of landfills.

• Consumers can drive to the event and volunteers will unload equipment for recycling. Cars should enter from 13th Street, turning on to E Street.
• Washington, D.C. area residents can recycle any brand computer, monitor, printer and other computer equipment as well as cell phones and PDAs by dropping the items off at the event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Consumers are advised to remove all data from computer hard drives and any removable media such as disks, PC cards, flash drives, CD-ROMs. Televisions, stereo equipment and other electronic appliances cannot be accepted.
• Dell completed a rollout of its global recycling program in December 2006 and offers consumers free and convenient recycling of Dell products, worldwide irrespective of product purchase. The company recovered more than 78 million pounds of equipment from customers for recycling in 2006.

This really is very cool, I’m a strong believer in recycling, the easier, the less ’stressful’ (real or perceived) that we can make it, the more it becomes ’standard’, anything we can therefore do to make it so has to be a good thing. That Dell had a recycling event is great news and furthers the recycling message which has to be a good thing.

Is the way forward in recycling computers/printers etc not to make it free at the point of use? That as a consumer I can call and have my computers/printers/scanners and devices collected and recycled? Individual vendors providing the service is great, but an industry wide standard provided by government/non-governmental or corporates, the option to ‘post’ or drop in technology for recycling might further the effort, make it more mainstream and reduce environmental impact through incorrect disposal?