Star power fuels E-Recycling campaign

Recycling Today, March, 2005

The state of California, working with Hollywood's environmental community, has launched a multimedia consumer awareness and public information campaign in an effort to educate the state's residents about electronics recycling.

The eRecycle campaign includes celebrity-narrated public service announcements, in-store materials and an interactive Web site (www.eRecycle.org) designed to educate residents on the proper disposal procedures for outdated televisions and computer monitors.

Celebrities such as Jeff Goldblum and Esai Morales have lent their voices to narrate the television and radio spots. Consumer electronics manufacturers partially underwrote the campaign.

The campaign follows the Jan. 1st implementation of California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act Electronic Waste Recycling fee for each covered electronic device that has been purchased. Retailers remit those fees to California's Board of Equalization.

The money collected will fund a payment system for the proper collection and recycling of these products at the end of their service life.

To launch the eRecycle public information campaign, the state teamed with the Earth Communications Office (ECO), an internationally respected non-profit organization based in the Hollywood community.

Actor Esai Morales is a board member of ECO.

"I'm excited about eRecycle because finally, we're being given the opportunity to easily recycle some of the big-ticket items such as televisions and computer monitors," Morales says. "I think it's great that California is stepping up to help manage the issue while educating the public."

Jeff Goldblum, who narrates one of the television spots, says, "It's good to live in a state like California where we can set an example by being first to launch an initiative such as this. I hope other states follow suit."