E-World Online and Leading Electronics Manufacturers Aid Hawaiian E-Waste Collector

VISTA, CA--(Marketwire - Jun 28, 2011) - E-World Online, a national provider of responsible recycling solutions for consumer electronics manufacturers, swiftly responded to a recycler in dire need of electronics recycling in Hilo, Hawaii after its contract with the state expired nearly a year ago and Big Island residents continued to drop e-waste at the site. After reading an article about Bay Side Computer Shop's dilemma in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald last May, E-World Online rallied its manufacturing partners, Sony Electronics Inc., Acer America Corp., ViewSonic, NEC and LG, to fund the collection, shipping and recycling of the abandoned 180,000 pounds of e-waste dumped at the former collection site.

With no space left to accept additional e-waste and no money to ship the massive stockpile to the mainland for recycling, the shop was forced to close. Meantime, residents continued to dump materials not suitable for Hawaii County's landfills such as computers, televisions and more.

"We purchased all of the e-waste on the site, and we also paid the cost of shipping to the mainland," explained E-World Online President Cindy Erie. "The state is in the middle of a change in how e-waste collection and recycling is handled, and E-World and our manufacturing partners wanted to help smooth the transition by ensuring this e-waste did not fall between the cracks. Plus, we wanted to help out a small business. Bay Side Computer Shop was in a tough position."

E-World Online administers the electronics recycling programs of several leading manufacturers across the U.S. Its proprietary, web-based Manufacturer Interstate Take-Back System (MITS) uses a network of collection points and recyclers across the country to make e-waste recycling easy for consumers while fulfilling the manufacturers' responsibilities.

E-World Online and its manufacturing partners purchased the electronics surplus from Bay Side and paid the per-container cost to ship it from Hawaii to Vista, Calif. Additionally, E-World Online processed the material at its own parent facility, E-World Recyclers.

"The Department of Health is pleased that E-World Online stepped up to take this e-waste from the Big Island. We are hopeful that other recyclers and manufacturers will follow E-world Online's lead and provide collection services on the neighbor islands," Steven Chang, Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch Chief said in a statement to E-World Online.

New state laws now require that manufacturers of electronic equipment not only collect a certain amount of e-waste per year but provide multiple and convenient ways for consumers to recycle unwanted or non-working electronics. To date, 49 Hawaii-based recyclers have agreed to process e-waste under the legislation, but nearly all accept e-waste only on Oahu, requiring Big Islanders to pay shipping expenses.

For more on E-World Online and MITS, visit www.e-worldonline.com.

About E-World Online and its Manufacturer Interstate Take-back System (MITS)
E-World Online administers comprehensive e-waste take-back programs across the country for leading consumer electronics manufacturers. The Manufacturer Interstate Take-back System (MITS) network, comprised of either R2- or e-Steward-certified recyclers, will collect an estimated 42 million pounds of e-waste for some of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers in 2011. MITS is able to offer services in nearly all 50 states and provides manufacturers with a solution to monitor collection progress in real-time and guides consumers with information about local e-waste recycling options in their communities. E-waste accounts for 2-5% of municipal solid waste streams, and according to the EPA, only 18% of e-waste is recycled. E-World Online is a division of E-World Recyclers of Vista, Calif. For more, see www.e-worldonline.com or call (877) 342-6756.