ecoATM survey finds 62 percent of people trash recyclable items like batteries and ink cartridges

San Diego, Calif. – In 1970, Earth Day was originated to help save the environment from air and water pollution, but today, the celebration takes on a new meaning. Forty-seven percent of Americans associate Earth Day with recycling, while only 23 percent associate it with cleaning up local parks or beaches – which most resembles the day’s original purpose – according to a survey from ecoATM, Inc., the nationwide network of automated electronics recycling kiosks.

Recycling options have increased since the first Earth Day, and companies such as ecoATM are giving consumers an incentive to do so; ecoATM offers instant cash at the 1,890 kiosks nationwide for cell phones, tablets and MP3 players. Despite growth and widespread accessibility of recycling programs, there are recyclable items still being thrown away. Forty-four percent of Americans admitted to trashing batteries, in addition to:

• Clothes (38 percent)
• Ink Cartridges (24 percent)
• Coins (six percent)

While 62 percent of Americans admitted to trashing recyclable items, a relatively low number of those have tossed small electronics: only eight percent have thrown away a cell phone, and four percent an MP3 player.

“Thankfully, recycling gadgets has become more common than trashing them; however lack of convenience and the potential of using the device again were two main reasons cited from respondents who choose not to recycle their devices,” said Randy Erman, director of product marketing at ecoATM. “Making recycling easier is one of the main reasons we introduced ecoATM; we offer a safe and convenient place to recycle small electronic devices that could otherwise contribute to e-waste in our nation’s landfills.”

ecoATM® kiosks accept over 5,500 types of tablets, phones and MP3 players, and have already collected more than four million devices. To further incentivize device recycling, ecoATM is increasing its payouts beginning April 7 to coincide with the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge availability, offering even more instant cash and guaranteed price minimums for Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6 devices.

For more information on pricing or to locate a kiosk, please visit https://www.ecoatm-public.myshopify.com.

Methodology: The survey was conducted by Edelman Berland between March 15-18, 2015, and polled 1,000 general consumers in the U.S.

About ecoATM
ecoATM, is the first company to create an automated self-serve kiosk system to buy back old phones, tablets or MP3 players for cash. ecoATM uses patented, advanced machine vision, electronic diagnostics, and artificial intelligence to evaluate electronics. ecoATM eCycling stations provide a convenient trade-in solution with features that validate sellers’ identities and deter the sale of stolen phones, and the company collaborates with national, state, and local law-enforcement groups in combating mobile phone theft through innovative use of technology and education (https://www.ecoatm-public.myshopify.com/pages/law-enforcement/).

ecoATM holds Responsible Recycling (R2) and ISO14001 certification, confirming the company’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of electronics recycling, as well as ISO27001 certification for information and personal data security. See https://www.ecoatm-public.myshopify.com/pages/how-it-works/ for a video of how an ecoATM kiosk works.