Best Buy to recycle electronics

Electronics retailer Best Buy plans to create a recycling program for old PCs and other electronic goods such as TV sets and VCRs. The Minneapolis-based company will launch the program in several states this summer. Collection will take place during designated weekends. Consumers will have to pay a fee for each discarded item. Best Buy is working to secure partnerships with manufacturers, recyclers and government agencies. Panasonic is the first manufacturer to commit financial support to the program.

Recycling of electronics has become a point of contention between industry and government, which is looking for manufacturers to make so-called end-of-life electronics safer and to take responsibility for their proper disposal. The aging equipment is growing in volume and carries materials such as lead and mercury that could pose a threat to the environment and human health if not properly disposed of.