The recovery rate for consumer electronics in the U.S. jumped sharply in 2013, but it’s unclear whether more robust data accounts for the uptick, a newly released U.S. EPA report states.
The rate was 40.4 percent in 2013, up from 30.6 percent in 2012, according to the report. The municipal solid waste stream included 3.14 million tons of selected consumer electronics in 2013, of which 1.27 million tons were recovered.
“It is unclear whether the large increase in the electronics recycling rate from 2012 to 2013 is due to an actual increase in recycling or the result of improved and expanded data,” the report states.
In the report, which was released yesterday, the EPA’s definition of “selected consumer electronics” includes TVs, VCRs, DVD players, video cameras, stereo systems, phones and computer equipment.