ETBC flunks most printer makers

The latest electronics recycling report card from the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) is out and gives most printer makers failing marks. Brother, Epson, Lexmark, Kodak and Canon all received low marks from the producer responsibility watchdog group, which releases its annual report card in advance of the holiday shopping season. Hewlett-Packard scored higher than other printer original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), earning a C-minus.

In other product categories, no companies earned A's – with the highest grade received being a B, by computer manufacturer Dell. Asus and Samsung also received high marks.

The grading system scores OEMs on the volume of material collected, the scale and consumer-friendliness of their recycling infrastructure, their promotion of reuse, transparency and whether collected materials are processed responsibly.