NewsBits

NewsBits

Electronics manufacturers, retailers and service providers dominate Newsweek's list of the 500 greenest companies [1] in the United States. Eight of the top ten firms on the list fall into these categories, with the world's two largest computer OEMs, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, coming in at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively.

Metech Recycling has announced it will be a sponsor this year's State Electronics Challenge, which encourages state and local governments to manage their electronics responsibly. So far, local governments in 28 states, with over 100,000 employees, have signed up to participate.

In advance of the launch of its new Kindle tablets and e-readers, Amazon has extended its trade-in program [2] to cover previous generations of e-readers. Consumers can get a quote on the value of their items, then ship them to Amazon for refurbishment or recycling in exchange for a gift card.

Arguably greener than letting them burn up on re-entry, the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects division has announced an ambitious plan to refurbish and reuse old satellites currently in orbit. The new program, dubbed Phoenix, aims to harvest electronic components in orbit and them affix them to new, smaller satellites, with the goal of saving money on launch costs.

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