We at the 4th Bin talk a lot about what differentiates us from our competitors especially from an ethical, educational, and cultural prespective. Below is an exciting e-waste sustainability program we developed with R/GA, a world renowned design agency headquartered in New York City, that truly walks the walk when it comes to electronics recycling both at the office and at home.  The event was launched to better educate R/GA employees on the hazards of e-waste and the ecological impact it has on our environment.  The event also became the catalyst to launch an ongoing program whereby R/GA employees receive door-to-door e-waste pickups.

For a full slideshow of the event, please visit our Google+ Page.

Situation Analysis: In 2009, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency an estimated 2.37 million tons of unwanted electronics were thrown away in the United States. Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, causes serious health and pollution issues if it enters the regular waste stream. Companies and consumers continuously upgrade their electronics and responsibly recycling outdated and unused electronics is a major step in alleviating the harms of irresponsible electronic waste management.

Realizing the domestic environmental issue and the opportunity to recycle electronic waste at a local level, R/GA teamed up with the 4th Bin for an e-cycling drive.

Who:

1. The 4th Bin is the only electronic waste collection and recycling company in New York City specializing in proper e-waste recycling. It provides door-to-door collection services to residential and corporate locations including offices, schools, hospitals, factories, and residences. Michael Deutsch and John Kirsch began The 4th Bin mission in 2009. Since its conception, the company disposed of approximately 1,000,000 pounds of e-waste.

2. R/GA is a full service agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. A commitment to design, technology, strategy, and innovation defines R/GA’s continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing.

Founded in 1977 by Bob and Richard Greenberg in New York City, the agency has grown to eight offices on four continents, with locations in Chicago, London, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Stockholm. As a global brand, R/GA strives to serve as a strong example for environmentally sustainable practices the world over.

What:

In late 2011, R/GA teamed up with The 4th Bin to hold an e-cycling event on the R/GA NYC campus. The event was supported by a humorous campaign, built and designed by R/GA, called R.I.P, “Recycle In Peace,” and encouraged agency employees to “send their electronics to a better place” by properly recycling them with The 4th Bin. To incentivize action, participating employees were automatically entered in a raffle to win a one-year 50GB iCloud storage account.

On November 8th, 2011, The 4th Bin and R/GA held a recycling drive, collecting unused electronics outside of the R/GA NYC office. The agency support for the program was so strong that the engagement was extended by two weeks. R/GAers helped amass over 1,000 pounds (and to continuing to grow) in electronic equipment for donation and recycling.

Why:

The 4th Bin and R/GA share a vision of creating a strong commitment within their communities to environmental sustainability. In the United States, only 20 percent of the 400 million electronic items disposed of each year are properly recycled. These contents of the recycled products can be reused or used to make new products.

The 4th Bin and R/GA recognize the magnitude of the worldwide problem and saw an opportunity to strengthen R/GA’s commitment to furthering these recycling efforts by implementing the internal e-cycling program.

Results:

The e-waste recycling was a great success, bringing in over 1,000lbs of electronic waste to be either properly disposed of or refurbished for various purposes including resale, fundraising and artistic creation. 4th Bin Co-founder and Senior VP of Business Development, John Kirsch, summed up the experience saying, “I believe the event was extremely successful from an educational and sustainability perspective highlighting the complex issue of e-waste. The R/GA team was able bring in a responsible e-waste option [4th Bin] thus integrating an ethical collection solution not only for their office, but for their employee homes as well. We were impressed with R/GA’s dedication to help develop and create this unique system with 4th Bin; we think it is a perfect model for companies of all sizes.”