19 Apr Tell Walmart to Take It Back!

For more than 9 months, Texas Campaign for the Environment has been urging Walmart to take back old electronics for recycling for their customers worldwide.  For many Texans there are no convenient drop off spots for their electronic waste; getting Walmart on board as a recycling drop off point would change the game, and provide convenient e-waste recycling for every Texan.  Best Buy, Staples and Goodwill already do this: TCE wants Walmart to match their programs.

Walmart has responded by saying they have “an internal cross functional team that is actively engaged on the issue,” and that they “understand the passion and interest on this topic.”  That passion and interest is a function of the more than 25,000 letters from Texas consumers which TCE has generated through their field canvass, as well as the nearly two dozen “flash action” demonstrations activists across the country have conducted.  Walmart is starting to move, but they have yet to make a commitment to meet their consumers’ demands. Now TCE and our allies have begun a social media campaign to push Walmart in the right direction.

Please go to Walmart’s Facebook feedback app and leave a message asking the company to start taking back electronics for recycling at all of their stores while backing a strong national policy against e-waste dumping on developing countries.  Walmart already has a trade-in program for small electronics (phones, MP3 players, PDAs, etc.), but there are questions as to whether they are using responsible recyclers or exporters which ship their toxic e-waste to developing countries and then dump them on poor people.  Put it in your own words, but here is an example:

"I am contacting Walmart to request electronic waste recycling options nationwide, something that Best Buy already does. Over 25,000 people have already sent letters to your company asking for this program, yet all you have responded with is a limited trade-in program. When will you do something to offer all your customers free and convenient recycling for their old electronics?"

Note that many of our supporters have reported that their comments have been deleted.  If this happens, give them some feedback about THAT.  Keep posting, share this with friends and spread the word.  While you are on Facebook, “Like” the Take it Back Walmart! page and keep up to date with this important campaign.  Walmart is a behemoth, and this has a lot of negative impacts on our environment, economy and culture, but if we can leverage that size for the benefit of our land and our communities, this will be a huge victory.  We’re glad you’ll be a part of it!