It is smart, it is timely, it is fitting that Best Buy would lead in the effort to dispose of the electronic waste which is the byproduct of its success.

The Washington Post recently reported that Best Buy Co. is now in the testing phase of a FREE electronics recycling program in over 100 of its stores across eight states. They will accept a wide array of electronic gadgets: televisions and monitors up to 32", computers, phones, cameras, and electronics peripherals - even those not purchased at Best Buy.

The pilot program begins with 117 stores in the the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota markets. The company hopes to expand it to all of their stores in the future.

Why is this so important? If you've read M.R. Dinkins article on cleaning up broken televisions, you'll grasp how fraught with lethal poison the increasingly big buggers actually are. Think mercury, arsenic, lead and those wicked polybrominated flame retardants.

Because technology advances at record speed and "leading edge" becomes passé every couple of years, the issue of electronics waste disposal has reached a level of urgency.

Best Buy has been a strong beneficiary of the digital transition and all of us should be deeply concerned about TV redundancy and where these discarded items will ultimately lie and leech.

Best Buy's is a bold move, but make no mistake - it is a calculated one. Not only will they earn the kind of green halo their PR agency can capitalize on - they can do so well in advance of competitors like Circuit City and Wal-Mart who are now challenged to offer the same.

When you're trying to sell, the object of the game is to bring more people to your store. When you drive to Best Buy to unload your aging gadgets (limit two per day), you'll likely leave with a bright yellow bag in your hand with sales receipt inside, and somewhere at Best Buy a team of executives will have earned their pay.

Kudos for being the Best first.

E

June 4, 2008
HDTV Solutions

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