January 3, 2012
EcoATM will showcase its latest generation of kiosks in Las Vegas Convention Center Jan. 10-13 during the 2012 International CES. EcoATM is the San Diego-based company behind recycling kiosks that buy back used portable electronics and mobile phones directly from consumers,
Given the growing global problem of e-waste, the ecoATM kiosk is a great example of technology solving a problem created by technology, Tom Tullie, chairman and CEO, ecoATM, said in a company press release.
"Almost everyone has a collection of used portable electronics stored somewhere," he said. "At ecoATM, we believe strongly in repurposing good electronics that can be refurbished and used by consumers in other markets."
The kiosks, said Tullie, use patented machine vision, electronic diagnostics and artificial intelligence to evaluate and buy back used cell phones and MP3 players directly from consumers for cash or store credit. Recycling of tablets will begin later in January.
The kiosks provide a trade-in solution that electronically and visually inspects a consumer electronics device, pays consumers immediately in cash or store credit, and automatically administers trade-in/trade-up promotions for retailers and manufacturers.
"We find a second life for about 75 percent of the used devices we collect at the kiosks," Tullie said. "For the other 25 percent of devices that are truly at their end of life, we work with either R2-certified or BAN-certified recyclers who reclaim the raw materials and precious metals in an environmentally responsible way."
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