Recycle IT Day: How Cisco Tackles E-Waste

Global e-scrap dumping—it’s a serious environmental and public health issue. To help address this critical concern, Cisco hosts Recycle IT Day every year, and has done so since 2002. Around the world, Cisco locations act as collection points for employees to drop off e-scrap like end-of-life electronics from their home or work to be recycled by Cisco, free of charge.

The 2019 Recycle IT Day will take place on Tuesday, April 23 at Cisco offices around the world. We have 162 sites participating this year—20 more than last year.

When you drop off an old computer, cell phone, or other electronic device, our recycler will maximize the amount of material recycled from these items. Through Cisco’s e-scrap recycling process, 99.5% of collected material can be recycled. Metals and other valuable components in the items we collect are returned to the supply chain to become new products again and again, reducing depletion of our natural resources.

How much have we recycled so far?

Every item we can keep out of the landfill makes a difference. Last year, we collected 271,644 pounds of electronic material—equal to a bit over 123.2 metric tons—from 142 Cisco locations around the world.

Over the past 17 years, Cisco employees have recycled over 2961 metric tons through Recycle IT Day events. That’s five times greater than the weight of an Airbus A380!

“Recycling is environmental stewardship that we wholeheartedly support at Cisco. Our Recycle IT Day events allow every employee to dispose responsibly of electronic scrap and your participation, no matter how large or small, can make a difference to the environment.”

— Jack Allen, Senior Director, Logistics and Manufacturing Solutions.

Cisco is proud to contribute to the betterment of the community, country, and the world by providing an easy way for employees to properly dispose of their e-waste.

If you are an employee, find an event near you by searching for Recycle IT Day on the Cisco Employee Connection (CEC). External viewers, read more about our reverse logistics program in our latest Corporate Social Responsibility report.