Dell and Goodwill- Official Press Release

DELL AND GOODWILL LAUNCH FREE COMPUTER RECYCLING SERVICE FOR VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, D.C. METRO AREA RESIDENTS

Washington, DC – Reconnect, a free Dell and Goodwill Industries drop-off program to recycle unwanted computers, was recently introduced in Richmond, VA for residents of Virginia and the District of Columbia area. Virginia is the third U.S. state to implement a statewide Reconnect program.

• Reconnect offers consumers free recycling for any brand of computer equipment in any condition. Consumers can find a drop-off location atwww.reconnectpartnership.com.
• Each of the seven members of the Virginia Goodwill Network is participating, with the combined territories covering Virginia and the Washington, D.C. metro area.
• Program goals are to divert over 2.7 million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year; and provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally-responsible computer disposal. Reconnect can also help create job opportunities for individuals who have barriers to employment or independence.
• Consumers can drop off used computers at any of 134 Goodwill donation centers across the region (Six in the DC area). Goodwill will accept and sort the donated computer equipment and Dell’s product recovery partner will recycle and remarket the recycled materials. Consumers are responsible for removing data from hard drives and other storage media before donating to Goodwill. Consumers can also request a Goodwill receipt at time of donation.
• Other Reconnect programs currently exist in Austin, Texas (15 counties in Central Texas), San Francisco (Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties), San Antonio (23 counties in Central and South Texas), Houston (15 counties), North Carolina (49 counties), San Diego County, Pittsburgh, the State of New Jerseyand City of Philadelphia, Northwest Ohio, Western New York State, the greater Rochester area, and throughout the state of Michigan.  With today’s launch Reconnect offers 567 drop-off locations for free computer recycling to consumers in several U.S. markets.
• Dell provides consumers worldwide free computer recycling. In 2007 the company collected 102 million pounds of IT equipment from customers, a 20 percent increase over 2006.

“Across the country Dell has been such a tremendous partner with Goodwill.  We at Goodwill of Greater Washington are anxious to begin this new initiative with Dell in an effort to improve our environment and the quality of life for all who live and work in and around our nation’s capital”, said Catherine Meloy, President & CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington.

“Dell wants to make computer recycling easy, convenient and free for any consumer, and Reconnect is an important program that helps make that possible,” said Joe Strathmann, head of product recycling services for Dell. “This program is a win on all fronts; it benefits the environment, the community and consumers.”

Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW) provides job training and employment services to people with disadvantages and disabilities.  Every dollar generated by GGW through the Reconnect program will be funneled into programs directly serving the people of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Dell is the only major computer manufacturer providing free computer recycling to consumers worldwide.