Hewlett-Packard Co. has begun recycling PCs and other products for Chinese consumers and small businesses, expanding a free program that already existed for large companies.

"We've offered recycling to corporate and enterprise customers in China for many years, and now we're extending this to consumers and small businesses in response to customer demand," said Ryan Donovan, an HP spokesman.

Environmental protection is a growing concern in China, where cities and the countryside have been ravaged by years of headlong economic growth and heavy pollution. The country has also become a major destination for electronic waste shipped from overseas that has resulted in pollution in the towns where these items are processed.

Starting Tuesday, Chinese consumers can drop off HP computers and other products, such as printers, monitors, and scanners, for recycling at service centers in 31 Chinese cities, the company said. These products will be sorted by HP and then sent out for recycling in China.

Details of the hardware recycling program are available on HP's Web site (in Chinese).

HP's Chinese recycling effort for used PCs will be expanded over the next year to include more cities and additional drop-off points, the company said.

HP isn't the only PC vendor that offers free recycling of PCs and other equipment in China. Last December, Dell Inc. announced a program that will recycle PCs and other equipment for corporate customers in China. Under that program, returned equipment may either be refurbished and resold, or sent out for recycling.

REFERENCES:
Dell to recycle PCs for Chinese customers, Dec. 22, 2006