Apple Chewed Out Over Recycling

Associated Press

By Rachel Konrad

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Computer Corp. has become the darling of the technology sector for its wildly popular digital music player. But scorching iPod sales have also made it the target of an aggressive environmental coalition, which is trashing Apple as rotten to the core.

Environmentalists with the Computer TakeBack Campaign are planning a yearlong campaign to protest Apple’s lackluster recycling efforts. Despite drizzle on Tuesday at the annual Macworld Conference & Expo, activists passed out leaflets and erected a giant banner proclaiming, “from iPod to iWaste.”

The advocacy group, which last year badgered Dell Inc. until it significantly bolstered its recycling initiatives, plans protests at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters throughout 2005, a letter-writing and e-mail campaign, and other attacks against the maker of Macintosh computers.

$30 recycle fee criticized

Environmentalists said they’re targeting Apple because the hardware and software company makes it difficult to replace batteries in its digital music players, and it charges many consumers $30 to recycle their unused or broken computers and laptops.

“We know consumers won’t pay 30 bucks to get rid of something they think is junk,” said Robin Schneider, executive director of the Austin, Texas-based Texas Campaign for the Environment.

“Apple can do a lot better — they’re lagging way behind Dell and Hewlett-Packard. “Now they need to take the next step and really ’think different,”’ Schneider said, playing off Apple’s advertising slogan.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said Tuesday the company would not comment on the environmental crusade. On Thursday, Apple promised to join eBay Inc. and Intel Corp., which launched an informational Web site to help motivate Americans to resell, donate or recycle used gadgets.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6821607/