Consumers can recycle old electronic devices and receive discount coupons to attend EarthFest; Electronics recycling drive projected to be the largest in state history MINNEAPOLIS, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their ongoing efforts to help consumers recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, Sony Electronics Inc. and Waste Management (WM) Recycle America are encouraging Minnesota residents to take action and recycle their old electronics on Friday and Saturday, April 11th and 12th, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm both days. The electronics recycling drive, which spans five sites over two days, is forecast to be the largest in Minnesota history. Waste Management and Sony Electronics, in association with Best Buy, are sponsoring these recycling events in honor of Earth Day. Locations for the event were carefully selected to provide residents with the most convenient drop-off location options. Each resident who recycles an old electronic device at one of these events will receive a discount coupon to attend EarthFest, A Party for the Planet, on the following weekend, April 19th and 20th at the Minnesota Zoo in Eagan, Minn. Minnesota residents will be able to drop off their used electronics, at no charge, at any of the following locations: Canterbury Park Racetrack Shakopee 1100 Canterbury Rd South, Shakopee, MN 55379 Minnesota State Fair Grounds St. Paul 1265 North Snelling Ave. St Paul, MN 55108 National Sports Center Blaine 1700 105th Ave NE, Blaine, MN 55449 Grace Church Eden Prairie 9301 Eden Prairie Rd, Eden Prairie, MN 55347 Ecolab Schuman Campus (Saturday Only) Eagan Building F, 655 Lone Oak Dr, Eagan, MN 55121 All events are open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday and Saturday, April 11th and 12th, unless otherwise noted. More information about the events, including maps and a complete list of acceptable materials, can be found at http://www.wmtwincities.com/electronic. "We intend to lead the industry in environmental stewardship by providing consumers with end-of-life solutions through our "Take Back Recycling Program" and these special electronics recycling events," said Mark Small, vice president of environment, safety and health for Sony Electronics. By working with Sony on these special events, Waste Management is helping consumers properly manage their old electronics. "People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Julie Ketchum, director of government affairs for Waste Management. "We hope to collect as much recyclable material as possible through this free event. It is our way of demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship." Waste Management has been collecting electronics in Minnesota for more than 10 years and has the largest electronics-recycling infrastructure in Minnesota, with 21 permanent e-waste collection sites across the state. "Waste Management has unequaled experience with e-waste drop off events," said Joe Aho, senior manager of eCycling, WM Recycle America. "This series of e-waste events will be the largest and most comprehensive ever in the state of Minnesota, and the team is prepared to make them event extremely convenient and easy for people who want to recycle their used electronics." The amount of e-waste is on the rise and managing the issue is becoming increasingly crucial as the FCC-mandated switch to all digital TV signals in February 2009 nears. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, two million tons of e-waste ended up in landfills in 2005, while only about 380,000 tons were recycled. By recycling old electronics products, useful materials -- such as glass, plastic and metals -- can be collected and re-used in the manufacture of other products. The upcoming events are part of Sony's ongoing Take Back Recycling program. Additionally, here in Minnesota Best Buy is providing financial support and views these events as an extension of its ongoing commitment to encourage consumers to take action with e-waste. A complete list of permanent WM Recycle America eCycling Drop-Off Centers can be found at http://www.wm.com/sony/ or by calling 877-439-2795. About Waste Management and WM Recycle America, L.L.C. Waste Management, based in Houston, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. The company is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. More information about how Waste Management Thinks Green(R) can be found at http://www.wm.com/wm/thinkgreen. WM Recycle America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers. WM Recycle America eCycling Services operates a national network of e-waste processing centers, including Minnesota's only ISO9001 and 14001 Certified electronics processing facility. More information can be found at http://www.recycleamerica.com/. About Sony Electronics Sony Electronics Inc.: Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony has played a key role in the development of Blu-ray, Disc(TM), CD, DVD and Super Audio CD technologies, among many others. The company is noted for a wide range of consumer audio- visual products, such as the BRAVIA(R) LCD high-definition television, Cyber- shot(R) digital camera, Handycam(R) camcorder and Walkman(R) personal stereo. Sony is also an innovator in the IT arena with its VAIO(R) personal computers; and in high-definition professional broadcast and video equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM(R) HD and CineAlta(TM) lines of cameras and camcorders, and the SXRD(TM) 4K digital projector. The latest news and information is available at the company's Web site at http://www.sony.com/news. DATASOURCE: Waste Management CONTACT: Julie Ketchum of Waste Management Minnesota, +1-952-736-2400, ; or Rachelle Arcebido of Sony Electronics Inc., +1-858-942-4155, Web site: http://www.wm.com/

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