Office Depot Launches New Recycling Program For Schools

Office Depot is reaching out to students and teachers with its new Recycling Rules campaign. The company is collecting small electronics and cartridges via mail, and every box shipped will earn Office Depot gift cards.

The new Office Depot Recycling Rules program is the second major recycling program the company has launched in an effort to collect hard-to-recycle office supplies. (Office Depot Press Photo)

The store already has a trade-in program, where anyone can have their electronics appraised and recycled in exchange for a gift card, with the value based on the type of material and its condition. In both the old and new programs, Office Depot will pay for the shipping costs.

For the Recycling Rules program, classrooms are encouraged to fill the box with materials such as inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones and rechargeable batteries. The company has not announced whether certain items will earn a higher value, but all brands will be accepted and Office Depot provides the boxes.

“The Recycling Rules program is a great way to educate students about the importance of recycling, while providing teachers with a great way to get many of the supplies they need for their classrooms,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy for Office Depot. “This program is just one more example of how Office Depot is developing innovative ways for our customers to benefit from our green initiatives.”

Another recycling option for schools looking to raise funds is through paper recycling. Companies including GreenFiber, AbitibiBowater’s Paper Retriever and SP Recycling allow schools to place a bin in the parking lot to collect paper. The companies provide the bin and handle pick-up, and the school is paid based on how much paper is collected.

For a complete list of recycling opportunities available via the mail, check out Earth911′s Mail-in Recycling page.