Samsung Green Recycling Program Raises Funds for San Francisco Public Schools, Partners with Sims Recycling Solutions to Safely Recycle Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in consumer electronics and information technology, today announced the expansion of its corporate social responsibility program in the San Francisco Bay Area with the unveiling of a winter season green recycling program at ten K-12 schools in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

The community program with the first event beginning on December 19, aims to broaden community awareness about responsible electronics recycling and promote environment protection consciousness, especially with SFUSD students and their parents. The electronics recycling program also invites neighborhood residents to drop off their used electronics on the assigned event date at one of the ten schools participating in the program and have them recycled for free.

Funds raised through Samsung’s recycling program will benefit participating schools by matching donated funds to the district’s Free and Reduced Lunch program, which serves more than 50 percent of the district’s 56,000 students. These funds will not only be used to help feed hungry students, but will also implement expanded lunch menu options such as salad bars, offering fresh, healthy produce.

Sims Recycling Solutions provides electronics recycling, precious metal refining, remarketing and asset management solutions tailored to the individual needs of its corporate clients. Their California facilities are authorized to handle SB 20/50 materials, and the company has a convenient eCycle Box designed specially for individuals and small businesses who want to responsibly recycle their electronics.

Sims Recycling Solutions’ event team will be at each school to provide a state-compliant facility for participants to drop off used electronics to be safely and securely shredded and recycled. Accepted items include: TVs, monitors, desktop and laptop computers, printers, keyboards, mice, radios, stereos, speakers, DVD and CD players, VCRs, MP3 players, PDAs and cell phones.

Samsung develops environmentally-friendly products with low energy consumption levels, and products that are manufactured without hazardous substances In addition to green manufacturing processes and compliance with environmental regulations such as EU RoHS, China RoHS, EU REACH and Halogen-free material. With green initiatives that encompass all of its component products: memory, logic, storage drives and LCD panels, the company has developed innovative component technologies to significantly cut power requirements for computing platforms and a range of consumer devices.

“Through the recycling program, Samsung is pleased to provide San Francisco Bay Area residents an opportunity to unlock the value of their end-oflife electronics and recycle these devices through an environmentally friendly educational program that helps local schools,” said Ana Hunter, vice president,Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

“This generous program comes at a time when school district budgets throughout the state are under enormous pressure and we are extremely grateful that Samsung and Sims Recycling Solutions seeks to support public education during this time of need while educating students on the benefits of electronics recycling,” said Carlos A. Garcia, Superintendant, San Francisco Unified School District.

The Samsung recycling events will take place on the following dates from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at these SFUSD locations:

• December 19 - Daniel Webster Elementary School, 465 Missouri St.
• January 9 - Marina Middle School, 3500 Fillmore St.
• January 23 - Visitacion Middle School, 450 Raymond Ave.
• January 30 - Longfellow Elementary School, 755 Morse St.
• February 20 - Thurgood Marshall Academic High, 45 Conkling St.
• February 27 - Woodside International, 1555 Irving St.
• March 6 - Herbert Hoover Middle School, 2990 14th Ave.
• March 13 - Newcomer High School, 1350 7th Ave.
• March 20 - Sunset Elementary School, 1920 41st Ave.
• March 27 - Cesar Chavez Elementary School, 825 Shotwell St.

In 2009, Samsung has safely recycled 10,334,749 pounds of electronics. Samsung only partners with respected take-back and recycling companies--such as Sims Recycling Solutions--that do not incinerate, send to solid waste landfill, or export toxic waste (defined in a manner consistent with the commonly accepted definition of hazardous electronic waste) to developing countries.

Additional information about Samsung’s environmentally-responsible activities can be found at www.samsung.com/recyclingdirect.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of two business units: Digital Media & Communications and Device Solutions. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com/

About Sims Recycling Solutions

Sims Recycling Solutions is the world’s largest electrical and electronics recovery and recycling company with 37 sites globally and last year processed over 660 million pounds of electronic waste worldwide. 

Sims Recycling Solutions recycles all types of electronic equipment and enable businesses to meet both their social and legal obligations in the treatment of surplus electronics. The company’s asset management and recovery service enables businesses and public sector organizations to sustain the value of IT and electronic equipment, in a legally compliant, data secure, fully traceable and environmentally sustainable manner. 

In North America, Sims Recycling Solutions operates 11 sites in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Ontario, South Carolina and Tennessee, processing over 240 million pounds each year.  

Sims Recycling Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sims Metal Management, the world’s largest listed metals recycler with more than 230 operations and over 5,500 employees worldwide. The company has an annual turnover in excess of $6 billion and has its ordinary shares listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX CODE: SGM) and its ADRs listed on the NYSE (NYSE SYMBOL: SMS).