ecoATM, Automated eCycling Station, Features Built-in Cash Dispenser

ecoATM, an award-winning San Diego, Calif., startup known for its commitment to the environment and kiosks that buy back and recycle consumer electronics, has launched a fully automated eCycling Station, which features a built-in cash dispenser like an ATM.

"We've been successfully testing our systems over the last year and a half and are providing what consumers want: ease of use, best value, and immediate payment for their used electronics," said ecoATM chairman and CEO, Tom Tullie, in a press release. "The addition of the cash dispenser and other features to the ecoATM make it even quicker and more convenient."

"ecoATM is unique because their value proposition is relevant to almost everyone and because they don't ask their customers for money, they pay money to their customers," said Matt Marshall, executive producer of DEMO, in a press release. "In addition to the individual financial benefit to their customers, ecoATM has an overarching public benefit by helping save our environment from tons of eWaste."

U.S. consumers collectively buy about 500 million new electronic gadgets each year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (News - Alert). Every year, the upgrade cycles grow shorter as gadget manufacturers tempt consumers with new features.

There are 26 different consumer electronic devices in the average household out of a total of nearly three billion devices, many of which are no longer in use are owned by the average U.S. household. The majority of these devices are still in good working condition when consumers upgrade and retire them. Unfortunately, there are few practical options for consumers to responsibly resell or recycle these devices so the vast majority of them still enter landfills as toxic eWaste, the fastest growing segment of the U.S.’s waste stream.

ecoATM, to solve this technology problem, turned to technology itself and has developed a solution to this problem by providing convenience, immediate financial incentive, and personal data removal for consumers.

In related news, ecoATM was awarded a Phase 1 grant by the National Science Foundation to further refine and expand its research and development in advanced machine vision, artificial intelligence, and testing systems for used electronics.