LG Electronics USA Leverages Recycling Leadership During 2012 'Great American Cleanup'

'Green Starts Here' as National Consumer Electronics Sponsor, Keep America Beautiful Inspire Green Volunteerism, Promote ENERGY STAR® at Celebration in New York

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LG Electronics USA

Apr 19, 2012, 11:33 ET

NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA is demonstrating its continued leadership in electronics recycling during the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest green volunteerism program, organized by national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.

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"The Great American Cleanup is an ideal opportunity for consumers to get involved and make a positive impact in the community," said Wayne Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics USA, the exclusive consumer electronics national sponsor of the Great American Cleanup, which runs through May 31. "In 2011 LG Electronics USA collected more than 13 million pounds of electronics for responsible recycling through its alliances with Keep America Beautiful and Waste Management -- we expect that figure to be topped in 2012."

Speaking at a celebration today in Times Square honoring volunteers making New York City and the Nation more beautiful, John Taylor, Vice President, LG Electronics USA, explained LG's nationwide recycling program while emphasizing the importance of replacing old electronics and appliances with ENERGY STAR qualified products.

The LG Electronics Recycling Program provides consumers with a convenient and responsible way to dispose of used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronics products, he said. "Equally significant, replacing old electronics and appliances with ENERGY STAR qualified products, can save consumers energy and money while protecting the planet," Taylor said, encouraging consumers to take action and join LG in taking EPA's "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" pledge.

Green Starts Here

Through May, an anticipated 1,200 Keep America Beautiful affiliates and participating organizations nationwide are working towards a record-setting goal of recruiting and activating 4 million volunteers to beautify and green their neighborhoods. The 2012 theme, "#Green Starts Here," is a rallying call that encourages civic leaders and volunteer groups to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers, and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep America Beautiful's long legacy of waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening activities.

As part of the effort, Keep America Beautiful has declared the first-ever "National Day of Action" on Saturday, April 28 with activities taking place in nearly all 50 states.

In 2011, nearly 3.8 million volunteers in 16,500 communities took part in the Great American Cleanup, collecting 177 million pounds of litter and debris. According to Keep America Beautiful, an emphasis on recycling resulted in the collection of:

More than 290 million plastic bottles;
7.9 million pounds of electronics;
13.4 million pounds of aluminum and steel;
12.1 million pounds of glass; and
807,000 scrap tires.

Named 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, LG Electronics views its involvement in Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup as a key element of the company's many sustainability initiatives, including LG's industry-leading commitment to voluntarily reduce its U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by the end of 2020, compared with a 2007 baseline.

At today's event, LG presented a donation to the Keep New York City Beautiful Coalition, and saluted the thousands of New York volunteers supporting the Great American Cleanup.

About LG Electronics USA

A proud Corporate Sponsor of Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup, LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $49 billion global force in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. LG Electronics, 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, in the United States, all under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. Its national program, the Great American Cleanup is one of many initiatives that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation. To join the Great American Cleanup and let green start with you, visit www.kab.org

About Keep New York City Beautiful Coalition

The goal of KNYCB, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), is to improve the cleanliness and beauty of our city by encouraging volunteers to become involved in urban beautification efforts, such as community clean ups, street sweeping, parks beautification, graffiti removal, tree and flower plantings, street median cleaning, etc.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA