It’s not often we get to report on some news involving the greener issues of the planet with items such as electricity sapping consoles and computers, but when we get the chance to do so, we take it with both hands.

In the dizzy heights of Cornwall (that’s in England for all of you non UK people out there) the Electronic Waste Company has agreed to a deal with Sony to recycle around 300,000 Playstation cases in the first year of a hopefully long running contract and turn them into something a bit more user friendly, like a chair or pen, maybe even a drinking tumbler with an eject button. Weight wise this works out at around 250 tonnes over a 12 month period, which in anyone’s language is a lot of plastic, almost as much as an A-list celebrity who’s been under the knife too many times.

The deal itself covers machines from the whole of Europe and consists of a load of broken consoles sent back to the technological giant for repairs or upgrades. The EWC already has a well respected track record with regards to dismantling and recycling electronic machinery, some from government health companies, local authorities and schools and turning them into renewable sources, helped by a recent investment in new technology to deal with ever increasingly complex items.

Managing Director, Damian Lambkin is very pleased with this new workload:

“We have cemented our position as the electronics recycling company of choice for businesses in the South West. Now, this contract with Sony is a real vote of confidence in our ability to deal with a range of associated materials at high volumes.”

You want someone else’s opinion? Alright. How about Gregor Margetson, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s Environmental Programmes Manager? He’s also pleased with this collaboration:

“The quality of materials produced at this stage of the recycling process is fundamental in enabling PlayStations to be effectively recycled. We work with experts in a number of fields to minimise the environmental impact of our operations and believe the Electronic Waste Company is able to meet our high standards.”

When you consider that 100 million PSX consoles have been sold in Europe alone from its initial launch over 12 years ago, it’s a sign of the big companies trying to clean up their act and be kinder to the environment and it may also extend to PS2’s in the future, but for now we can be happy with the fact that 100% of each and every broken machine sent to the Electronic Waste Company will be completely recycled, with none of it going to landfill sites.

More information can be found at www.electronicwastecompany.com.