Apple Computer, maker of the popular iPod music player, will offer a free computer recycling service to U.S. customers who purchase a computer via the Apple Store or an Apple retail store, according to the group’s recent release.The program is an extension of its existing computer take-back program, which was started in 2001 and has recycled more than 90 percent by weight of the total equipment collected, according to the release. The company has been named the winner of the California Waste Reduction Award in every year since 1995.Apple says all hazardous waste that comes from the recycling process stays within North America, and it doesn’t use any recovered plastics as fuel for smelting, as is commonplace.Apple was recently named a “Forward Green Leader” by the Sierra Club and its investment adviser, Forward Management, according to the release, because the groups found it to be one of the top 10 environmentally progressive companies. Apple’s recycling program for U.S. educational and business customers kept more than 60 tons of electronic waste from the nation’s landfills since August 2005, and its partnership with Cupertino, Calif., led to the recycling of more than 155 tons of electronic equipment, which was accepted free of charge, no matter the manufacturer, according to the release.Apple also operates take-back programs in Canada, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. The computer giant also announced that its fifth-generation iPods, iPod nanos and iPod shuffles are now 100 percent compliant with the future restrictions of hazardous substances in California and Europe, months ahead of the July 1 deadline set by the European Union.In addition, power adapters for the company’s iPod devices meet all Energy Star efficiency requirements, and they already exceed the strict California appliance energy-efficiency regulations slated to take effect in July 2008, according to the release.For related news coverage, read Apple Grilled in Trade Secrets Case.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street Dear Oracle Cloud…I need my own space Access results from a recent Rimini Street survey about why enterprises are rethinking their Oracle relationship and cloud strategy. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cloud Computing brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street How to evolve IT systems into innovation engines Today’s IT leaders are more than eager to modernize with best-fit cloud solutions that drive innovation and rapid business impact, but they need to do so with ROI-based solutions. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks x Accenture Making sense of zero trust - why a managed SASE solution is the ideal option for enterprises Security leaders are turning to SASE as their preferred network security solution amid a new era of cloud-powered businesses working from anywhere. By CIO Contributor Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Network Security feature 8 tips for unleashing the power of unstructured data For most organizations, data in the form of text, video, audio, and other formats is plentiful but remains untapped. Here’s how to unlock business value from this overlooked data trove. By Bob Violino Nov 28, 2023 10 mins Data Mining Data Science Data Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe