MAHWAH, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 04/14/09 -- Sharp Electronics Corporation today announced the expansion of its nationwide electronics recycling program to include additional collection sites in the Southeast, bringing the entire program to more than 300 collection sites across the 50 states. More than 30 new drop-off locations throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia will be added, where consumers can bring Sharp televisions and other consumer audio and video products for free, convenient recycling.

"We appreciate Sharp's commitment to product stewardship and welcome their recycling expansion into the state of Florida," said Mary Jean Yon, Director of the Division of Waste Management in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

"As a manufacturer of consumer electronics products, an important way for Sharp to reduce its impact on the environment is to provide a simple and no-cost way for consumers to dispose of their unwanted electronics in an environmentally sound manner," said Stewart Mitchell, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Sharp Electronics Corporation. "When we announced a nationwide program earlier this year, we did so with the intent of expanding it nearly three-fold by 2011. We're very pleased to be moving toward that goal by bolstering our program with these additional participating locations in the Southeast."

Sharp's recycling program uses the infrastructure developed by the Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM), which now expands through a collaboration with Creative Recycling Solutions, a recycling company that operates collection facilities in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. A joint venture between Panasonic, Sharp Electronics and Toshiba, MRM was established in September of 2007 to efficiently manage collection and recycling programs for electronics manufacturers in the United States. Earlier this year, Sharp expanded its current recycling program to 280 sites nationwide, including at least one location in all 50 states, with hundreds of additional sites planned over the next three years.

Consumers can drop off Sharp brand televisions and other Sharp consumer audio and video electronics products for free recycling at more than 300 locations across the country. Panasonic and Toshiba products will also be accepted at these locations. A complete list of locations where Sharp products can be recycled is available on the MRM website (http://www.MRMrecycling.com.)

The program developed by MRM aims to bring the electronic product manufacturing community together into a unified voluntary national solution to address America's e-waste recycling needs. The program will utilize the larger volumes achieved through working with other manufacturers to maximize efficient collection and recycling. To ensure safe, convenient and responsible recycling, MRM has teamed with leading recycling companies CRT-Processing, Creative Recycling and Eco-International. The sites MRM has established include drop-off and collection sites, and corporate arrangements with not-for-profits such as Goodwill.

Sharp and the Environment

Consistent with Sharp's vision to contribute to the world through environment and health-centric businesses, focusing on energy-saving and energy-creating products, Sharp Electronics strives to conduct business operations in an environmentally conscious manner. Over the past several years, Sharp has taken a leading role in addressing e-waste. For example, every year since its inception in 2003, Sharp has supported the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Plug-in to eCycling" program by participating in and contributing to collection events for discarded electronics. Since the Plug-in to eCycling program's inception, Sharp has supported more than 650 Plug-in events that collected and recycled 15.4 million pounds of electronics.

For more information on all of Sharp's environmental programs please see our website http://www.sharpusa.com.

Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, solar energy solutions and mobile communication and information tools. Leading brands include AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions, 1-Bit(TM) digital audio products, SharpVision® projection products, Notevision® multimedia projectors, Insight® Microwave Drawer® appliances, SuperSteam(TM) ovens, Plasmacluster® air purifiers and the OnEnergy(TM) solar system. For more information visit Sharp Electronics Corporation at www.sharpusa.com

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