Electronic waste is the fastest growing type of global waste. According to the UN Environmental Programme, the global e-waste steam will soon reach 50 million metric tonnes annually. Responsible waste management, particularly around e-waste, has become the target of regulation and stakeholder interest.

Cisco closely monitors regulations relating to product end of life and adheres to all applicable legislation worldwide . In Europe Cisco has gone beyond the requirements in the EU Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) by registering as a producer in all EU countries where Cisco is permitted to do so, despite not generally being defined as the producer.

In 2009, a limited number of Cisco products were affected by regulations in several Canadian provinces. Cisco has met all the requirements in the legislation. Cisco will continue to closely monitor developing legislation in many countries and jurisdictions, including Argentina, Brazil, China, the European Union, and India to ensure we are in scope and meet all requirements,.

Cisco continues to take a leading role with the UN-led Solving the E-Waste Problem Program, working within the Global Policy and Recycling task forces. Cisco has become a co-leader for the EU WEEE directive within the Environmental Policy Group of Digital Europe, an association that combines 39 national digital technology associations from 28 European countries with over 61 direct company members. Through the Environmental Policy Group, Cisco is working with industry peers to respect all applicable environmental legislation, while allowing the ICT sector to prosper.

Cisco has developed a global closed-loop reverse supply chain that allows us to recover and reuse or recycle more than 99 percent of our returned electronic equipment in major markets worldwide ensuring Cisco products remain out of landfill sites.

The Cisco's TakeBack and Recycle Program is designed for customers to dispose properly of surplus products that have reached their end of useful life. The Program is open to all business users of Cisco branded equipment. Product returned is sent to a recycler that de-manufactures, shreds, and sorts materials into the fraction commodities which are either sold or given to downstream recyclers for use in new products.

The crossed out wheelie bin symbol as required by the WEEE Directive indicates that the product was placed on the market after August 13, 2005 and that end users should segregate the product from other waste at end-of- life.