In life, it helps to have someone who can hold you accountable for your actions. In the case of electronics companies, it seems that Greenpeace is their accountability partner. The organization has recently released the current company rankings in its Greener Electronics Scale. To find out how certain companies fared, get "green-minded" and turn to the full article after the jump.

Sony's looking all green as they launch their new recycling program. By next month Sony will be launching a new nationwide campaign where people will be able to dispose of their unwanted electronics in an environmentally safe manner.

The Sony Take Back Recycling Program will be putting up 75 "eCycling" centers throughout the US where people can drop off their electronics.

Once the program takes off, the program is expected to increase the number of eCycling centers to 150. The idea is to have an eCycling Center within 20 miles of 95% of the US.

The program was made in collaboration with WM Recycle America. Sony products will be recylced free of charge while other brands will include a recycling fee. Consumers can either drop if off personally or ship it in through specific WM Recycle America locations.

Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, says about the service:

Providing the highest level of service and support doesn’t stop once a purchase is made. We believe it is Sony’s responsibility to provide customers with end-of-life solutions for all the products we manufacture. Through the Take Back Recycling Program, our customers will know that their Sony products will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

Thanks to Surftycoon for the tip!

While the Digital Age has done some environmental good - reduced the number of trees cut down for paper, and provided opportunities for "telecommuting," taking cars off the roads - it has also created new environmental threats.

Digital equipment such as computers and cell phones become obsolete very quickly, and there are many toxic substances used in their manufacture that are not healthy for children and other living things. Electronic waste has become a big problem, but some industries are attempting to come up with solutions.

This year in the U.K., a Cheshire-based company called "Envirofone.com" has paid out more than £250,000 (approx. $600,000 USD) to people who bring in old mobile phones for recycling. People can either receive a cash payment or credit toward their subscription fee. Envirophone reconditions the handsets and sends them to countries where new hardware is not terribly affordable.

Recyclers can also designate their favorite charity for a donation. In addition to the cash paid out to individuals, Envirophone has donated £35,000 (about $80,000 USD) to charity. About  15 million old cell phones are upgraded each year in Great Britain, but fewer than three million are recycled or reused.

"We launched envirofone.com to target the general public and get them into the recycling habit," Pete Petrondas, CEO of Envirophone said. "Unlike traditional schemes, we recognized that we needed to encourage the general public to recycle so we decided to offer them either cash or credit."