News Release

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov 11, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, has launched "Recycling Rules," an ink, toner and small electronics recycling program targeted to the education market, including teachers and schools. This new free program rewards teachers with a gift card to purchase the school supplies they need for their classrooms while highlighting the importance of recycling.

Recycling Rules allows teachers, school administrators, parents, and students to sign up their classrooms online at www.myschoolrecycles.com. After a classroom signs up for the Recycling Rules program, Office Depot will supply it with recycling boxes containing information about the program and recycling curriculum suggestions. The boxes can be filled with empty ink and toner cartridges (any brand) and/or small electronics, such as cell phones and rechargeable batteries. Once the boxes are filled, they can be shipped back to Office Depot free of charge. Classrooms will be rewarded (based on the value of their recyclables) with Office Depot gift cards that can used to purchase the supplies they need.

"The Recycling Rules program is a great way to educate students about the importance of recycling, while providing teachers with a great way to get many of the supplies they need for their classrooms," said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot. "This program is just one more example of how Office Depot is developing innovative ways for our customers to benefit from our green initiatives."

Recycling Rules could not have come at a better time. In fact, 92 percent of teachers spend their own money on supplies for their classrooms. According to a recent survey by the National School Supply and Equipment Association, on average, teachers spend $398 on classroom supplies and $538 on instructional materials annually, totaling $936 of annual classroom expenses.*

"Educators do so much for the students, schools and communities they serve," said Adriana Vethencourt, Director of Loyalty Marketing for Office Depot. "The Recycling Rules initiative in conjunction with Office Depot's ongoing Star Teacher and 5% Back to School Programs is Office Depot's way of helping teachers with the supplies they need in their classrooms every day."

The new Recycling Rules program will further expand the positive impact of Office Depot's sustainability programs. In 2009 alone, Office Depot recycled over 14 million ink and toner cartridges, significantly reducing landfill waste.

About the Office Depot Star Teacher Program

The Office Depot Star Teacher Program, launched in 2003, provides members with special promotions, discounts and offers to help teachers stretch their classroom budgets in these challenging economic times. Pre-K through 12th grade classroom teachers are eligible to be members of the Office Depot Star Teacher program. Enrollment in the program is free and can be done at any Office Depot store. Ask a store associate for details or visit www.school.com or www.mystarteacher.com for more information.

Star Teacher Program benefits include 10 percent back on ink, toner and paper purchases, an instant 15 percent off Design, Print and Ship Depot services, plus an additional one percent back on nearly everything else.**

About the Office Depot 5% Back to Schools Program

Besides the discounts offered during Teacher Appreciation Events, Star Teachers can use their school's 5% Back to Schools ID number year-round when buying school supplies at Office Depot to get credits for free supplies! To participate, customers simply need to provide their school's 5% Back to Schools Program ID number at checkout, and Office Depot will total the qualifying purchases*** made during each quarter. The school of choice will be awarded 5% of the qualifying purchases in merchandise credit, when they earn at least $10, which can be used toward supplies. To access your local school's ID number, ask a store associate or visit Smart Services at www.mystarteacher.com. Click the Smart Services link to learn more. Since the program's inception, Office Depot has given back nearly $23 million to local schools.

About Office Depot

Every day, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides products and services to its customers through 1,600 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.1 billion e-commerce operation. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $12.1 billion, and employs about 41,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 53 countries.

Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: mediarelations.officedepot.com. Media looking to access digital assets and news, please visit socialpress.officedepot.com. For information about Office Depot's overall environmental initiatives, visit www.officedepot.com/environment.

* The National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) released the 2008 NSSEA Retail Market Awareness Study. This study, conducted by Perry Research Professionals, reports on teachers' knowledge of parent-teacher stores, including their spending patterns, funding sources, shopping preferences, and factors that influence their purchasing decisions. For more information on NSSEA, please visit www.nssea.org.

** 10% Rewards exclude postage stamps and HP ink and toner, 1% rewards are granted on qualifying purchases and certain exclusions apply. Rewards are paid quarterly in the form of an Office Depot reward card when you earn a minimum of $10 in rewards. Rewards carry over from quarter to quarter in a calendar year. Visit www.mystarteacher.com for full details.

*** Qualifying purchases are categorized as basic school supplies, i.e., notebook paper, pens, pencils, crayons etc. Credits will be issued 60 days after the end of each program period and will be valid for 120 days after the date of issuance. Credits will not be offered to schools with less than $10.00 in tallied credits per program period. Limited to Pre-K-12th grade.

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SOURCE: Office Depot

Office Depot, Boca Raton
Public Relations:
Melissa Perlman, 561-438-0704
Melissa.Perlman@officedepot.com
or
(add)ventures
Gail Leach Carvelli, 401-453-4748
gcarvelli@addventures.com