St. Cloud Times: Aren’t You Going to Recycle That?
Filed under: Earth 911 - June 20, 2008
Load up your e-waste —such as DVD players, VCRs and appliances— and get rid of most of it for free from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Televisions and computer monitors are not accepted.
Richard Swenson, a supervisor at Wal-Mart, set up the event in collaboration with Grant’s Recycling in Baxter.
“We’re trying to find different ways to help people out and help the environment,” Swenson said.
The program is not a Wal-Mart company event. Swenson was inspired to organize the free recycling collection through the company’s Personal Sustainability Practice program that helps associates live healthier lives and raise public awareness.
Swenson said the program sparked something in him to want to help the environment.
“When I realized how much can be done just by recycling, it was an eye-opening experience,” Swenson said.
Setting up the collection event was a matter of looking for available resources around him.
Grant’s Recycling is supplying the collection trailers and will handle the recycling. Wal-Mart is allowing use of the lot for the one-day event.
“Anybody can do it. You just have to contact the right people,” he said.
Local programs—Where to bring waste, broken or not
Broken
- Best Buy in St. Cloud is one of 117 Best Buy stores testing a new e-waste recycling program that allows customers to bring in up to two units per day at no charge. The program started June 1. Items accepted include televisions and monitors up to 32 inches, computers, phones, cameras and other devices. Items not accepted are televisions or monitors bigger than 32 inches, console televisions, air conditioners, microwaves and appliances. All Best Buy stores also have recycling kiosks for free recycling of rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, PDA/smart phones and ink cartridges.
- Office Depot offers e-waste recycling boxes for $5-$15. Customers can fill the boxes with as many acceptable items as will fit and bring them to the store. For a list of acceptable items, visit www.officedepot.com and look under “Our Services.”
- A list of collection sites by county that accept appliances and other recyclables can be found at www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/stewardship/electronics/collectors-county.pdf.
Still working
- Consider donating to organizations such as Goodwill, The Salvation Army or Minnesota Computers for Schools.
- Have a garage sale or post items on eBay. If you’re not eBay savvy, you can take your items to Consider it SOLD in Waite Park for assistance.
- Turn your gently used electronics into a Best Buy gift card through the company’s trade-in service at www.bestbuytradein.com.
Toxic trash
Besides e-waste, plenty of other toxic household materials require special disposal. At earth911.org, you can enter the type of trash and your zip code to find places nearby that either recycle or dispose of it safely.
Hazardous waste can include:
- Used motor oil, antifreeze, tires, car batteries.
- Paint and paint thinner.
- Fluorescent bulbs.
- Fertilizer and pesticides.
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications for people and animals.
Cell phone
Trash stat: More than 130 million phones enter the U.S. waste stream every year, where they have the potential to leak mercury, cadmium, arsenic and more into water streams. These compounds may also enter the air when municipalities burn the phones. Can you hear me now?
Recycling
- Best Buy and Office Depot offer free recycling kiosks (see “Local programs” for details).
Charity
- Cellular companies have free drop-off or mail-back programs for recycling old phones. Motorola’s program, at www.racetorecycle.com, distributes proceeds among schools. Nokia and LG take in used phones, regardless of the manufacturer. Visit www.nokiausa.com/recycle or www.us.lge.com/recycle to download a postage-paid label.
- The Wireless Foundation’s Call to Protect program collects working cell phones for distribution to victims of domestic violence. Learn more at www.wirelessfoundation.org.
Computers, peripherals
Trash stat: In the past 10 years, more than 500 million personal computers became obsolete.
Recycling
- Dell offers free recycling and allows new customers to trade in old non-Dell computers with purchase. Visit www.dell.com/recycle. Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com) has a similar program.
Charity
- The National Cristina Foundation provides working computers and peripheral equipment to the disabled or economically disadvantaged. Go to www.cristina.org to determine if your PC is an accepted model. If so, Cristina will work to find a recipient in your area.
iPods and MP3 players
Waste stream: In April 2007, Apple announced the 100 millionth sale of its iPod, which hit the market in 2001.
Recycling
- Bring iPods, functioning or not, to any Apple store for recycling and receive a 10 percent discount on your next iPod purchase. Staples stores also have recycling bins for any type of MP3 player or hand-held electronic device.
Charity
- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation works with flipswap.com to turn donated iPods into a cash contribution. Visit www.cellphonetradeins.com (cell phones are accepted as well).
- List your player on eBay with eBay Giving Works, and designate all or a percentage of the profits from its sale to charities. Go to givingworks.ebay.com.
For profit
- Newer models like iPod Touch or the most recent iPod Nano have good resale value. On eBay, a used 30 gigabyte video-capable iPod can fetch about $150.
Recycling
- Don’t leave these items curbside—dispose of them responsibly at your local trash and recycling centers. To find an electronics recycler in your area, visit the My Green Electronics Web site (www.mygreenelectronics.org), sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. The site also features a database of environmentally friendly gadgets.
Charity
- Join a local Freecycle e-mail group. Submit your free item to the group, and a daily e-mail to thousands of members tells what stuff is up for grabs. Go to www.freecycle.org.