Chicago Daily Herald: The ‘Five-Step Carbon Diet’ Slims Down Your Carbon Footprint

Filed under: Earth911 - February 28, 2009

By Kent McDill

Everyone knows the best and easiest diet plan for losing weight. You eat less, eat healthier and get some exercise.

These days, environmentally conscious people want to go on a different diet. They would like to reduce the size of their carbon footprint, or go on a carbon diet, if you will.

But it’s not so easy to know the best way to do that. After all, a few years ago you didn’t even know you had a carbon footprint, much less knowing that you needed to reduce the size of it.

Your carbon footprint is the amount of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide emissions you produce. These are produced through vehicle gas emissions, home waste, temperature controls on your home and with other activities. The less carbon dioxide you personally produce, the better the environment.

BeGreen Carbon Offsets, a division of Green Mountain Energy Co., a leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset products, has devised a “Five-Step Carbon Diet” that provides steps to follow to help reduce the size of one’s carbon footprint.

Most of these steps are already followed by the environmentally conscious, but this diet suggests ways to improve your environmental impact while following the steps you already follow.

Get Real About Recycling

Yes, sure, you already recycle. But does everyone in the family recycle properly, and do you recycle everything you are permitted to recycle? A visit to your community’s Web site will likely inform you of everything you are permitted to recycle, and this information should be passed on to every member of the house who actually throws items away (go ahead, tell your teenage son, too).

A year’s worth of proper recycling, over not recycling at all, would save 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for a family of four, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Web site Earth911.com can tell you where to recycle items not accepted by our community’s recycling program.

Take it Down a Degree

The last person to go to bed at night turns out all the lights, right? You don’t want to pay for electricity you aren’t using, and you don’t want to waste that energy, either. So ask the last person to go to bed at night to turn down the thermostat.

If you can drop the nighttime temperature in the house by three degrees (and take advantage of an extra blanket on the bed and warm fuzzy pajamas) the EPA says the family of four can save 140 pounds of carbon emissions a year. Similarly, a three-degree upturn on the thermostat at night in the summer saves another 160 pounds over a normal summer.

Swap for CFLs and Save

Perhaps you have already made the switch to CFL lighting over traditional light bulbs, or perhaps you tried the early CFLs and didn’t like the quality of light. Did you know that new technology has made the CFLs brighter, and that they produce a purer light? So try again, please. You can save 1,000 pounds of emissions over a year, and you also save money on your electricity bill.

Also, you can also find information on recycling or proper disposal of the CFLs (they have mercury inside them) by visiting your utility Web site, or going to Earth911.com.

“The good thing about CFLs is they last 10 times longer than traditional light bulbs and use a lot less electricity,” said Gillan Taddune, chief environmental officer for Green Mountain Energy Co. “Electricity is the leading cause of industrial air pollution in the United States. Buying those and using them to their fullest extent is a good thing.”

Skip a Trip

This is a big one, and it takes some planning to pull off. But if you can cut down on any of your car travel, you can do a great deal to reduce your carbon footprint. The best way is to carpool to work. If you eliminate two 30-mile trips a month, you cut out 770 pounds of emissions, and again you save money, this time on gas.

Another way to cut your carbon footprint is to consolidate your car trips, making sure to travel from home to dry cleaner to bank to grocery store and back home rather than home to dry cleaner, home to bank and home to grocery store. It’s better for the environment, less expensive and a wiser use of your valuable time.

There is one more idea, although it’s more difficult for suburbanites than urbanites. But if you can walk to the grocery store or bank, give that a try.

“When gasoline prices were double what they are now, six months ago, I think people really started to pay attention because it cost so much to fill up your gas tank,” Taddune said. “We found out how high gas prices have to go to change consumer habits. Now that the prices have gone down, I am hoping carpooling and saving on trips will continue.”

Make the Switch

This is a step that most Daily Herald readers cannot follow, simply because the choice is not available to them. In Naperville and St. Charles, it is possible to switch to an electricity provider that uses renewable energy sources.

While there is a nominal additional cost to using “green” energy, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates a household of four people using 100 percent renewable energy for an entire year would reduce its carbon dioxide emission by 15,600 pounds. Occasionally, power companies conduct surveys on the subject of green power. If yours does, say “Yes, please.”

“Right now, according to the Department of Energy, there are about 41 states that have these utility green pricing programs,” Taddune said. “It does seem it is becoming more and more popular. The market is definitely growing and hopefully soon more of your utilities will offer that as an option.”

Almost every idea presented above saves money as well as carbon emissions. Likewise, almost any reduction in the use of energy is a reduction in your carbon footprint, and again saves you money.

“What we try to show is that doing little things can really make a difference,” Taddune said. “We have been around for 11 years and over that period our customers have helped to avoid over 4 million metric tons of CO. That is everybody doing something little. We hope over time we can find more people who want to join in and do something.”

So make sure to use your dishwasher or clothes washer only when the load is full, turn off your computers or other electronic devices at night, carpool to all of your kid’s activities, switch any outdoor lighting to solar, and try to reuse before you recycle.

Just like with a diet to reduce your personal weight, going on a carbon emissions diet will make you feel good about yourself.

The Waltham Daily News Tribune: Down to Earth: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are a Smart Choice All Around

Filed under: Earth911 - February 27, 2009

By Anne S. Mazar

Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) is truly a bright idea. They benefit the environment and can save you money.

You may have been turned off by earlier experiences with CFLs, because of their flickering, awkward shapes and harsh light. However, the new generation of CFLs do not flicker, fit easily into conventional lighting fixtures and can have a pleasing brightness.

The standard lighting in homes is provided by the incandescent light bulb, which is not energy efficient and loses 90 percent of its energy as heat. You may have burned yourself on this heat when changing a bulb.

Technical advances in CFLs currently make them the most widely available energy efficient bulbs for home use. One 13- to 15-watt CFL is needed to create the same light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb. The initial cost of the CFL is more than the incandescent bulb, but over the life of a 14-watt CFL, you save about $40. Widespread use of CFLs in your home could result in significant savings.

CFLs help to decrease greenhouse gases and air pollution, without cramping one’s lifestyle. According to Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, if CFLs were used worldwide in homes, linear fluorescents in commercial buildings and LED lighting in traffic lights, this could avoid the building of 705 new coal-fired plants (there are currently 2,370 plants worldwide).

My past frustration with CFLs was the glaring, bluish light they shed. Fortunately, finding the right bulb can solve this problem. The color temperature of light is rated in degrees called Kelvin (K). Incandescent lights have a low color temperature, casting the familiar red-yellowish tone. To achieve this “warm” or “soft” light, look for a rating of between 2,700K to 3,000K. You will find this rating in the small print on the CFL packaging. The “cool,” “bright” or “daylight” light, that some would describe as harsh, is rated 4,500k or higher. Some people prefer this light for reading and work areas. You might want to buy one of each kind to test out the different illumination.

One mistake people make is putting CFLs in fixtures that have dimmer switches or electronic timers, or in ceiling fans. These conditions will shorten the life of the CFL and cause them to flicker. There are CFLs made for these specific situations. You might need to search online or visit a lighting store to find these specialty CFL bulbs.

A small amount of mercury (2 to 5mg) is in CFLs (less than 1/100 the amount found in dental amalgams). The mercury in CFLs is sealed and does not escape unless broken. If broken, visit www.epa.gov/mercury for proper cleanup.

CFLs should be properly recycled (not in your regular recycling bin where they might break) to reclaim and reuse the mercury. Most towns in Massachusetts will accept CFLs. Call your Town Hall or visit www.Earth911.com for recycling information. Since CFLs last 5 to 10 years, the need to recycle them is infrequent. Incandescent bulbs contain no mercury, but consume so much electricity that large amounts of mercury are released into the environment by coal-fired electrical plants. Consequently, using incandescent bulbs results in greater mercury waste in the environment.

Instead of facing the daunting task of replacing all your light bulbs at once, start by replacing one bulb. The best areas to use CFLs are where a light will be left on for more that 15 minutes. A closet where a light is turned on and off quickly would not be a good choice. Turning the CFLs off and on can greatly shorten the life of the bulb.

Read the package to find out if the CFL can be used outside or for a three-way light fixture.

Rebates and discounts for buying CFLs can be found at www.myenergystar.com/ProductsAndDiscounts.aspx or by calling 877-378-2748. A sky-blue EnergyStar label on the package insures that the CFL is of high quality.

Let CFLs shine in your home for savings and a clean environment.

Anne Mazar is an environmental advocate and a member of the Mendon Land Use Committee.

New Electronic Gadgets Galore! But What should you do with the Old Stuff?

Filed under: Earth911, Press Releases - February 26, 2009

Contact Information: Donna Heron, 215-814-5113 or heron.donna@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA—The holidays are behind us and gifts of new electronic devices ranging from cell phones to televisions are making us smile. This year as broadcast television switches to an all digital broadcast format, TVs were at the top of many gift lists. Now what do you do with those old electronics?

Don’t put your old electronics out with the trash! Think Green and recycle ‘em! Rather than making products from scratch, recycling electronics —also known as e-cycling— keeps harmful toxins out of the waste stream, recovers valuable materials that can be reused, conserves virgin resources and results in lower emissions (including greenhouse gases).

Many people want to know how their families can help protect the environment. Recycling electronics makes a significant contribution—recycling just one computer CPU and one monitor is equivalent to preventing 1.35 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being released. Recycling one television prevents four to eight pounds of lead from the CRT glass from being added to the waste stream.

By banding together, we can accomplish truly impressive results:

Here’s how you can become an e-cycler:

  1. www.Earth911.com, or by calling 1-800-CLEANUP, to find collection sites and events in your ZIP code.
  2. www.eiae.org—The Electronic Industries Alliance, to locate e-cyclers in your state.
  3. www.techsoup.org—TechSoup for information on computer reuse.
  4. www.rbrc.org—To locate cell phone and rechargeable battery collection sites at a retailer near you.

For more information on E-Cycling go to: www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/eCycling/index.htm

Worchester Telegram: Making Trash Useful

Filed under: Earth911 - February 12, 2009

By Lisa Eckelbecker

Michele Roberts does not let much go to waste.

The bag that held her two dogs’ pet food? Repurposed as a trash bag. Worn-out clothing? Turned into household rags. Those wicker baskets she found at the town recycling center? Filled with reused plastic tubs, potting soil, plant cuttings from other houseplants and deployed as centerpieces for a charity dinner all for the grand price of about $1.

“I don’t see the point in wasting, and it’s really so little effort,” said Dr. Roberts, a freelance medical writer with medical and doctorate degrees.

Waste not, spend not. Frugality resides in the history, if not the DNA, of New Englanders. As the nation’s recession unfolds, consumers are pinching pennies and making do, and part of that involves wringing out waste.

For Dr. Roberts and her family, cutting back on waste not only saves money but, as she put it in an e-mail, “is inextricably associated with recycling and other ecologically sound practices.” In other words, save the planet, save a buck.

Going green can definitely lead to saving money, particularly by reducing consumption and reusing things, according to Trey Granger, public relations manager for Earth911.com, a Web site that operates out of Scottsdale, Ariz., and promotes reducing, reusing and recycling.

“If you buy in bulk through a grocery store or Costco, you can save upward of $200 a year,” Mr. Granger said. “The ecological benefit of that is you’re saving a bunch of packaging and trips to the store.”

One way to measure the extent to which Dr. Roberts’ family has cut its waste and cut its spending is to look at how little it throws away. The household of four —Dr. Roberts, her husband, one of their three daughters and Dr. Roberts’ mother— fills about one-and-a-half grocery bags with trash each week.

They keep a compost pile in their backyard for food scraps and yard waste. Even dryer lint and vacuum cleaner dust gets repurposed with mulch as a nontoxic covering for the family’s garden during the winter.

Dr. Roberts said no one sat her down and taught her how to reduce her family’s waste. Some of it was born of necessity, and some just made sense.

“Some of it just seems intuitive,” she said. “When I was a graduate student, we certainly didn’t have money to waste.”

Yet expectations mattered, too, Dr. Roberts said.

“It’s not like we were struggling financially, but even when our family income for a family of three (27 years ago) was $500 a month, we owned a house and didn’t feel deprived,” she said.

Now, if bread purchased at a supermarket comes in a plastic bag, Dr. Roberts shakes it out and reuses it. A plastic bag containing raisins gets washed out and reused.

The family has also reduced its waste by limiting the potential trash that comes into their home. Vegetarians, they prefer fresh vegetables and purchase little prepared food, which Dr. Roberts said requires storage space and generates boxes, trays and trash.

“A prepared pizza, I can make it for a fraction of that (cost), and we do,” Dr. Roberts said.

The family purchases vegetables from local farms when available and dines on meals such as black bean stew, which Dr. Roberts said she can make from dried beans in a 12-quart pot for about $5. Fifty pounds of potatoes purchased at a local farm goes into the family’s meals, any peels go straight to the compost pile and the potato bag gets used as a trash bag.

Dr. Roberts’ resourcefulness extends outside her home, too. She has collected used and discarded clothing and turned it into costumes for area theater productions.

While helping clean up after an event at her synagogue, she said, “Someone said, ‘Oh, good. Michele will help clean up. Nothing will get thrown away.’ ”

The connection between reusing more and spending less is obvious, and it can take many forms, according to Lynnae M. McCoy of Central Point, Ore., whose blog BeingFrugal.net offers tips on how to deal with debt and live frugally.

Instead of buying newly manufactured furniture at a higher price, try cheaper used furniture found on Craigslist, Mrs. McCoy said. She also recommends the Freecycle Network, online groups across the country aimed at keeping goods out of landfills by giving members access to free things. Massachusetts has dozens of Freecycle groups.

“I always tell my readers to ask themselves, ‘Do I really need this? Do I have something that can do the job? Can I borrow something?’ ” Mrs. McCoy said.

Whether the nation’s newly frugal consumers, battered by the recession and focused on “needs” rather than “wants,” will stay that way once the economy improves is less clear.

“I hope it does,” Mrs. McCoy said. “I hope people take a step back. We were so into living above our means and getting into debt.”

Yet wringing out waste, though economical, can seem like a daunting investment of time. Dr. Roberts said she does not try to push her ideas or practices on others, but she thinks time spent on small tasks such as rinsing out a plastic bag or boiling water for a home-cooked pasta dinner are not so consuming.

“It really doesn’t take much time if you consider the time you spend in going out to buy things,” she said.

Contact Lisa Eckelbecker by e-mail at leckelbecker@telegram.com.

The Huntsville Times: Recycle Time Returns

Filed under: Earth911 - February 11, 2009

By Madison Spirit

After keeping almost five tons of electronics out of the landfill three months ago, two local recycling organizations are sponsoring another electronics recycling day next month.

Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful and the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center will hold the electronics recycling day March 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the back parking lot of Bank Independent. The parking lot is across from the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce building on Beaty Street.

Items that will be accepted include such things as telephones, fax machines, stereos, printers, laptop computers and rechargeable batteries.

Most items will be accepted free, but there will be an $8 fee for each cathode ray tube computer monitor or television set. A computer monitor or television typically has between four and seven pounds of highly toxic lead.

The $8 fee will be waived for a donation of a bag of canned or dry food. The food will be donated to Limestone County Churches Involved to distribute to the needy.

During the November recycling day, residents turned in almost 9,000 pounds of electronics, including 109 cathode ray tube televisions and computer monitors.

The items donated in November filled a box truck in less than two hours and by the end of the six-hour event also filled two trailers and a pickup truck.

Earth911.com, an environmental watchdog organization, said that electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of toxic waste found in landfills.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency warns that lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants are among the hazardous substances contained in electronics. Reusing and recycling these materials from end-of-life electronics not only conserve natural resources but also prevent air and water pollution associated with the manufacturing of new products.

For more information, call the Recycling Hotline at 233-8000 or e-mail Tanjie Nash Schrimsher, recycling coordinator for Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful, at recycling44@yahoo.com.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Q&A on the News

Filed under: Earth911 - February 9, 2009

Q: Where can I recycle Styrofoam in Roswell?

DAVID RICHMOND, Roswell

A: Unfortunately, there’s no place in Roswell to recycle Styrofoam.

Polymer Sciences Inc., 5800 Wheaton Drive S.W., Atlanta, accepts packing peanuts, shipping foam for televisions and computers, and drink and food cups, but they must be clean and free of any residue. Polymer’s drop-off box is open to the public. For information, call 404-346-0696.

You also can enter your location and search the Web site Earth911.com to find other places to recycle Styrofoam and other materials.

Styrofoam is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical Co.; otherwise, the white stuff is known as polystyrene.

Q: Is there a penalty for employers and businesses that do not send out W-2s and 1099s?

JIM FLEMING, Atlanta

A: Employers can be penalized for failing to provide or failing to include correct information on Form 1099 and W-2 statements by Jan. 31. If reasonable cause for the delay can be provided, the penalty may be waived.

The amount of the penalty varies and is based on when the correct forms are filed or received, said IRS spokesman Mark Green. Fees can range from $15 to as much as $250,000, depending on the filing date and type of business.

Green suggests taxpayers contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 if their W-2s are not received by Feb. 15.

Researcher Joni Zeccola wrote this column.

Do you have a question about the news? Our news researchers will try to get an answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include your name and city). Sorry, individual responses are not possible.

Richmond Daily News: Tips for Getting Rid of the Old TV

Filed under: Earth911 - February 6, 2009

By Brenda Jensen

When the analog signal we have enjoyed for so long rides off into the sunset, what decision will you have made for the television(s) that is currently in your home?

Some of you may have elected to purchase a new television that is capable of receiving the digital signal. Others will elect to subscribe to either satellite or cable services that requires them to do nothing more.

If you have an older television that you no longer want, what options do you have? Having served well, it is still usable with the converter box, or even with the various services to subscribe to.

But, for those looking for a place to discard the old television, look well before you just drop it off somewhere. A landfill is no place for outdated electronics but there are relatively few places to recycle old televisions.

First of all, ask friends and family if they would like the old set. If that doesn’t pan out, ask your local thrift stores if they will take them. Know that many are no longer accepting these sets, as without the converter box the store must pay to have them hauled away.

“The only old TVs that we will accept are those that you can hook cable to,” replied Judy Zilliox of Salvation Army in Richmond. “If they’re not cable ready, then we have to just haul them off.”

Having your set “hauled off” is not in your best interest. Indeed, it isn’t in the world’s best interest either.

A television thrown into a landfill is hazardous waste, because it contains non-decomposing plastics as well as dangerous toxins, such as mercury and lead that can contaminate soil and drinking water. Earth911.com indicated, “While e-waste recycling only accounts for two percent of the U.S.’ garbage in landfills, it accounts for 70 percent of overall toxic garbage.”

Recycling electronic items is actually a complicated and mostly unprofitable business. Some items do not require sorting or separation, but electronic devices are composed of many materials. For instance, to remove lead in computer monitor glass requires it to be placed into a furnace.

“The fact that these items are being reused is far more important than any monetary benefits of recovering these valuable materials. However, e-waste recyclers are also recycling and reusing materials that aren’t nearly as valuable.” (Earth911.com)

Ensure that the outdated item, whether it is a television, computer monitor or any electronic item, is properly discarded. Known as e-waste recycling, reputable recyclers operate under strict environmental controls and high-worker safety protections, according to Earth911.com.

Many recyclers want to save electronic items from winding up in the landfill and to get the value available from the recycled materials. Valuable metals, such as gold and copper, can be separated, sold and reused.

Earth 911.com encourages asking the following questions of the recycler you have selected:

  1. Is the recycler certified (such as an ISO 14001 environmental management
    certification) and does it follow a set of industry recognized guidelines?
  2. Does the recycler actually recycle most of the e-waste materials collected? It is best if the company can recycle 90 percent or more of the materials.
  3. Does the recycler have written procedures for removing and disposing of mercury lamps in electronic products? Many manufacturer and government-sponsored programs have extensive online information detailing the way in which recycling is handled.

There are other questions you will want answered too. Mid-America Regional Council lists the following questions to ask on their web site: “How do you ensure data security? Do you offer a wiping service? (If they do, ask if it meets National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual or DoD 5220.22-M standards.)

How are your electronics are processed once they receive them? An electronics recycler can utilize a variety of processing methods, including brokering: matching buyers and sellers; resale of whole units; manufacturing or refurbishing equipment; de-manufacturing: disassembling into parts and subassemblies; material recovery: physical separation to capture plastics, metals and glass, etc.; material processing such as shredding and grinding; and donation to schools, non-profit organizations, etc.”

Another option for discarding your old television is to contact the company of the television brand you own, such as Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba. Many are already expanding their recycling operations and have hundreds of locations where consumers may recycle their old electronic devices.

A partial list of local companies and organizations, compiled with the assistance of Outreach Coordinator Matt Riggs at Mid- America Regional Council Solid Water Management District, that will take televisions for recycling include:

When The Daily News contacted The Surplus Exchange, we were told it costs $.35 per pound for each television brought in. The individual said that offsets costs so that nothing goes to the landfill. That person also stated they were the “only place BAN (Basel Action Network) certified so that it doesn’t wind up in the landfill.

Recycling Operations Manager Richard Gordon of The Surplus Exchange said, “It can cost as much as $20 per television, depending on its size. It costs money to de-manufacture electronics. The materials aren’t worth the amount it costs to de-manufacture.”

Gordon cautioned, “If someone is setting up a recycling day and not charging a fee, it’s a red flag. A reputable recycler of e-waste is crucial. If someone is taking it ‘for free,’ you know they’re shipping them in containers to third world countries to be dumped.” Eighty percent of electronic waste is dumped in third world countries, like China, India and Africa. Children go through the dumps and pull the wires. It’s creating horrible problems, and these people don’t know what it’s doing to them.”

The EPA is encouraging electronics retailers and TV manufacturers to “help support TV recycling opportunities by issuing a National TV Recycling Challenge to stimulate innovation and partnerships to increase TV recycling in 2009 and beyond.” The challenge period extends from Jan. 1, 2009-Aug. 31, 2009.

For additional information on e-waste and recycling efforts, please see e-cycleMissouri, Plug-In To ECycling, recycle@marc.org, www.epaeaste.gov and www.RecycleSpot.org.

Yahoo! Green: Five Recycling Mysteries Solved!

Filed under: Earth911 - February 5, 2009

By Lori Bongiorno

Wondering what to do with your stash of old batteries or the cans of unneeded paint taking up space in your garage? You know you shouldn’t throw them out, but it really is time to get rid of them.

Resist the temptation to toss them in the trash anyway. The reason: They (and everything on the list below) contain toxic chemicals capable of contaminating the environment if not disposed of properly.

Unlike items that are picked up at the curb, you’ll have to make a special effort to unload these ones responsibly. But, with a little advance planning and some good info, you’ll see that it’s really quite simple to dispose of these seemingly mysterious items. Here’s how:

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

KPNX-TV: Recycle That Television

Filed under: Earth911 - February 5, 2009

By Nicole McGregor

People are getting rid of their old televisions. Problem is, according to solid waste officials, they’re not doing it properly. Frank Lomeli Glendale Public Waste told 12 News Today he’s seen more perfectly good t-v sets coming into their landfill recently. That, he suspects, due to Christmas, The Super Bowl and the DTV transition.

Some people may not realize it is not okay to put your television in the recycle bin. Large city plants can’t recycle it properly that way. It is okay to put it in your trash, wait for bulk pick-up or bring it to the landfill but still, not the best option. The best way is to go to a proper electronic recycle unit. Many cities have certain days, Glendale has their first coming up Saturday, February 7th from 10 am until 2pm. It’s at Sahuaro Park at 59th Avenue and Mountain View. It is only for residents. Other places? See the link below.

Finally, the last option, if the set is still working, is to donate it. Bring it to the Goodwill or Salvation Army so someone else can have it. They are still perfectly good television sets, don’t forget. www.Earth911.com

Call2Recycle Reports Nearly 7 Million Pounds of Rechargeable Batteries Collected in 2008

Filed under: Earth911, Press Releases - February 4, 2009

ATLANTA, Ga. — Call2Recycle, the nation’s most comprehensive rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling solution, today reported a 9.6 percent increase in its collection of rechargeable batteries over last year, with 6.9 million pounds of rechargeable batteries recycled through the program in 2008. The amount of batteries collected by Call2Recycle last year is equivalent to the weight of approximately 163 school buses.

“Many factors contributed to this year’s success, including new partnerships and the expansion of our collection program to include a new battery chemistry. But more than anything, continuous support and ongoing involvement from our retail, consumer and community partners has helped us grow our collection efforts year over year,” said Carl Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC). “Particularly as more attention is paid to the disposal of electronic waste, the Call2Recycle solution stands out as a viable means of handling rechargeable battery disposal.”

The following activities and programs are among the key drivers in this year’s success:

Administered by the RBRC, Call2Recycle provides a convenient way to collect used rechargeable batteries found in cordless electronic products, such as laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras, cordless power tools, PDAs, mp3 players and two-way radios. For more information and local Call2Recycle collections sites, call toll-free 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.

About RBRC

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is a nonprofit, public service organization dedicated to rechargeable battery recycling. There are tens of thousands of retail, business and community collection locations enrolled in RBRC’s rechargeable battery recycling program through throughout the United States and Canada. More than 350 manufacturers and marketers of portable rechargeable batteries and products show their commitment to conserve natural resources and prevent rechargeable batteries from entering the solid waste stream by funding the Call2Recycle program. In pursuit of its mission, RBRC also collects old cell phones. Cell phones collected through the Call2Recycle program will be recycled or refurbished and resold when possible with a portion of the proceeds benefiting select charities. For more information, call 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.

WTOV9: Recycling Electronics Reduces Toxic Landfill Waste

Filed under: Earth911 - February 2, 2009

Before plasma and LCD screens, televisions viewers watched their favorite shows on model sets.

Soon, however, all TVs will have to run a digital signal, prompting many to buy new sets.

But about 20 percent of those sets are lead, and that could mean a lot of waste in local landfills.

“If these materials go to a typical waste landfill, some of those materials can leach out into the environment and cause problems downstream for drinking water and soil,” said Ron Marinelli, of Heritage WTI.

It’s not just televisions that cause problems at landfills. Many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp in the screen that contains mercury, a toxic material when inhaled or digested.

Cell phone coatings are also often made of lead and there are more than 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal. If they are places in landfills, that would be 300,000 pounds of lead.

Marinelli said not to put old appliances with ordinary trash.

“The best method is to call your Ohio EPA or your local solid waste district and they should be able to direct you to a local recycler that should be able to help you,” he said.

Until the devices are disposed of properly, he said to keep them in a basement, garage or somewhere out of the way so they won’t get damaged.

According to Earth911.com, electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like mercury.

When placed in a landfill, these materials (even in small doses) can contaminate soil as well as drinking water. Here’s a breakdown of what toxic materials are found in an average electronic device:

Televisions

Back before there were plasma screen and liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, we watched our Super Bowls and sitcoms on cathode ray tubes (CRT). While the CRT model effectively provided room for all switches and wires in a box behind the screen, it also stored a great deal of lead.

Approximately 20 percent of CRTs are comprised of lead, equivalent to between four and eight pounds per unit. Combine this with the fact that the FCC is requiring all televisions to run a digital signal by February 19, 2009, and we could be looking at a lot of lead headed for landfills. Even the smallest amounts of lead can be a serious environmental issue.

Cell Phones

While your trusty cell phone may not contain as much toxic material as larger electronic devices like TVs, its shelf life is only about 18 months for the average consumer. With hip new products coming out on a regular basis, it’s estimated there are over 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal.

Cell phone coatings are often made of lead, meaning that if these 500 million cell phones are disposed of in landfills, it will result in 312,000 pounds of lead released. However, possibly the most hazardous component of the cell phone is the battery.

Cell phone batteries were originally composed of nickel and cadmium (Ni-Cd batteries). Cadmium is listed as a human carcinogen that causes lung and liver damage. Alternatives contain potentially explosive lithium or toxic lead.

Computers

Lead is present in CRT computer monitors. Also, there are other toxic elements in play when you’re recycling that PC or Mac. Many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp in the screen that contains mercury, a toxic material when inhaled or digested. Mercury is also contained in computer circuit boards, along with lead and cadmium. Circuit boards can also include batteries made of mercury, as well as mercury switches.

In 2005 alone, almost two million tons of e-waste were landfilled. While toxic materials comprise only a small amount of this volume, it doesn’t take much lead or mercury to contaminate an area’s soil or water supply. Keep this in mind when deciding what to do with those old electronic devices.

—Information provided by earth911.com