Archive for the ‘Recycling Information’ Category

Recycling For Free: Freecycling

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Out of convenience, many of us haul items down to the curb and send them off in a garbage truck never to be seen again.  It is one of those “out of sight, out of mind” scenarios.  Yet, instead of allowing items that are still in good condition to end up in the landfill, why not allow someone else to get a second use out of the item?

There is now a program that offers this exact service and it’s called Freecycling! It began as a grassroots effort to encourage people to recycle and reuse items and now people of different communities are getting involved in the efforts.

On the Freecycling website, you can join others from your community  in their reuse and recycling initiatives or you can start a group in your own community!  Then you can upload photos of your items and check out what others have to offer.  The best part about this program is it is entirely free; no money is ever exchanged!

If you are interested in participating in a program like this be sure to check out the Freecycling website and get started today!!

Steps Towards An Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Have you been wondering what you can do to be more environmentally friendly?  You’re in luck, there are many things that you can do to decrease your negative impact on the Earth and many of these things can be done just by taking steps to change your previous practices!  Take a look at this list and start changing your practices today!

1) Reduce: one simple step you can take is to stop using paper for unnecessary things:  many times you could text yourself your grocery list on your cell phone instead of writing it down on a new sheet of paper.

2) Recycle: Make sure you are fully aware of items that can be recycled in your city and take full advantage of these options.

3) Reuse: Anytime you can get multiple uses out of an item, do it!  There are many things that can be remade into new items!  Check out this website for reuse ideas!

4) Turn it off: Whenever you leave a room turn off the lights and utilize the power-saver function on computers!  You would be surprised on how much energy and money this saves!

5) Shop local: Support local farmers and buy local products!  There is nothing better than using your money to support local businesses and to buy fresh foods.

6) Talk about it: Tell your friends, family, and anyone around you what you’re doing to be eco-friendly and how you feel about it.  Also, be the vocal consumer that encourages businesses to make eco-friendly practices a priority!

These steps are very simple and can create a world of difference!  Take the necessary steps and begin today!!

Plastic Bag Recycling; Don’t Throw Them Away!

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

A few weeks ago, I created a blog post about a proposed “bag law” that many states in America were looking to implement.  The bag law would place a charge on each plastic bag used; in hopes of encouraging the usage of reusable bags, such as those made out of cloth.  Yet, I have noticed that many stores in my hometown are now encouraging their customers to recycle their used plastic bags.

Retailers on the fore-front of this operation include: Kroger, Meijer, and Wal-Mart.  Other retailers are also participating, to find out one located near you please visit this website.  These retailers accept all types of plastic bags including: produce bags, plastic retail bags, and tyvek.

Considering that worldwide an estimated 4 billion plastic bags end up as litter each year, we should start recycling them more often.  They can be recycled over and over and can be re-manufactured into other products such as jackets.  Thus, make the right decision and either recycle your plastic bags or choose to re-use!

And as always, here at Recycling For Charities (RFC) we encourage you to recycle your used cell phones, digital cameras, iPods, and PDAs!  The process is simple: print out a mailing label to send us your used devices and then select a charity of your choice to receive a monetary donation!  Donate today!

New York City Pitches Door-to-Door E-waste Collection Law

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

On July 31, 2009, a new law will go into effect in New York City that will require manufacturers to provide free, door-to-door electronics collection to city residents.  It is New York City’s way of attempting to keep hazardous items, such as e-waste, out of landfills.

Yet, per usual, no law can ever be introduced without some backlash.  Two main critics include the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC); they have decided to sue to city.  They claim that this law will only put unnecessary trucks into neighborhoods, leading to pollution and congestion.

Other reasons behind their law suit are that NYC is asking manufacturers to pay for the pick-up and disposal of the items, even items they did not produce, and to do it free of charge to the consumer.  Furthermore, they must track and report all of their sales and recycling amounts.

Many people feel that this is just one extreme method to have manufacturers assume more responsibility for their products and that this is a poor way to do complete the task.  Others feel that this is a great interaction between the government, consumers, and manufacturers because the government is finally delivering justice to consumers by forcing manufacturers to be responsible for the products they produce.

What are your thoughts: do you think this is the most effective way to achieve the goal of encouraging e-waste recycling?

AT&T Launches Cell Phone Recycling Initiative

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

AT&T has begun to recycle cell phones in full force.  They have implemented recycling in their stores, online, and through their customer programs.  In order to ensure that the donation process is extremely easy for people, AT&T will have designated drop-off areas at each store location throughout the United States and will offer free prepaid shipping labels online.

AT&T has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on this initiative.  Matt Hale, Director of the Office of Resource Conservation and recovery at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states, “We encourage wireless users to do what they can to reuse or recycle old cell phones because they’re made of valuable materials like precious metals, copper, and plastics – all of which require energy to extract and manufacture.”

AT&T encourages you to recycle all cell phones, no matter which wireless provider you have chosen.  They are committed to recycling every type of cell phone because it will have a positive impact on the environment.

Recycling for Charities offers this same type of service.  You can not only recycle your used cell phone but also your used digital camera, iPod, MP3 players, and PDAs.  Click here to donate and give the proceeds to a charity of your choice!!

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