The problem is  that recycling efforts can’t keep up with the rate technology is evolving. When consumers get that new electronic, where does the old one go? More often that not it goes right in the trash, which will eventually make its way to the landfill.

It was just recent that the e-waste problem started to grab the attention of government officials. Faced with the dilemma of solving this environmental issue, solutions had to be made to prevent this from further spreading. Manufacturers are now being held more responsible for their products as well.

It’s a finger pointing issue where no one wants to accept the responsibility of solving the e-waste pollution situation. Luckily, there have been some changes in that attitude surfacing the past few months. Some states have set standards that manufactures have to abide by when it comes to recycling their old products. And surprisingly most manufacturers are complying; working with consumers to set up e-waste recycling programs.

Even retail giants such as Target and Best Buy have set up recycling programs that accommodate e-waste. Private and public recyclers have begun adapting e-waste into their programs. Non-profits such as Recycling for Charities have established programs to help fight e-waste. Municipalities are forming programs for their citizens to recycle their old electronics. The fight against e-waste is finally making some noise and if programs like these continue we and Mother Nature will be thankful in the future.

For information on e-waste programs in your state check out E-Cycling Central. Also, our Recycling for Charities program helps fight the e-waste problem while supporting non-profits. If you have handheld electronics that need to be recycled you can donate the items to one of our affiliated charities.

Here is coverage from the event provided by NY1. Make sure to check out the video!

NY1 Video Coverage Featuring RFC

A new feature has made steel water bottles even more appealing, aside from reminding people how much better the bottles are for the environment than buying cases of plastic, disposable water bottles. One of the innovations on display at the recent EcoFocus green technology showcase is the $35 3-D Bottle.

“What we’ve got here is a 3-D marker, and when you order these bottles online, you can upload a home video and you also give us a password to access that video,” says Mike Aaron of Greensender.com. “And when you expose this image to a webcam, a three-dimensional scene appears to fall out of the side of this bottle and your home movie begins playing.”

Added motivation to carry a reusable bottle. For added motivation to keep the lights off in your home, this is the Solatube Daylighting System…starting at $300 it pipes sunlight into rooms with few or now windows.

“We have a dome that captures the sunlight on the roof, it directs it
down a reflective tubing and down into your interior space, where it’s diffused throughout your room,” says Teresa Benedetti of Solatube International.

The Radio Thermostat Company of America helps consumers save energy with a WiFi component that is being built into several brands of thermostats. The component, which costs between $50 and $150, is then integrated into a home wireless network.

“When you connect up to the website, you get a user name and password and that’s how you’ll identify the module,” says Dan Goodman of the Radio Thermostat Company. “You’ll get it and then you’re connected so you can control it via the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or via a website.”

Finally, older, outdated and even broken gadgets can be sent to Recycling For Charities, which finds a place for the used device, assigns a value to it and then donates that value to the charity of one’s choice.

“You go to RecyclingForCharities.com and right on there you can choose from over 900 charities. You select which charity you like, print out a shipping label, your tax donation receipt,” says Dwight Zahringer of Recycling for Charities. “All you do is put it in a box and drop it in the mail and then we take care of the rest.”

The organization says the devices will both be refurbished and resold or the parts will be sold off, but not a single piece of the donation will be placed in a landfill.

Many families fearlessly made their way to the different green stations set up in downtown Royal Oak for the event.  Make and take crafts were provided by Arts & Scraps, SOCRRA had recycling bins on site for sale, and OUR Credit Union provided free document shredding. And of course RFC was there to collect e-waste from community members! For being so green those who donated were able to sign up to win a free Digital Camera or Digital Photo Frame, provided by Kodak. Below are our winners, who we thank again for taking the time and braving the rain to donate!

Kevin Patrick Miller and his new Kodak Digital Camera
“What a great unexpected surprise. It made my day!”

Nicola Davis showing off her Kodak Digital Photo Frame
“Oh my I love our frame- we have been playing with it and it took me all evening to load 400 pictures on it! What a fun toy!”

Through RFC’s Earth Day events, and with the help of local participating businesses, we were able to collect over 150 electronic waste items for recycling. Imagine if this e-waste had been thrown out, ending up in our landfills with the chemicals possibly seeping into local ground water! Not only were we able to save these electronics from affecting our environment but we also helped raise funds for two worthy non-profits, the Hospice of Michigan and the Oakland Land Conservancy. RFC was also able to give away the ever popular biodegradable pots with planted vegetable seeds! Over 150 pots were handed out at our Earth Day events, many to kids who were excited to get their gardens started right away!

From communicating with possible partners to placing donation requests so that participants did not walk away empty handed at events, Winter Greenterns Jenny and Katie were involved with the entire event planning process. The Greenterns spent time writing press releases, contacting media sources, spreading awareness through social media, and convincing local businesses to help our green cause! But most importantly Jenny and Katie were able to see how a non-profit organization functions behind the scenes and gained real job experience. It also didn’t hurt that they worked in a fun and energetic setting at the Recycling for Charities office!

Part of the Recycling for Charities Team with the Greenterns

A special thanks to all donors and participating businesses who had to put up with weekly intern visits and calls! We truly appreciate your support: AlexEmilio Salon, Bean and Leaf Café, Bethel Farms, Café Muse, Douglas J Salon, Nutri-Foods, Scout, Siegers Seed Co., Shine, TASI Juice Bar, and Titzy’s.

Last year alone the shelter took in over 2,500 animals, many of whom were extracted from hoarding situations or were surrendered due to the poor economy affecting the state of Michigan. 65 percent of these animals were saved by the Dearborn Animal Shelter which is astounding considering that the national average of animals which are received and euthanized by shelters is 70 percent.

You can help the private, non-profit organization Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter by joining them to celebrate the 5th Annual Mutt Strut & Pet Expo. The pledge-driven dog walk and community-wide celebration will take place at Dearborn’s Ford Field, with lots of entertainment, shopping, and fun focused on pets and their families. It will take place May 15 and 16 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Dearborn’s Ford Field— rain or shine or snow – all weather is dog weather!

Participants will be able to bring their broken and used wireless electronics,  such as cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, iPods, iPhones, pagers, and digital cameras, to be recycled. All of the proceeds from the recycled e-waste will in turn go back to the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter who can use it to care for the animals they rescue. If you have no e-waste to contribute you can also make a monetary donation. According to the shelter just $25 would provide an orphan kitten or puppy with special formula for 9 days.

Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter is dedicated to their mission of helping both homeless and owned animals, whether it be through care or adoption. You can help their passionate cause by visiting their website at www.dearborn-animals.com and can learn how to get involved with the Mutt Strut & Pet Expo at www.dearbornmuttstrut.com.

Interested overseers hung out during set up and engaged in conversation about various green facts and how to help maintain our Earth with volunteers from Recycling for Charities (RFC), Sustaining Our Planet Earth (SOPE), Reverb and The Salvation Army. From 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. there were several tables stationed outside of the Oakland Center that provided food, key chains, pins, green facts, seeded pots,  and activities. Students, staff, and members of the community had the opportunity to donate their broken/old phones, iPods, cameras, electronics and clothing. All donors were entered in a drawing for eco-friendly prizes. Recycling for Charities raffled off a Kodak Digital Camera and a Digital Photo Frame. The winner of RFC’s raffle will be announced and contacted sometime next week.

The Earth Day Celebration helped RFC keep 50 tons of e-waste out of landfills. Also, the raised funds were donated to the Michigan Hospice. The Salvation Army walked away with bags upon bags that will help clothe our community and Reverb promoted their Campus Consciousness Tour encouraging students to actively go green. Green gardens will be growing this spring too as the biodegradable pots provided by Bethel Farms and planted with seeds from Siegers were a big hit! The teamwork from all organizations combined to create an exciting, fun and educational environment.

If you thought you missed out on the fun, think again! We will be in Downtown Royal Oak this Sunday, April 25, from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. continuing the celebration of Earth Day with Recycle Royal Oak. Bring your e-waste!

You can also stay updated about our green initiatives and events by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

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