Archive for the ‘Recycling Information’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Retailers Are Embracing Green Products and Practices

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

It is now becoming increasingly common for retailers to choose to sell green products and choose to carry out green practices.  The companies that are participating in this trend towards sustainability in all sectors are the ones that have shown better-than-average growth in annual sales.

A study was conducted by Retail Systems Research and they asked retailers to explain why they were using green practices and how they ere implementing their new green practices.  The study found that environmental consciousness is on the rise among retailers and that it is no longer being used on a strategic basis nor is it secluded to specific departments; more and more retailers see sustainable practices as worthwhile!

GreenBiz.com claims, “retailers that have begun adopting green practices are branching out further into business operations than in the previous survey: In addition to store energy efficiency projects, respondents noted increased focus on IT efficiency and optimizing their logistics, supply chains and packaging.”

Wal-Mart has been swept up into the trend with the steps they have taken to be a more sustainable store.  Make sure your business does not get left out of the trend!

Tags: , ,
Posted in General Recycling, Recycling Information | No Comments »

EcoFinder App For iPhone Users Encourages Recycling Efforts

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

What did people do before there was an iPhone app for just about every aspect of life?  There are iPhone apps for virtual lighters and a “Hold On” app (an app that allows you to see how long you can keep your thumb on the Hold button without moving it).  All-in-all there is an app for just about everything you can think of!

Yet, aside from all of the iPhone apps that seem to have little or no relevance at all, one app that is potentially very useful and extremely relevant is called the EcoFinder application. The EcoFinder application allows residents of the San Francisco Bay Area to find recycling areas for items ranging from anti-freeze to mannequins.

This application is free and was released by the San Francisco Environment Department.  It allows users to search for the specific item they would like to recycle and then provides details regarding sites that accept this item and whether or not there is a cost associated with recycling that item.  Thus far, 2,900 people have signed up for the free resource and people in other cities are interested in duplicating this app.

Interested in downloading this app?  Click here. And if you find yourself desirous of recycling a cell phone, iPod, MP3 player, digital camera, or PDA, Recycling For Charities is the place to do that—donate now!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General Recycling, Recycling Information, Recycling News | 1 Comment »

Wal-Mart Becomes Eco-Friendly

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Wal-Mart, one of the largest retailers in the world, announced via webcast and conference call with bloggers and journalists that they are going to begin their sustainability efforts.  Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke announced that Wal-Mart would take into consideration everything from recycling to packaging.

Duke also spoke of Wal-Mart’s Zero Waste Initiative in which each action throughout Wal-Mart’s supply chain system would be changed in an effort to promote efficiency and sustainability. Wal-Mart will create a Sustainability Index of which will outline the eco-friendly nature of their production and distribution processes. In order to gauge companies’ efforts towards emissions targets and other eco-friendly initiatives, Wal-Mart has released a questionnaire document.

It is monumental that a company of this size is undertaking an initiative of this caliber and they aren’t going to stop there. Wal-Mart also outlined a plan for their Sam’s Club stores. The Sam’s Club stores will receive a Home Efficiency Aisle that will provide items to consumers that are eco-friendly and packaged in sustainable packaging.

How do you feel about Wal-Mart’s latest initiative?  Do you think they will carry out their proposed actions or do you think they will fail?  Leave a comment below!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General Recycling, Recycling Information | 1 Comment »

Reminder: Old Cell Phones Can Still Dial 911

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

In Canada, there have been many accidental calls to emergency 911 dispatchers. As a result, Canadian officials are asking parents to remove the batteries from old cell phones if they choose to give an old cell phone to their child as a toy. Cell phone providers are required to allow deactivated cell phones to access 911, provided the battery is in place, for emergency purposes.  But, the false calls made by kids dialing 911 tie up lines and cause police officers to follow faulty leads.

If someone does call 911 and then ends the call, the operator will attempt to call the number back. If no one answers the call back, the operator will take measures to track down the location of the phone that made the call. If you do accidentally dial 911 it is advised that you stay on the line and explain to the operator that there is no emergency.  With this, the call may either be dismissed or a police officer may swing by the area to make sure everything is okay.

However, this issue can be avoided in its entirety!! Through Recycling For Charities, instead of giving your old cell phone to your children, you can donate it and a charity of your choice will receive a monetary donation!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General Recycling, Recycling Information | No Comments »

The Universal Mobile Phone Charger Arrives

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

In an effort to add convenience to the lives of consumers, five different cell phone companies have decided to implement a universal cell phone charger into their models!  The five companies include: LG, Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.  The style of the new phone charger will be the Micro-USB format:

The Micro USB Universal Charger

The micro-USB formatted charger will be introduced in Europe on January 1, 2010

The good news is that aside from being very convenient for consumers, it is also great for the environment!  Instead of each cell phone using its own unique charging device, which leads to chargers being discarded into landfills because people frequently purchase new phones as technology changes, a universal charger will cut down on the amount of waste produced.  The bad news is that this is only being implemented in Europe, as of now.

If you will be participating in this change, please remember to be environmentally friendly when you dispose of your previous charger!

Tags: , ,
Posted in General Recycling, Recycling Information | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Follow RFC on Twitter Follow RFC on Facebook
Recycling for Charities Podcasts