Archive for May, 2010

E-Waste Collection Programs on the Rise

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

It has taken some time, but the public has begun to realize how dangerous the e-waste epidemic is. Take a second to think about it. Technology is advancing every day with new electronics being released to replace the past ones, even if they are just a year or two old.

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.

Recycling for Charities @ EcoFocus NYC 2010

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Recycling for 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.”

RFC EcoFocus NYC

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.

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