Posts Tagged ‘Wireless Recycling’

Another Green Victory for Earth Day

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Let’s face it- Michigan weather is never predictable! While the rain continued to come down on April 25, it didn’t stop brave participants from joining Recycling for Charities at the Recycle Royal Oak event.

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.

Recycling to Help Man’s Best Friend and Mother Earth

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The strong bond between animals and the environment is undeniable, but is often disregarded when it comes to keeping our land and water pollution-free. One cell phone alone, if thrown away, can pollute 40,000 gallons of ground water, which in turn affects the nearby wildlife. While the mission of Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter is to provide loving care and sanctuary to animals that are neglected, Recycling for Charities hopes to help in a similar way by making sure e-waste stays out of landfills and in turn keeping ground water clean for wildlife.

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.

The Toxicity of Cell Phones

Sunday, May 31st, 2009
  • The circuit boards in cell phones contain myriad toxins such as arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc.
  • Brominated flame retardants are found in the plastic housing, printed wiring board, and cables.
  • The lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride batteries contain heavy metals such as cobalt, zinc, and copper.
  • Many of these chemicals are Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs) and have the potential to be released into the air and groundwater when burned in incinerators or disposed of in landfills, thus creating unnecessary threats to human health and the environment.
  • Preliminary testing by the Department of Toxic Substances Control has shown that cell phones are likely to be determined hazardous at end-of-life and will require management under Universal Waste regulations.
  • Universal Wastes must be recycled or managed as hazardous waste. Disposal at an unauthorized site or landfill is a serious crime as well as a serious environmental threat.
  • Additional research by Dr. Timothy Townsend of the University of Florida for the US EPA has also found cell phones to leach hazardous levels of lead when disposed in landfill conditions.

Wireless Cell Phone Recycling Facts

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
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  • Over 70% of Americans do not know that they can recycle their old cell phone.
  • Less than 5% of obsolete cell phones are refurbished or recycled.
  • In a recent survey, only 2.3% of Americans recycled their old cell phones.
  • Cell phone manufacturers and service providers have voluntarily implemented recycling programs and recognize that retail “take-back” of old phones represents the lowest cost and most convenient recycling model.
  • Unfortunately, these programs are not well advertised and inconsistent. Only a fraction of retail cell phone outlets are currently providing their customers with recycling options.
  • Of those who turned in their old cell phone to their service provider, only 18% were offered recycling as an option.
  • Surveys suggest that 90% of Americans would recycle their cell phone if there was a convenient drop-off location at a store near them.

something about us.mp3

    Where Old Cell Phones Go To Die

    Friday, May 1st, 2009
    .!.

    Every day we get countless emails asking us waht types of cell phones do we recieve? Here are some examples showing the amount recieved on a daily basis.

    Old Cell Phones Donated to RFC

    More Old Wireless Cell Phones

    Scrap Cell Phone Partslove songs.mp3

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