Recycling Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-13-2023

Recycling is a commendable action that shows you care about the environment and are working to improve it. Yet there are many ways you can improve your recycling habits, raise recycling rates, help build a strong recycling economy, and secure the future of all the recyclables you so diligently put in your bin. This Cheat Sheet gives you some tools to get you started.

Article / Updated 03-29-2023

Planned or built-in obsolescence is when companies deliberately design products to break down quickly, forcing the customer to purchase a replacement product. The purpose of this tactic is simply to generate more revenue for the company. The earliest story of built-in obsolescence is the light bulb. Back in 1924, a cartel of the major light bulb manufacturers, including General Electric and Phillips, made sure that light bulbs didn’t significantly exceed an expected life span of 1,000 hours, so the homeowner had to buy replacement bulbs regularly. Built-in obsolescence is prevalent in electronic goods, although not exclusive to them. Some of the most common tactics include the following. Deliberately shortening a product’s life span This is the most common method used. Examples include using cheap or unreliable parts that break or wear out quickly, rendering the entire product useless. For instance, many children’s toys are built to last only as long as their weakest part, even though rough playing is expected. Preventing repairs Many devices we use regularly can’t be repaired. Sometimes it’s simply the battery that needs replacing, but it’s glued or otherwise locked inside the device where we can’t reach it. Companies may even suggest the warranty is void if we attempt to open the product. In other scenarios, repair services may be available, but they are often absurdly expensive, while the price of a new product is much lower. Mobile phone manufacturers have drawn criticism recently for the lack of repairability of phones. Restricting software upgrades Many of our devices rely on up-to-date software, particularly with the number of viruses and scams around. A product’s software can be made to fail after a certain period, forcing the user to upgrade their product. You might have encountered this issue with an older mobile phone. I was still using my iPhone after five years, but unfortunately, even though the phone still performed all the required tasks, I had to upgrade to a new phone because the software no longer supported any of the apps and my phone was no longer protected. In 2018, Apple was fined $27 million in France for intentionally slowing down the speed of older phones through software updates. Although Apple claimed it was to provide better battery performance, that didn’t help their case because customers should also be able to replace the battery. The perception of obsolescence Sometimes companies don’t even design for obsolescence. They simply market the product in a way that suggests you should replace your old device. The new release will have some feature that is bigger or better. Fast fashion is a good example of the perception of obsolescence, conveying the idea that your clothes are out of date faster than you can get them home from the store. Avoiding planned obsolescence Avoiding built-in obsolescence can be tricky. Consider whether you need a new product or whether you can keep using what you have. Look into other options like repairing your old device or buying secondhand. Do your research, and check reviews to get a feel for the durability and repairability of an item before you buy. Some companies are headed in the right direction, making their products more repairable and upgradable. For example, Framework has designed a laptop computer with a modular design that gives the user flexibility to upgrade, downgrade, or repair their laptop at any stage. To learn more about what to look out for when choosing a new device, check out my book Recycling For Dummies. Finally, the best advice I can give is to take your time and not be pressured by advertising that tells you to get the latest device or product. Sleep on it, and remember it’s your hard-earned money that you’ll be spending.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The pace of technology development means that many electronic items are difficult to reuse after only a few years, so recycling them has become an essential issue. The short shelf life of electronics represents huge losses of reuse potential and creates a toxic waste issue because of the components in many of these products. Electronics can contain toxic materials such as lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. The health of the environment depends on the safe disposal of these components. Thankfully, opportunities for reusing and recycling electronic goods are growing significantly. Manufacturers and distributors are putting electronics recycling plans into action, joining local businesses that offer electronics recycling. Find an electronics recycler near you through the National Center for Electronics Recycling. Recycling or reusing cell phones Because cellphones contain toxic materials such as mercury, it’s important to keep them out of landfills and incinerators. So, don’t throw your old phone in the trash — it may turn out to be someone’s lifeline. Several organizations reprogram retired cellphones so that people, particularly seniors and victims of domestic abuse, can use them to call 911 free of charge. Other organizations reprogram and sell the phones to raise funds for charity. The following organizations operate such programs: Collective Good allows you to mail your phone, PDA, or pager in to be recycled. Phones 4 Charity donates or recycles your cellphone or similar device. Wirefly offers a trade-in incentive to encourage consumers to recycle wireless devices. You also can check with your cellphone service provider about a recycling program; many providers collect old phones to reuse parts and to donate to charities. Recycling computers The EPA estimates that some 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years, which has the potential for a lot of waste. However, you can donate your still-usable computer to a school or charity. If your computer is too old to be useful, send it to a responsible electronics recycler who breaks down the components for reuse, recycling, and safe disposal. Computer refurbishers can upgrade or adapt your unwanted computer so that it can be donated to schools, community centers, and even initiatives in developing countries to enable more people to gain access to the benefits of the information age. Earth 911 and TechSoup can help you find a refurbisher near you. You can also take computers to Staples stores for recycling. Whether you donate your computer for reuse or drop it off for recycling, make sure that you protect the personal information that may be on it. Computer-savvy criminals can access files that you’ve deleted, so use hard drive disk-cleaning software to properly erase your files. Also make sure that you deal with a reputable refurbisher or recycler with its own disk-cleaning procedures in place as well. Recycling old televisions The same places that recycle computer monitors in your area likely recycle televisions, too, because their technology is quite similar. If you can’t find a charity or friend who needs your old television, drop it off at your nearest electronics recycling center.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you’re interested in living a green lifestyle, avoid using plastics. Plastics are one of the least eco-friendly materials in both initial production and recycling. Conventional plastics often use petrochemicals derived from oil in the manufacturing process and require more processing to recycle than do glass and metal. Each plastic product has a Plastic Identification Code — a triangle surrounding a number between 1 and 7 — usually on the bottom. Most recycling services accept plastics with codes 1 and 2, but recycling the other plastic types is hard to do because few facilities exist to process them. The following table identifies what each type is made from, what it's used for, and its possibilities for recycling. Try to reduce the amount of plastic you buy, and reuse what you already have, if it’s safe to do so. Plastic Identification Codes, Uses and Reuse Possibilities Plastic Identification Code Type of Plastic Common Products Possibilities for Recycling 1 PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) Soft drink, juice, and toiletry bottles Can be turned into T-shirt material and carpets 2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) Milk jugs, detergent, and bleach bottles Can be turned back into detergent bottles, binders, and fencing 3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) Shampoo and mineral water bottles, house siding and piping Can be turned into new house siding, piping, and other building materials 4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) Grocery, garbage, and bread bags Can be turned into new bags 5 PP (polypropylene) Margarine and dairy tubs Can be turned into car parts and milk crates 6 PS (polystyrene) Meat trays, coffee cups, packaging Can be turned into DVD cases and CD trays 7 Other plastics Ketchup bottles, other plastics Can be turned into park and picnic benches

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Car tires pose a big problem for the environment. Tires don’t break down, burning them releases toxic gases, and they can release toxins and chemicals into the dirt on which they’re stored. Almost every state has introduced legislation that deals with scrap tires, with many states banning them from landfills completely. The good news is that rubber tires can be reused in many different ways: Recycled as retreaded tires and used again on vehicles. Made into rubber bumpers for boats and children’s play equipment. Old tires get a new life in a playground. Converted for computer mouse mats, pencil cases, and notebook covers. Broken down into rubber granules and used in surfacing playgrounds and artificial sports grounds. Repurposed as carpet mats and tiles. Several carpeting companies use recycled tires as a major component of their eco-carpets. Broken down into a fine powder and put into road surfacing materials to reduce the noise of road surfaces. Turned into roof tiles and structural supports in eco-buildings. To reduce your tire waste, take care of the tires you have: Purchase good quality tires with long tread life; check tire pressures so that you’re not driving on over- or underinflated tires; rotate the tires every 6,000 miles; and ensure that tires are balanced when rotated. When it’s time to replace your tires, either take your vehicle to a vehicle service shop that recycles them (they may charge a small fee for the recycling part of the service) or, if you replace the tires yourself, check with your local government or recycling service providers to find out where you can drop them off for recycling near you. In some areas, tire stores accept them for a small fee; in others, you may need to take them to tire recyclers or to specific recycling drop-off locations.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

As you wean yourself from Windows and enter the world of Mac, you may wonder what to do with your old PC. Here are suggestions on how to get rid of that old PC. But remember, before you send your computer away, be sure to clear its hard drive of all sensitive files. Dragging items to the Recycle Bin and then emptying the Bin does not erase your data. Sell it. If it’s of fairly recent vintage, your PC may have some resale value. Consider listing in on your local Craigslist.com. It’s free to use, less complicated than eBay.com, and because it is local, you can ask the buyer to pick up the PC, avoiding shipping hassles. You can get an idea of what your computer is worth by checking what is currently on sale — but don’t assume that the listed asking price is what people are getting. Load Linux on it. In addition to OS X, Linux, the free, open source operating system, is also becoming an important alternative to Windows. You can download and burn a CD to automatically boot up your PC in a version of Linux called Knoppix. Give it to charity. Donating your computer to a worthwhile organization is a great thing to do, and you may even get a tax deduction. However, most charitable organizations are not interested in computer donations from individuals; they’ve been inundated with them. Your best bet is to contact organizations you know. An offer to help set up the PC may be appreciated. But don’t take offense if they say no. A posting on the free section of Craigslist.com often works — you can specify a preference for charities, but even a donation to an individual can be a good deed. Finally, you can find out about organizations that take PCs and refurbish them for donation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site. In any case, be sure to include all the software discs and documentation that came with the PC, if you still have them. Have your kids take it apart. These days, kids don’t get much opportunity to see how things are put together. Place the computer on an old bed sheet, give the kids a screwdriver set, and see how far they can get taking the computer apart. Hard drives are a bit tricky to open — you usually find screws under the “you’ll void the warranty” labels — but they’re full of fascinating parts. Adult supervision is required. Some parts have sharp edges. This is not an activity that kids under age 4 should be anywhere near, because small parts are a choking hazard. And never try to take apart a video monitor or any computer that includes a CRT display — they have high voltages inside, and the CRT tubes can implode violently. Disconnect from the Internet. One way to continue to use a Windows machine safely is to disconnect it from the Internet. Unplug its Ethernet cable and remove any wireless networking card. If it has built-in wireless, such as Intel Centrino, change the password on your wireless network hub and don’t give the PC the new password. Also turn off wireless networking in the Network Connections section of the Control Panel, because the PC could still connect through a neighbor’s open hub. When you need to move files between the PC and your Mac, use a USB flash drive. Recycle it safely. Did you know that an old PC can contain four pounds of lead? It’s best to keep computers out of the town dump. Several brand-name PC manufacturers have recycling programs. Check the home page of the company who made yours. Also check with your municipal trash collection department to see what programs it offers for old PCs and monitors. The EPA Web site also has recycling information.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Recycling, one of the three Rs of environmentalism, is a way to convert discarded items into new goods. Not everything can be recycled (yet), but you should be able to find recycling facilities for these six main categories of household waste: Glass Most household glass can be recycled over and over again; just rinse or wash out the container and recycle. Glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle, so buy products packaged in glass if you can. Some glass items, such as car windshields, cooking dishes, and light bulbs, aren't usually accepted by local recycling systems, so check with your local government's waste office to find out how to recycle these items. Metals Metal food and drink cans made from aluminum or steel are recyclable, and aluminum cans in particular are very valuable. You can even recycle used aluminum foil; just be sure cans and foil are clean. Organics Some recyclers include organic materials, such as yard and kitchen waste, in their regular services, whereas others offer seasonal organics recycling, such as Christmas tree drop-off locations after the holiday season. Paper Nearly every paper item is recyclable, though you should check with your local recycling service provider before you bring in your milk and juice cartons. These cartons are made of cardboard sandwiched between very thin layers of plastic, so not all the material is recyclable and not all centers accept them. If you have a garden, you can recycle your own paper in your compost pile. Plastics Each plastic product has a Plastic Identification Code — a triangle with a number from 1 to 7 inside — usually on the bottom. Most recycling services accept plastics with codes 1 or 2, which include beverage bottles and containers used for milk, juice, and body-care products. Textiles Many charitable and nonprofit organizations operate drop-off points for textiles like clothes and shoes. You usually find these sites in supermarket parking lots and in the organizations' own business locations. What the groups can't reuse they generally sell to private firms that deal in textiles.