By: Ben Franklin
This great big planet seems to be getting smaller and smaller. As more people call it home, the need to conserve, preserve and recycle is becoming more and more evident. While it’s not possible for one person to solve all the world’s problems when it comes to preservation and conservation, a single human can make a huge difference in a single community or an area.
Recycling is one of the best ways a person can make a difference in their community. The effort is relatively simple, generally supported by curbside pick up and can even be financially beneficial. Plus, it benefits the planet.
If you doubt the necessity to recycle, take a look at your weekly trash. Now consider what items could be pulled out and saved from a trip to a landfill. Cuts the number of bags down by a lot, doesn’t it?
If you’d like to get started recycling, but don’t know how, here are some ideas:
* Check with your local government authority to see if there are curbside recycling programs in place. If your government doesn’t have them, perhaps your trash handlers do. In many communities there are special, designated days for recycling of certain items. There’s not even a need to take the recyclables to a special collection site - it comes to you instead.
* If there is a recycling program in place, find out its rules and regulations. Depending on location, some items may be accepted and others may not. There may even be special bags or bins necessary to make sure the pick up program can easily identify what’s meant to be recycled and what’s meant for the landfill.
* If you don’t have a recycling program, check with a recycling company. These do exist and they handle everything from cardboard to aluminum and copper and more.
In general, the following items are accepted by recycling programs. Keep in mind though some of these items can net you cash if you turn them into a company rather than put them through a curbside service. In some cases, a lot of money.
* Glass. Many types of glass can be recycled. This will oftentimes have to be rinsed out. Check with your local program for information on types accepted and prep steps necessary.
* Aluminum. This is one that can net you money. Check for local regulations on its recycling, but keep in mind if you go through a lot of cans, you could be throwing money away if you don’t recycle, not to mention wasting landfill space.
* Copper wires. Electricians often come into contact with this. When stripped of its covering, this can net some serious cash at a recycling place.
* Newspapers. These are great for recycling. There’s no need to throw them away. Newspapers can be worth money for those who recycling them, too. In fact, many youth organizations do newspaper drives to make themselves some extra cash. Rather than selling a product, they collect your junk for their fundraising.
Posted by Francoise Christine East Orange NJ
January 24 2009 | Francoise Christine East Orange NJ | No Comments »
By: Christopher H. Waters
Today the environmental impact of old computers, computer related parts and other electronic goods is a serious growing concern. There are so many computer Organizations who are ready to deal with old and damaged computers. They are ready to accept all types of obsolete and working computer equipments such as CRT monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, etc. regardless of their age and condition. They also help in recycling the printer ink cartridges, laser toners, etc.
There are annually several millions of computers that are becoming obsolete. It is very much harmful for the environment if the waste computers are used to fill lands. Even it is a crime if the disposal of computers is used in landfills under different sections of environmental laws. The environmental concern regarding the disposal of computers is mainly due to the monitors because the cathode ray tube contains four to five pounds of lead which contaminates our environment very badly. There are also other hazardous materials in computers which are not at all good for our environment such as mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, etc. These materials seems to effect our health by causing high blood pressure, liver and nerve disease, blood with poor iron and even brain damages. Even the groundwater near a landfill also gets contaminated due to these hazardous materials.
Basically for these reasons different Environmental Laws have banned the illegal landfills by the disposals of computer equipments. These Laws says that the damaged and waste computers must be sent to a reputable recycler for better and harmless recycling. The process of recycling should be done regularly so as to protect from the huge pile up of old and waste computers. In addition to the environmental benefits different computer organization are also benefited by the recycling process. Different parts of the waste computer come handy for the remanufacturing of computers. Even these organizations can use these old computers as a medium of storing backups.
Three better options for disposal of old Computers -
It is not advisable to throw an old computer in the garbage. However, the disposal of computers can be utilized in three important phases without violating the environmental rules. They are 1) Reuse, 2) Recycle and 3) Trade in. By the term ‘Reuse’ it is meant that the computer is sold in secondary reduced price to some office or some individual for further use. As illegal landfills by the disposals of waste computer equipments have been banned by the Environmental Laws therefore Recycling is the best option is such case. The recycling is basically done to those computers which are extremely old and broken.
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January 24 2009 | Francoise Christine East Orange NJ | No Comments »
By Michael Russell
Recycling is a priority in the United States. In fact, the United States recycles more than 24 percent of its waste. This is the highest percentage in the industrialized world. This is only appropriate considering the United States also produces the most amount of waste in the industrialized world. Recycling can bring out about economic and environmental benefits.
The recycling industry has made a vital contribution to job creation and economic development in the United States. In 2000, the recycling industry was responsible for more than 1.1 million jobs and a yearly payroll of $37 billion. For every 10,000 tons of waste that is recycled, 36 new jobs are created. If you were to incinerate the 10,000 tons of waste instead, only one job would be created. In addition, for every employee there is collecting items that can be recycled, there are 26 employees that turn these items into new products. There are as many employees in the recycling industry as there are in the automobile and truck manufacturing industry. Also recycling industry employees make more money than employees in other industries.
Recycling helps prevent global climate changes by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions can result from the manufacturing, use and disposal of products. Greenhouse gas emissions are a part of nature and they help create climates that sustain life on earth. If greenhouse gas emissions reach dangerous concentration levels, then you might see rising global temperatures, sea level changes and other climate changes. Recycling can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the following ways:
Manufacturing paper, plastics, glass and metal from recycled materials requires less energy than manufacturing these products from virgin materials because the recycled materials have already been processed. Also if you were to use virgin materials, you would have to spend additional energy extracting and transporting the virgin materials. For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy required to make new aluminum from virgin materials. Recycling steel and plastics would require 60 percent and 70 percent less energy, respectively, than making these products from raw materials. Recycling nearly any material will require less energy than producing the material from virgin materials. In 2005, recycling saved over 900 trillion BTUs, which is the same amount of energy used in 9 million households annually. This energy conservation results in less fossil fuels being burned. This means that less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere. If 6 tons of glass and one ton of aluminum were recycled, then 1 ton and 13 tons of carbon dioxide, respectively, would not be released into the atmosphere.
Recycling also keeps materials out of landfills. This is important because materials in landfills can decompose and release methane gas. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas that is 20 to 30 times more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide. Municipal solid waste landfills are responsible for 34 percent of methane gas emissions attributed to Americans.
Waste combustion from incinerators can release greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Recycling can reduce these emissions by keeping materials out of incinerators. In 2003, recycling kept 72 million tons of material from incinerators and landfills.
Posted by Francoise Christine East Orange NJ
January 23 2009 | Recycling | No Comments »
By: James Kara Murat
These days, given the tremendous amount of waste that is generated every single day, more and more emphasis is given towards recycling. Organizations and even governments all around the world are calling for the efficient implementation of recycling measures especially since research has shown that the earth’s natural resources are fast depleting because of the continuous presence of toxic and unreusable items. Some of these items include computers, batteries and cellular phones, which have become staples in almost every home and office. One can just imagine the millions of tons of waste should these pieces of equipment be allowed to rot. Minerals found on earth are unrenewable resources and should these be used up and depleted due to the presence of tiny yet deadly particles, all of us will suffer.
Hence, everyone is encouraged to learn the importance of recycling computers and batteries and cellular phones.
Computers, for one, have tiny, bioaccumulative compound particles that could pose harm not only to animals and to bodies of water, but to humans as well. Batteries, on the other hand, contain cadmium, lead and mercury. If batteries are carelessly thrown out, they can end up in incinerators and landfills. The earth’s surface may seep the toxic ingredients of batteries and this may lead to soil and water contamination.
Meanwhile, cellular phones have become indispensable gadgets. In fact, the number of cell phone subscribers is anticipated to grow by the billions every year. However, while some consumers store old phones and look for outlets where they can have cell phone recycled, many include these old ones in their household garbage, prompting highly poisonous elements such as mercury and lead found in each cell phone unit to be released. It is important to keep these elements away from landfills so as to maintain the health of the soil and of the animals that depend on the earth for food.
There are many resources available to help recycle computers, batteries and cell phones. For one, there are organizations that take in these old items via drop off centers or home pick-up scheme. These organizations either refurbish the items and donate them to financially hard up communities or forward them to a recycling facility for proper disposal.
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December 25 2008 | Francoise Christine East Orange NJ | No Comments »