Recycling

What to do with plastic bags

The City of Los Angeles is the most recent large city in the United States to join the ban of plastic grocery bags in grocery stores. Many expect the trend to continue with other large and small cities throughout the country joining the ban. Single use plastic bags such as those used in grocery stores are bigger threat to the environment. Not just the hazard they create, they are also hard to decompose. An Australian study reveals that energy spent on manufacturing plastic bags can’t justify the one time use of a plastic bag.

Plastic bags may not take up that much of space in a landfill. But many articles explicitly discuss how plastic bags can become a hazard to wild and marine mammal life. Not just the mammals, a layer of hard to degrade plastic bags are found on beaches and under the water. Above all, plastic bags are an annoyance to many.

In many countries, especially in developing countries, plastic bags are used and reused for many purposes and therefore, deliver more than one time use. However, the recycling of plastic bags in developing countries is a huge issue and bags are contributing more to environmental degradation.

Burning waste to make steam and electricity

The U.S. Congress sends approximately 5,000 tons of garbage a year to Covanta Energy’s plant located ten miles outside Washington D.C. This generates enough power for about 250 homes. The U.S. generates about 250 million tons of waste a year and only about 87 million tons of it recycled. Imagine how many homes this can be powered by the rest of the waste?

Burning waste will be a better alternative than sending it to landfills that are filling up faster. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also says that burning waste can combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions by offsetting resources such as burning coal needed to generate energy. It also reduces methane gas production that is associated with landfills. Generating energy from waste face a problem of how to find adequate and reliable sources of waste material flow needed.

However, some environmentalists still claims that burning waste produce pollutants such as mercury and lead compared to coal-fired plants. One way to address the issue is to create smaller waste burning plants instead of constructing large coal-fired plants. Whatever it is the battle for cleaner energy sources will dominate the U.S. for years to come.

Is recycling worth the cost?

New York City is proposing an 18-month moratorium on recycling glass, plastic and aluminum in order to save an estimated $57 million for the cash strapped city.  Facing with a whopping $4.76 billion budget deficit, New York City proposal is making headlines and bringing in environmentalist as well as critics against each other.  Cities of Baltimore and Charleston, West Virginia are also proposing similar stoppages due to cost.

According to published reports glass, metal and plastics cost New York City $240 per ton to recycle.  For half the cost of that, it can throw them in landfills.  But the New York City cost may not hold true for other cities and depending on transportation cost, method of recycling, real estate prices and others cost may be less or more.  Another factor is the market price for paper, plastic and aluminum which are somewhat lower at this time.

Critics point out cost and other priorities warrant cities to stop recycling.  Additionally, they say trash generated within next 1,000 years would only fill 35-square miles in area, 100 feet deep.  Supporters of recycling say that we are not recycling for money, but to save the planet.  Americans are recycling third of their waste and 25 million Americans have access to recycling programs.

A new way to recycle used gadgets

Apple introduced its newest iPhone 5 recently.  Many will drop their current iPhone and buy an improved iPhone 5.  Only about 20 percent of used gadgets are recycled in the U.S.  With more new gadgets on the market and many more are being released every month, there are some entrepreneurs who are concentrating on recycling used phones, MP3 players, and tablets.

The San Diego based EcoATM operates 150 kiosks in ten U.S. states that collect more than 4,000 models of used phones, MP3 players and tablets and pay out substantial price for those devices all in a kiosk.  It will pay $175 for slightly damaged iPhone 4 or 4S and $60 for a heavily used Samsung Galaxy S.  The company secured $31 million in venture capital and a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and spent more than two years developing the idea.  The company kiosks contain theft prevention methods such as requiring driver’s license number and thumb print to prevent knockoffs.  So far they have collected 500,000 units and expect to collect 20 million units by 2014.  Some estimate that there will be 530 million deactivated devices by 2015.  They EcoATM refurbishes collected items and sell to emerging markets as well as insurance companies.

New goals for recycling electrical and electronics waste

Many countries require recycling of many products including home appliances and e-waste. In the European Union it is the 2003 Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive and in the U.S. many states carry similar requirements since 2005.

Major electrical and electronics manufacturers including Panasonic are making an effort to lead the recycling of e-waste. Panasonic expect to reach 99.5 percent waste recycling rate by 2018.

Major manufacturers are employing many deferent ways to reach maximum recycling. They look for ways to reduce the amount of resources used in manufacturing, increase recycling by using new technologies, and eliminating waste during the manufacturing process to the maximum extent possible.

Panasonic for example, recovery of materials for reuse starts at the disassembly line. One example of reuse is that panel glass they collect are crushed to make a powder. Then the powder is converted to glass wool and used for making vacuum insulation materials that are used in refrigerators.

In the U.S., there is a partnership formed among five national recycling companies commonly known as MRM (the Manufacturers Recycling Management Company). They currently operate 1,300 nationwide collection sites and expect to expand collection sites to 1,600 by 2013.

Recycling Plastic bags; it’s the law in California

After many to ban or limit the use of plastic bags and to encourage reusable bags, Assemble Bill (AB) 2449 was adopted by the California legislature; the Governor signed the legislation on September 30, 2006 and became effective on July 1, 2007. Law preempts municipalities from charging a fee to use plastic bags.

Cities such as San Francisco and Malibu were successfully banned the use of plastic bags circumventing the law and without a court challenge. Others cities such as Oakland lost similar attempts at court. Much of the challenges were based on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). However, cities such as Manhattan Beach, Fairfax and Palo Alto were managed to save theirs with modifications.

As required by AB 2449, retailers are to take back plastic bags and recycle them, provide opportunities for reuse of bags, provide public education for recycling and label bags to promote recycling.

Subsequent attempt by AB 1998 to ban certain types of carryout plastic bags altogether, to impose a 5 cent charge on paper bags and to encourage reusable bags, lost in California Senate 14-21 on August 31, 2010.

How to reduce global warming from home

If you want to do your bit to save the word you need look no further than your own home to start. We all know the effect global warming is having on our planet; here are some things you can do to lessen the impact.

Recycle: re use anything that can be re used. Do not purchase new plastic containers re use the empty containers, re use plastic bags at the supermarket. Plastics cause so much damage to the environment.

CFL bulbs: these energy efficient bulbs use a lot less energy than conventional bulbs.

When buying new household appliances, buy energy and water efficient appliances.

Save energy use in the house by switching off unused appliances, even when in stand by mode they use considerable amounts of energy, make sure the house is well insulated to maximize the use of heating and air conditioning. Make sure all appliances are well serviced to ensure minimum energy consumption.

Plant plenty of trees in and around your garden. They clean the air around you and help keep the surroundings cooler, reducing the need for air conditioning.

Produce your own energy at home such as solar and wind power.

Use a hybrid car to reduce emissions.

SellCell.com Helps Consumers Sell Cell Phones

There are few online resources as valuable and practical as SellCell.com, the cell phone recycling price comparison site designed to help consumers like sell phones and receive the most cash for it.

With its simple, user-friendly site and quick turnaround time, SellCell.com, is making a name for itself.

We all know that old, unwanted, and broken cell phones should be recycled. But who has the time to find (and drive to) a recycling drop off center? However, through SellCell.com consumers can mail in their used cell phones and receive cash for it. Here’s how:

• Find your cell phone. Use the simple search box at the top of the home page to find your cell phone.

• Choose the best deal. After you have found your cell phone, you will be presented with prices from all the leading cell phone buyers on the market. Browse the prices to find the best deal on the Internet.

• Send in your phone for FREE. Once you’ve selected the recycler you wish to sell your cell phone to, simply mail your phone to the company without spending any money.

• Receive your money. After you have mailed in your cell phone, you’re done. Simply wait for your money or vouchers to arrive in the mail!

Sell Cell Phones For The Best Price

Most of us know by now that recycling electronics such as old cell phones is good for the environment. But what many of us may not know is that recycling old cell phones can provide us with some much-needed cash. 

So how much money can you get for recycling your old, unwanted or broken cell phone? It’s hard to say. The Internet is cluttered with thousands of cell phone recycle programs, making it difficult for anyone to determine whether they’re getting the most value for their Motorola Droid or BlackBerry Storm. But there is one recycling price comparison site called SellCell.com that is changing all that.  

SellCell.com is America’s number one cell phone recycling price comparison website that allows users to compare and find the best prices on old and new cell phones. If your personal junk drawer is overflowing with old cell phones and cell phone chargers, it’s time to find out how much you can get for these items waiting to be recycled. Sell Cell compares prices from leading phone buyers so that you don’t have to. What’s more, Sell Cell guarantees the best possible price!

And if you think that SellCell.com and other cell phone recycling programs accept only working cell phones, think again. Sell Cell offers price quotes for end-of-life cell phones. This means your broken cell phone can be mailed in for cash. In fact, according to the company, you can still get up to 90 percent of the value of your phone even if it is damaged or broken.

Although cell phone recycling programs should be common knowledge by now, only 10 percent of cell phones are disposed of properly each year, according to the EPA. This is why SellCell.com makes it easy for people to recycle their cell phones and receive the best possible price.

When is the best time to give away your old cell phone? Think about recycling your cell phone when it’s time to upgrade to a new cell phone or when it breaks.

Battery Recycling

Americans purchase nearly 3 billion batteries a year. Improper disposal of batteries is an environmental hazard. Batteries contain strong corrosive acids and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel. If burned, some of these metals are released into the air, polluting lakes and streams. Improper battery disposal makes landfills more hazardous, as these heavy metals leak from waste. 

Recycling batteries keeps harmful metals out of landfills, air, and water, also saving resources because plastic and metals recovered from old batteries are used to make new batteries. Some batteries, such as regular flashlight batteries, can safely be thrown in the trash, but it is still better to recycle them. 

In 1996, the “Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act” was passed, phasing mercury out of certain types of batteries. The decline of mercury use in batteries continues today. The alkaline battery, for example, have no added mercury. Silver-oxide and zinc-air button batteries contain less mercury today and are gradually replacing mercuric-oxide batteries.
A few steps can be taken to reduce household battery waste: don’t buy new batteries if you already have some you can use; use hand operated products eliminating the need for batteries; and look for batteries containing less mercury and other harmful heavy metals. Rechargeable batteries are also useful in eliminating the need to buy, use, and dispose of batteries. However, they contain heavy metals, do not last forever, and must be disposed of properly. 

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation can help you find the proper places to recycle your used batteries.

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