Goal For The Green

No, I don’t mean your computer.  There there’s a good website called -haveUrebooted.com, where you can get a free mail-in label or  find a drop- off location near you.

Did you know cell phones are one of the least recycled electronics in the world?  Over 100 million go out of use every year in the US alone.   They are horrible for the environment, if they get thrown away, and every part of them can be recycled.

Many of us reboot, when we upgrade or change carriers.  Most of the cell phone stores are drop-off locations, or are participating in the reboot program.  So, why reboot?  Well,  it’s free and easy, it’s green and good for the environment, and it saves energy.   When you recycle your cell phone, it helps recover valuable materials used in the manufacturing process.  It  also helps prevent unnecessary mining of these raw materials, that can be reused.

The EPA has targeted recycling cell phones, because as hard as it may be to believe, only 10% of all cell phones are recycled each year.  This is because most people don’t know where to recycle them.  By recycling cell phones, we are making a significant contribution to help save the environment.  It is also beneficial to those in need, even our soldiers overseas.  In fact, recycling just a million cell phones, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to taking 33 cars off the road for a year.  A “green” step in the right direction.

At haveurebooted.com, you can host a reboot fundraiser for your organization, or you can request to have a reboot drop-off box at your place of business.  You can even register to win reboot gift cards, valued at up to $500!  But, it doesn’t end there.   You can get your creative juices flowing, and create an original commercial about recycling cellphones.  Then, you post it in response to the HaveUrebooted video at You-tube.  If your video is chosen, you could win a Dell laptop!

So, clean out your junk drawer, recycle (reboot) that old cell phone, and get creative, and most of all have FUN!  Here’s to you and working toward a better tomorrow!

See where the cutest ladybugs live!

Editor’s Note:  I am bringing this post forward to my front page, because of its relevance and importance.  It is my hope and desire that you will make recycling, and your own personal waste management, a top priority.

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It is the third R in the term reduce, reuse, and recycle. It is the re-making of old materials into useful new products.  The goal of recycling is to reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials and energy usage, which then reduces green house gas emissions. By  recycling, we also lower the  amount of raw waste that would otherwise end up in our landfills. Recycling is the key component in waste management as we know it today.

The convenience of recycling at your curb-side now serves half of the U.S. population.  The top five most recycled items are paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and steel/tin cans.

In 2007, my area implemented the use of single stream recycling.  The company provides 65 to 94 gallon carts in which all materials are commingled.  This means that households no longer have to separate their materials into recycling bins.  Evidence has already proven that this method has increased the quantity of household recyclables.

My area also has a recycle depot.  I have not had garbage service for years, because of an altercation with the company.  I set up my own system in my garage.  It consists of two 32 gallon trash cans, one for plastic and one for trash,and 4 blue recylce bins for newspaper, magazines/junk mail, glass, and cans. We also have an area to break down and stack cardboard. When my children were still home we went to the dump every other Saturday.  Now, my husband goes once every 4-6 weeks, with one 32 gallon bag.  They know him at the dump, and the most they ever charge him is $3.00.  Many times they let him go for free because they know he is a disabled vet.  The average rate for disposal in my area is about $35 a month.  That’s a pretty good savings for not very much work.

Written in association with waste management experts