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!

The Dow Chemical Company has a trademark on the name Styrofoam. It is also known as polystyrene, or EPS (expanded polystyrene).  On the recycling symbol it is #6.   Made of about 98% air and and 2% plastic, it is a terrible problem in the waste stream.  The problem is about 30% of this “puffystuff” still makes it to a landfill, or worse yet, to the  Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The frustrating thing about this, is that there is no escaping it.  Grocery store meat is packaged in it, along with its use as take out food containers, and medical containers.  You will find Polystyrene foam used most commonly in appliance packaging, plastic cups, CD and DVD cases, and of course the “peanuts” used in packaging and shipping.  UPS stores gladly accept the “peanuts” , but not the molded forms of Styrofoam.

From a Health standpoint, this is bad stuff.  Polystyrene, (and all plastics) are petroleum products.  It is highly flammable, and contains benzene (a known carcinogen) that is used in its production.  To think that this toxic material comes in direct contact with our food is appalling.  Yet, it will be a long time before the use of this is outlawed. Recently, nearly two dozen cities have banned the use of Polystyrene for food packaging.

Due to the economy, California  legislators have tabled the Assembly Bill 1358, before it was due for a vote. The bill would have made the state the first in the nation to ban Styrofoam food containers.  In a recent analysis, the bill required all paper take out containers to have a 100% post consumer content.  It was felt that this could have become “problematic,”  causing many food vendors to use even more plastic, and less paper.  Many complaints from restaurants, felt that the alternate (paper) materials weren’t performing as well as the insulating polystyrene.  With a lack of a composting infrastructure, and sufficient recycling facilities in place, along with a sagging economy, the idea to ban polystyrene became infeasible.

Liter audits, conducted in 2008, in San Francisco, show that its ban of the foam packaging, has not reduced liter.  There was a 36% reduction of polystyrene , but it was offset by an equal increase in coated paperboard. The thought is now, that a ban won’t make a difference, when it is just a substitute, or trade of one liter problem for another.

Most cities in the U.S. , are doing a great job of recycling plastics, paper, glass and aluminum.  However, have you noticed how difficult it is to find a place to recycle this stuff?  Yes, it costs 2-3 times less than most other alternatives.  Yes, it is lightweight, taking up only 0.01 percent of a municipalities solid waste stream.  But, the weight isn’t the problem, it’s the volume (space) it takes up in a landfill. Worse than that, is the fact that it does not biodegrade!

Please refer to this article at Earth 911.com for methods of recycling EPS and Styrofoam.  Keep in mind, though, that the suggestions offered do not include disposal of food containers or containers used for medical waste.

On a lighter note, scientist at Sony have discovered that limonene- a natural oil that can be extracted from the skin of oranges and other citrus fruit, will completely dissolve EPS.  It dissolves the EPS at room temperature, and then it can be processed for reuse.  Now, that’s what I call working toward a better tomorrow!

See where the cutest ladybugs live!

Special Thanks to Audrey’s Country Crafts, for giving me the “Green Earth Award.” I am very honored to have been chosen to receive this wonderful award.

This award is given to blogs that offer “recycling tips” and promote “green” content.

The only rules for this award, are to mention the blog that gave you the award, and to pass it on to blogs that promote recycling, and offer “green tips” on their blogs as well.

So, here are my top 5 favorites.

1. Forced Green

2. Living Well Naturally

3. Green Nation Today

4. Closer to Sane

5. Futurism Now

See where the cutest ladybugs live!