Electronics Donation and Recycling

 

Why Recycle Electronic Products

 

Electronic products are made from valuable resources and materials, including metals, plastics, and glass, all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing virgin materials.

 

For example:

• Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 US homes in a year.
• For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.

Before Donating or Recycling Your Used Electronics

• For your computer or laptop, consider upgrading the hardware or software instead of buying a brand new product.
• Delete all personal information from your electronics.
• Remove any batteries from your electronics, they may need to be recycled separately.
• Check to see what requirements exist in your state Exit or community. 

Where to Donate or Recycle

Manufacturers and retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics. Search below to find programs developed by Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge participants. If you are an original equipment manufacturer or retailer, learn how to join the SMM Electronics Challenge. Participation in the SMM Electronics Challenge is voluntary. EPA does not endorse any of the participants or their products and services.

• Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge

Search by Electronic Device or Company

The following links exit the site Exit

http://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling

 

 

 

 

Biodegradable Coffee Cups Embedded With Seeds Grow Into Trees When Thrown Away

Image – Reduce.Reuse.Grow.

 

Here’s an amazing idea that really proves to you that anything is possible with the right approach. A small team based in California, USA that goes by the name of Reduce. Reuse. Grow. has devised an ingenious new type of coffee cup with seeds inside the walls. You can plant the cup when you are done and the seeds grow.

 

Some thought has clearly gone into this project: One thing that is clever about this cup is that the seeds included in the cups will be local to the region in which the cups are sold, so that the plants grown are appropriate for the local ecosystem. With ingenuity like this it really might be possible to turn around some of our greatest waste problems. Styrofoam (another common material for hot beverage containers) is something of an ecological nightmare, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces which blow away on the breeze, ending up possibly eaten by animals or causing widespread pollution. I also recently found out that the part of California that I am in does not have general facilities for styrofoam recycling.

 

Billions of beverage containers are discarded each year and we’ve all seen pictures of the terrible mess we are making. So this project – and others like it – are an urgent priority. Ok here’s the full report on the new Biodegradable Coffee Cups Embedded With Seeds Grow Into Trees When Thrown Away: http://www.boredpanda.com/biodegradable-plantable-coffee-cup-reduce-reuse-grow/

 

Here’s another interesting thing you can use for seed planting: Eggshells. The plants get the calcium as the eggshell breaks down! Check it out here How To Plant Seeds Using Eggshells You could also try using home-made newspaper pots.

 

- See more at: http://off-grid.info/blog/biodegradable-coffee-cups-embedded-with-seeds-grow-into-trees-when-thrown-away/#sthash.GeYKpOiU.dpuf