electronics

Another Way to Recycle Electronics: Radio Shack

jplatt — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Great news -- yet another retailer is jumping into the "we'll recycle your old electronics for you" bandwagon.

This time it's RadioShack, one of the most ubiquitous electronics chains in the country. Through The Shack's new trade-in program, you can bring products or accessories to their stores or mail them in, and you'll get a gift card with a small dollar value in return.

The program accepts MP3 players, cell phones, cameras, gaming consoles, and even laptops. (Laptops, HDTVs and a few other items can only be traded in through their website.)

Here's what happens: you present your item for trade-in, Radio Shack makes you an offer, and you accept the offer to get your gift card.

If you do the trade online, you'll get to print out a pre-paid postage label, so the whole program is free to you.

There's no word on the website about how your old electronics will be recycled or re-used, but since the one major requirement for your trade is that the products are in working order and can turn on, it appears the old devices will be refurbished and resold.

Give it a try. I'm sure there's a Radio Shack right around the corner from you.

Upgrading Your Cell Phone? Go Green with Refurbished Phones

jplatt — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0500

How often do you replace your cell phone? Every two years? Every year? More often than that? How many cell phones have you gone through in your life so far?

Think about all of those old phones you used to own. What happened to them? Did they end up being recycled, or did they become electronic waste that is poisoning our land and water?

Or... did they get refurbished and resold to a new owner, someone who got an extra six months or two years of life out of a device you didn't want any more?

Buying refurbished phones is a great idea. Not only is it green -- it's better to keep a device in use than to make and sell a brand new one -- but you can often save a lot of money by purchasing a pre-used cell phone. For example, AT&T is selling refurbished 8G iPhones for just $99 -- that's half price!

Okay, that AT&T deal is only if you get a two-year contract, but they're far from the only source for refurbished phones. Credo Mobile offers several models (some of which are free with two-year contracts), as do other cell phone companies.

So think about this next time you decide to replace your phone. Do you really need the newest, hottest device with all the bells and whistles, or will last month's model do just as well? Check with your cell phone provider to see if they have refurbs for sale, or Google "refurbished cell phones" to find dozens of sites selling refurbished phones online. (You might need to check with your carrier to make sure they can activate your new phone.)

Finally Time to Recycle that VCR?

jplatt — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Do you still have an old VCR hooked up to your TV? Well, it just might end up being a useless paperweight in a few months. When the DTV transition takes places, television broadcast signals will switch to a digital format that is incompatible with many old VCRs.

This won't affect every VCR, and there are some expensive work-arounds you can try to keep your old VCR working, but if you finally decide to give up the video ghost, make sure you recycle your old electronics properly. Those VCRs contain circuit boards and other materials that can end up as toxic waste in the ground and water if they are not recycled carefully.

First of all, check with your local town to see what their rules are about electronics disposal. They might be able to handle it for you, for free or for a small fee.

You can also check Earth911.org to find a recycling center near you.

As for your old videotapes, why not donate them to your local libary? Not everyone will want to get rid of their VCRs, and those tapes might have a few good viewings left in them. Better to re-use something than to throw it away, after all.

Let Apple Recycle Your Computers, iPods and Cell Phones -- for Free!

jplatt — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Looking for a way to recycle your old electronics? Try Apple. They'll recycle your old computers, iPods and cell phones -- for free!

Computers -- In order to qualify, you need to buy a new Mac computer. But when you do, you can mail Apple your old computer and monitor, no matter who made it, for recycling. Good deal.

iPods -- Apple will take back any old iPod and recycle it responsibly. Just visit their site, enter in your name and address, and print out a postage-paid mailing label.(Sadly, they don't take any old MP3 player, just iPods.)

Cell Phones -- This is the easiest of all. It doesn't matter what kind of cell phone you have, or who made it. Apple will recycle it for you. Same process as above, just enter your name and address to print out a mailing label.

For iPods and cell phones, you can also request a free mailing envelope instead of printing a label yourself.

Three cheers to Apple for helping consumers to act responsibly when they dispose of their old devices!

Toshiba Offers Free Electronics Recycling

jplatt — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:08:01 -0400

Looking for a way to get rid of your old electronics in an environmentally responsible way? Toshiba has a solution for you.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division this week expanded its free recycling program, which previously only accepted Toshiba products, to include devices from any manufacturer. They'll accept PCs, laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, mobile phones, and a whole lot more.

What makes this program a bit different is that you have the option of turning in your old devices for cash. For example, I have an old Palm Z22 PDA lying around. According to the site, the Palm has not trade-in value, so I wouldn't get any money, but they would send me a $25 Starbucks gift card for recycling it through them. (Too bad I don't drink coffee...)

Once you decide to send a device to Toshiba, you can print out a postage-paid label to send it to their warehouse. They'll check it out, then send you a check or whatever other bonus you earned.

Of course, it's always good to know what happens to a device once you send it in for recycling. Are they taking care of it responsibly? But Toshiba at least has a solid "green" initiative, so you can feel pretty good about giving this program a try.

Greenpeace Ranks Nokia as Most Eco-Friendly Electronics Maker

jplatt — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Greenpeace has once again updated its list of the electronics makers with the best (and worst) records of producing eco-friendly goods.

Greenpeace not only ranks companies by the materials they use in their devices, but also how easy their products are to recycle and how much the company does to encourage recycling. They also look at energy efficiency and other criteria.

This time around, Nokia has topped the list, thanks, Greenpeace says, to the company's "improved take-back practice in India."

Samsung took second place this time around, thanks to the energy-efficiency of its products. Fujitsu Siemens climbed a few places in the list after setting 2010 as its deadline to eliminate toxic PVC plastic and all BFRs from its computers and other products.

The manufacturer with the worst ranking? Once again, Nintendo earned that distinction for its high levels of toxic chemical use and the low recyclability of its products.

You can download the entire Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics here.

Energy Star: It's About More Than Refrigerators

jplatt — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:00:36 -0400

My wife travels a lot, so I thought I would try to make those long trips more fun by buying her a portable DVD player. But being a good greenie, I wanted to make sure I chose the most energy-efficient model. My quest led me to a Sony device that happened to have the government's ENERGY STAR logo stamped on the package.

But wait, I thought, isn't ENERGY STAR just about refrigerators and air conditioners?

No, it turns out that the program is much broader, ranking all kinds of home and business appliances, electronics and other commercial products. In addition to home heating and cooling devices and major appliances, the program evaluates TVs, battery chargers, stereos, cordless phones, computers, copiers, lighting systems --- and even new homes!

According to ENERGY STAR's website, "Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills."

Sounds like a program doing good work, while helping us all in the process. So keep an eye out for that logo -- it definitely makes a difference.

Recycle Those Electronics!

jplatt — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:11:08 -0400

Recycling electronics is quickly becoming big business, which means more options are finally opening to consumers looking to trade in their old computers, monitors, cell phones, printer cartridges and the like.

The U.S. Post Office this week announced it is starting a trial program (initially available in 10 cities), where you can pick up a pre-paid envelope and mail in your electronics for free recycling. Their partner in this program, Clover Technologies Group, has a "zero landfill" policy and unlike other companies doesn't outsource its work oversees, where recycling of high-tech devices has a tendency to create terrible pollution.

The Post Office isn't alone. For example, Staples stores collect all kinds of electronics for recycling. The stores charge a $10 fee to recycle larger devices (like monitors, which aren't eligible for the Post Office's program), but smaller peripherals are recycled at no charge.

Of course, you could always embrace the old mantra of "reduce, reuse, recycle" and donate your old electronics. Cell phones are particularly good fundraisers for many organizations. The old phones are refurbished and given to people who need them, often in the developing world, where they can help create economic opportunities.

No matter what you do, try to avoid just throwing your old electronics out. The long-term damage far outweighs the convenience of your garbage can.

Want to find out more about recycling?

Recycling Tips: Did You Know You Cannot Recycle Messy Pizza Boxes?

The Benefits of Recycling: Let’s Talk Trash

Recycling the Looking Glass: When Garbage and Art Collide

Top 10 Recycling Resources

Recycled Record Snack Tray

The Benefits of Recycling Cardboard

The Art of Garbage

Reduce, Reuse… FREECYCLE

Back to Basics—RRR

Picking Up Garbage TVs and Recycling as Art

Students Recycle and Reduce Garbage: Take It Or Leave It

Knight Rider Recycled—Reborn With Green Twist!

Recycling Your Garbage: Where Does it All Go?

Here Comes The Sun

RiverWired.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s Good: The Freeloader Portable Charging System will recharge everything from your cell phone, to your iPod, to your AA/AAA batteries. It even comes with adapters that will hook up to a host of different electronics, so you won’t ever have to worry about device compatibility.

It’s Green: The Freeloader runs entirely on solar energy- simply leave it in the sun and wait for it to power up. This solar power lasts, too. Once fully charged, the Freeloader can power an iPod for upto 18 hours, a Sony PSP for 2.5 hours, or a cell phone for 44 hours!

It’s Here: NaturalCollection.com

It’s: $34.00