By: Dawn Burden Bates
If your home is like mine, the holidays left you with a huge mess. Empty boxes and torn wrapping paper litter the floor after the kids excitedly open their gifts. It’s so tempting to gather it all up and through it in the outside garbage bin.
But this is a great opportunity to not only recycle, but to reuse. Almost all of the wrapping paper and boxes can be recycled, so consider keeping your contribution out of the landfill. And for the reuse possibilities…they are practically endless. I’m pretty sure that most of the ribbons I use have been used for several years. And many of the boxes that hold the gifts are great to use for packaging gifts next year. Do you realize that many stores now CHARGE you for a gift box? Sheesh, I’ll save mine for next year, thank you. Not to mention the gift bags. I LOVE getting my gifts in those pretty little bags. Especially since I know I will be using it for someone else’s gift somewhere down the road. Do you know how much those things cost? They are outrageous. No way would I throw them away. They are too valuable.
Now what are we to do with the tree? If you use an artificial tree, it’s a pretty easy decision. You fold it up and store it for next year. Simple. And if you are lucky enough to live in a warm environment and purchased a live tree including the root ball, you can get to work planting it in your yard to enjoy for years to come. But what about cut trees? Most communities offer some sort of Christmas tree recycling. The lucky ones have curbside pickup to recycle their trees. The rest of us need to decide what to do. What convinces me to haul the tree to the recycling facility is a couple of things.
I was willing to haul it home after I purchased it, so I can just as easily take it to be recycled.
Some communities use the old trees to shred and cover pathways and trails through parks. This helps to repair and reduce the damage we create as we enjoy our hikes.
Some communities turn the old trees into mulch and then provide it to the public for free! What a deal. Spring is just right around the corner, by the way.
So that pretty much covers what we can do to reduce our holiday effect on the environment. Now it’s a new year and we can begin thinking about getting a fresh start.
Some resolutions to consider:
- Resolve to begin recycling if you don’t already. You can start small. This site provides a wealth of information about getting your recycling efforts off the ground.
- If you already recycle, step it up a notch. If your curbside recycling service doesn’t accept a particular item (like glass or cardboard), resolve to begin taking that item to the drop off facility in your area.
- Resolve to purchase more products packaged with post consumer recycled materials. The higher the percentage listed on the package, the better.
- Resolve to purchase more items made from recycled materials. Paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and many other paper products fall into this category.
- Resolve to purchase more items in bulk, thus reducing packaging waste.
- Resolve to create at least one creative craft using something you might otherwise throw away. This is fun, gets your creative juices flowing, can reduce stress, and is a g reat way to spend some quality time with your family.
February 17 2009 | Recycling and Supreme Corporation | Comments Off
By Tom Tessin
One of the best ways to help our economy, our environment, and get cash back is by recycling. Recycling is not only a nationwide thing in America but it is being done world-wide. You would be amazed at all the things that you can recycle and get cash back. One of the popular items is plastics many bottles and containers are used to make carpets and the recycling centers are more than glad to pay you so much per plastic container. Along with that program companies who use cans to bottle soft drinks, juices and other liquids pay the consumer cash back for the return of the containers.
Since many of us are a computer user that means we need to purchase ink cartridges and the ink cartridge companies are willing to pay you to bring back your empties. Companies that sell car batteries are willing to give the consumer a core cash back fee as the manufacturer can reuse in order to create new batteries. These items are all harmful to the eco system if left in landfills. It is wise to utilize the cash back system in order to put money in your pocket but better yet to help our eco system. We only have one place to live and that is earth so we need to take care of it by using recycling we can do just that.
There are other places that offer cash back like when you buy a lot of product and need to take a wood pallet you will receive cash back for the return of the pallet. Insurance companies are willing to give you a big discount on your premium if you pay your bill and shop on-line so that they do not have to use paper. We need to save our trees and by going paperless we are doing just that. It is important that you think of the many different ways that you can get cash back by recycling or cut down on the cost of your bills by going paperless and shopping on line. The Holidays is a great time to get cash back by shopping on-line and going paperless. Many merchants offer you great bargains and cash rebates if you shop on the internet with them. I like to think of it as “go green”, “think green”, and “get green.” When you “go green” you are shopping paperless, “thinking green” you are saving in as many places as possible and of course “get green” means you are getting paid for recycling.
February 07 2009 | Recycling | Comments Off
By: Daniel Johansson
Recycling is one of the best ways in which to have a positive impact upon the world in which we live in. Recycling is highly beneficial for the natural environment and human beings. The amount of the rubbish we create and dump into the environment is rapidly increasing everyday, which is having a horrendous effect on the environment, resulting in global warming and the increase in temperature rise.
The reasons why we are creating more waste are due to; increase in wealth, therefore we have more money to buy products, resulting in more waste. Increase in population means, there are more people creating waste. New packaging and technological products are being developed, much of these products contain materials that are not biodegradable.
Recycling is incredibly important as waste has an extremely negative blow upon the ecosystem. Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from rubbish in landfill sites. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste. Habitat destruction and global warming are some the affects caused by deforestation. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials so that the rainforests can be preserved.
The production of computer parts involves numerous chemicals which are highly dangerous to our health and surroundings. The Information Technology production industry has enormous carbon imprints; however the carbon imprints can be reduced through recycling of computer components.
In order to produce computer parts the IT industry uses raw dwindling resources and materials which are already relatively scarce. It is a well known fact that major companies only keep IT equipment for around 3 years and then dispose of it. Most of the IT equipment is in good condition and can be reused and deployed in the use of charities, homes, schools etc.
Recycling can help in the deployment of old computers, computer components and other computer related equipment, recycling redundant and damaged computers can be turned into component metals which can then go towards building new computer or fixing damaged machines.
Most of the environmental concerns which lie with inappropriate disposal of computers are the monitor. Each colour monitor contains on an average of 4 to 5 pounds of lead. Other chemicals found in computers are mercury, cadmium a known carcinogen and Hexavalent Chromium which is known to cause high blood pressure, iron-poor blood, liver disease, and nerve and brain damage in animals.
Organisations such as Oxfam have set up schemes where other charities and schools in the third world can benefit from old disposed computers. Oxfam collect old computers in order to raise money to help those in need. By disposing of computers in this way, you can help the environment and decrease the population levels. Also at the same time companies can feel good about the way they have disposed computers, knowing that they are helping others.
It is very important to recycle computers, due to high number of computers being disposed of incorrectly or just stored away, is increasing the risk of polluting the environment with unfriendly toxins and excess waste.
Basically any part / component of a computer can be recycled, the keyboard, mouse, printer and monitor. The steel cases can be sold on for scrap metals, as can the chassis of the computer, floppy drive chassis, hard drive cases and drive platters. Heat sinks have to be separated out during the recycling process due to their high aluminium alloy content and these are recycled separately and for less money per kilo nonetheless still worth a cash value.
Just by correctly disposing products can help the environment greatly. By doing this you are also doing your bit to help fight against global warming, habitat destruction and deforestation. All things which are harmful to us and the future generations that have to live on this planet. Due to vast amount of computer waste, computers could become more expensive, due to European laws may force makers to recycle old machines and computer hardware in order to help the environment.
Computer experts have warmed when the new laws are put into force overall computer prices may levitate to anything between $50 to $100. This may force companies into leasing computers to reduce their CPA, and bring down cost in general.
Overall disposing of computers correctly by recycling parts and components could result in a better cleaner less toxic environment. Cleaner environment means less global warming, habitat destruction and deforestation. Also reducing the amount of raw materials needed in order to produce these machines. It is therefore highly important to dispose of the computer in the right place. In many countries dumping of electronic equipment in many areas is banned due to highly toxic chemicals in some components.
December 26 2008 | Computer Recycling and Supreme Corporation | Comments Off
By: James Kara Murat
These days, given the tremendous amount of waste that is generated every single day, more and more emphasis is given towards recycling. Organizations and even governments all around the world are calling for the efficient implementation of recycling measures especially since research has shown that the earth’s natural resources are fast depleting because of the continuous presence of toxic and unreusable items. Some of these items include computers, batteries and cellular phones, which have become staples in almost every home and office. One can just imagine the millions of tons of waste should these pieces of equipment be allowed to rot. Minerals found on earth are unrenewable resources and should these be used up and depleted due to the presence of tiny yet deadly particles, all of us will suffer.
Hence, everyone is encouraged to learn the importance of recycling computers and batteries and cellular phones.
Computers, for one, have tiny, bioaccumulative compound particles that could pose harm not only to animals and to bodies of water, but to humans as well. Batteries, on the other hand, contain cadmium, lead and mercury. If batteries are carelessly thrown out, they can end up in incinerators and landfills. The earth’s surface may seep the toxic ingredients of batteries and this may lead to soil and water contamination.
Meanwhile, cellular phones have become indispensable gadgets. In fact, the number of cell phone subscribers is anticipated to grow by the billions every year. However, while some consumers store old phones and look for outlets where they can have cell phone recycled, many include these old ones in their household garbage, prompting highly poisonous elements such as mercury and lead found in each cell phone unit to be released. It is important to keep these elements away from landfills so as to maintain the health of the soil and of the animals that depend on the earth for food.
There are many resources available to help recycle computers, batteries and cell phones. For one, there are organizations that take in these old items via drop off centers or home pick-up scheme. These organizations either refurbish the items and donate them to financially hard up communities or forward them to a recycling facility for proper disposal.
December 25 2008 | Recycling Batteries and Supreme Corporation | Comments Off
By: Sam Brown
Computer recycling nowadays is easy to do and very commonplace as computers can be easily refurbished in order to provide 3rd world countries with older yet functioning models of computers. Disposing of computers properly is extremely important because if you sell your computer or give it away then the person who receives it has unlimited access to all of your personal information that was stored on it. If you leave your computer in the street for anyone to take away, then they would be able to access this private information as well.
In a day and age where it is easy to steal someone’s identity with such a small amount of information, and companies are reaping the benefits of “ID Theft Prevention” plans, it is sad to think that a smart adult would forget how much personal information they’ve got stored on their computer. Every time you enter and save a small piece of personal information into a computer, it remains in the hard drive and usually takes a computer expert to wipe your computer clean of all of the tiny bits of your personal information. Any time you save a password or send an e-mail, that information remains no matter how many times you clean the “cookies” and free up some memory.
Any time you order something over the internet using a credit card number, that number gets sent to the company and is usually stored in their memory so that the next time you visit their website, shopping and paying is quicker and easier. As many as 9 million Americans have their identity stolen every year, but sadly, most of these victims are cautious consumers who happen to be targeted because of one little mistake. Disposing of your computer the wrong way could be the one little mistake that your creepy neighbor is waiting on in order for them to gain access to an abundance of your personal information.
With your personal information at the tip of their fingers, identity thieves can easily commit fraud by opening up new credit cards under your name and billing address, using your social security number to obtain illegal employment, get a loan or mortgage under your name, or even just an ID card with your name and their picture. There are no limits to what an identity thief can do with your personal information, and their reach stretches further if they have access to your e-mail accounts and internet pay systems.
The best way to protect yourself against identity theft is obviously to be a conscious consumer when it comes to using your credit cards, watch your credit history and make sure that details such as billing statements coincide with your personal records. It’s important to watch what and where you spend your money, and to make sure it’s only you doing the spending with your accounts.
It’s okay to save personal information on your computer, as long as your computer remains in your hands. Once you are done with a computer either because it’s old or broken or you’re ready for an upgrade, there is only one safe way to dispose or recycle your old computer. In order to insure safety of your personal data and comply with environmental standards for computer disposal, your computer must be sent to a computer disposal or recycling company. Businesses such as those will properly dismantle a non-useable computer or will remove all of your personal information so that the computer is ready to be refurbished. Either way, years worth of your personal information that you entered into your computer will be properly wiped away and the theft of your identity via your trashed computer will no longer be a concern.
December 25 2008 | Recycling Techniques and Supreme Corporation | Comments Off
By: Christopher H. Waters
Today the environmental impact of old computers, computer related parts and other electronic goods is a serious growing concern. There are so many computer Organizations who are ready to deal with old and damaged computers. They are ready to accept all types of obsolete and working computer equipments such as CRT monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, etc. regardless of their age and condition. They also help in recycling the printer ink cartridges, laser toners, etc.
There are annually several millions of computers that are becoming obsolete. It is very much harmful for the environment if the waste computers are used to fill lands. Even it is a crime if the disposal of computers is used in landfills under different sections of environmental laws. The environmental concern regarding the disposal of computers is mainly due to the monitors because the cathode ray tube contains four to five pounds of lead which contaminates our environment very badly. There are also other hazardous materials in computers which are not at all good for our environment such as mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, etc. These materials seems to effect our health by causing high blood pressure, liver and nerve disease, blood with poor iron and even brain damages. Even the groundwater near a landfill also gets contaminated due to these hazardous materials.
Basically for these reasons different Environmental Laws have banned the illegal landfills by the disposals of computer equipments. These Laws says that the damaged and waste computers must be sent to a reputable recycler for better and harmless recycling. The process of recycling should be done regularly so as to protect from the huge pile up of old and waste computers. In addition to the environmental benefits different computer organization are also benefited by the recycling process. Different parts of the waste computer come handy for the remanufacturing of computers. Even these organizations can use these old computers as a medium of storing backups.
Three better options for disposal of old Computers -
It is not advisable to throw an old computer in the garbage. However, the disposal of computers can be utilized in three important phases without violating the environmental rules. They are 1) Reuse, 2) Recycle and 3) Trade in. By the term ‘Reuse’ it is meant that the computer is sold in secondary reduced price to some office or some individual for further use. As illegal landfills by the disposals of waste computer equipments have been banned by the Environmental Laws therefore Recycling is the best option is such case. The recycling is basically done to those computers which are extremely old and broken.
December 24 2008 | Environment Recycling and Supreme Corporation | Comments Off