Recycling for a Greener World
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
For most people, the act of recycling probably includes sorting plastic, glass, and aluminum containers into brightly colored bins and leaving them curbside for removal. And while the growth of curbside recycling programs is to be applauded, it’s important to remember that other household items can and should be recycled.
Our homes are all full of recyclable goods – like old television sets, cell phones and ink cartridges – but if your community lacks an organized effort to recycle such things, it can be difficult to know what can be recycled and where. To help, I’ve compiled a list of alternative recycling programs.
gcycle
When you visit the gcycle website, you’re greeted with chirping birds and the gcycle robot who eats old electronics and emits flowers, birds, and pink smoke – it’s pretty funny actually. gcycle is an electronics waste recycling program that educates users on the dangers of electronic waste (e-waste) in the environment and matches people with e-waste recycling centers. By entering your zip code, you can find out where to recycle batteries, print cartridges, video tapes, video games & accessories, cell phones & accessories, computers and other household electronics. I thought it was cool that my local Staples, Best Buy and Tweeter all participate in electronics recycling – and also that gcycle provides maps to show me how to get to each recycling location. In addition to this information, the gcycle site also provides factoids about the hazards of not recycling electronics, and paints a disturbing picture of exactly how much electronic waste is floating around.
Earth 911
Earth 911 is the force behind gcycle, but offers more than just electronic waste recycling information. Based in Scotsdale, Arizona, Earth 911 is a division of Global Alerts, a cause media company. The Earth 911 website offers information and tips on how to (and where to) recycle electronics, automobiles and household goods, and also provides information on green shopping, product stewardship and composting. While Earth 911’s site is more informational than practical, it’s a great place to start if you want to learn more about the benefits of recycling all kinds of commonly tossed aside items.
The Freecycle Network
The idea behind The Freecycle Network is that by keeping perfectly useful and usable items out of landfills you are contributing to a greener planet. Instead of promoting the traditional concept of recycling, The Freecycle Network promotes the reuse of items, and has a network that people can access when they want to either donate or find other people’s castoffs. The Freecycle Network is a nonprofit organization that allows anyone to post items they wish to give away or to connect with people with items to give. To join you have to sign up with a local group (determined by the zip code you enter) and check out what’s offered by other group members. Anyone can join, and everything offered is free.
Similar to The Freecycle Network is Craigslist – the now ubiquitous online bulletin board that has a “free” section where users can post items they are willing to give away for free. Visit CraigsList to find your local branch and start browsing!
To learn more about recycling in general, check out the links below:
The World’s Shortest Comprehensive Recycling Guide