Electronic Waste

What's the Best Time to Sell Your iPad2?

Are you thinking of trading in your iPad2 for the next iPad that’s expected to be released in the coming months? NextWorth.com, an electronic trade-in site, predicts there will be a steep decline (20-25 percent) in the value of the iPad2 in couple of weeks before the iPad3 is unveiled which is expected to happen in early March. They’ve looked at similar trends with the first iPad and the iPhones. NextWorth takes unwanted electronics to recycle and says they will guarantee and lock in their prices for 21 days. Visit NextWorth.com for more information on selling back your device for top dollar.

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Got Old iPods? Make More Money

If you’re looking to Do Your Part with old electronics before the holidays hit, you can easily bring in some extra spending money! Online electronics recycler, NextWorth is now offering a 10% bonus if you send in your unused iPod between now and December 31st. The average value for iPod Nano is $24, for iPod Classic it’s $32, and the average worth of an iPod Touch is $66. Click here for more information on the holiday incentives. Remember, the last thing you want to do is throw out electronics that contain valuable materials that can be recycled and used again. It’s one way to give back to the planet during this season of giving.

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Green Your Holiday Gift List With Gadget Guide

If your holiday gift list includes electronics this year a new guide will help you make eco-friendly choices. Greenpeace just released its annual Guide to Greener Electronics. The guide ranks 15 electronics companies on energy, greener products and sustainable operations. This year Hewlett Packard tops the list followed by Dell, Nokia and Apple.

The annual guide by Greenpeace has prompted changes in the electronics industry including the phasing out of hazardous chemicals like flame retardants and PVC. The group also helps persuade companies to green the life cycle of their products by increasing energy efficiency, using renewable energy, increasing the re-usability of the gadgets they make and providing free take-back programs for used electronics.

Hewlett Packard took the top position this year for reducing carbon emissions from its supply chain, reducing its own emissions and advocating for strong climate legislation. The company also has a policy that excludes paper from companies linked with illegal logging and deforestation.

Computer maker Dell moved up from 10th position to second this year with a plan to reduce its carbon emissions 40 percent by 2020. The company also committed to remove PVC vinyl plastics and flame retardants from computing products by the end of this year. Apple came in fourth largely due to big strides on e-waste management as the company exceeded its global recycling goal by 70 percent last year.

 

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Website Helps You Green Your Gadgets

October 17, 2011

If you can’t live without your smartphone, iPad or laptop, you’re not alone. But the high-tech gadgets in our life use a lot of energy. Now consumers have a resource for using their electronics in an environmentally friendly way. GreenerGadgets.org includes tips on how to buy eco-friendly electronics, use them more wisely and recycle them responsibly when you’re done.

The website features an energy use calculator so consumers can understand how much energy each gadget is using. Research shows the more consumers know about their energy use, the more likely they are to use less and save money. The website also includes an electronics recycling locator to help users find responsible recyclers as well as locations where consumers can repurpose or donate old phones and computers.

GreenerGadgets also has tips for making smart green purchases such as looking for the Energy Star label. The website was created by the Consumer Electronics Association so consumers can better understand how to use their electronics in an eco-friendly way.

 

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Apple Updates Electronics Recycling Program

August 11, 2011

Thinking about updating your iPhone or iPad? You can now trade it in for an Apple gift card that can be used in stores and online. Apple just extended its reuse and recycle program to include the iPhone and iPad. The company is also accepting any computer or display for free recycling, regardless of manufacturer. If the laptop, PC, phone or iPad you turn in qualifies for reuse you will be given store credit. If not, Apple says it will still responsibly recycling the device free of charge.

Apple’s Reuse and Recycling Program contracts with PowerON which estimates the fair market value of the trade-in device. PowerON provides prepaid packaging to ship your old electronics to their facility for evaluation. A gift card is sent in the mail after the value is determined.

Apple also has a partnership with WeRecycle to take care of turned in electronics that have no value. The company used to charge a 30 dollar shipping fee to recycle non-Apple computers without the purchase of a new Mac but now all brands will be recycled for free with no purchase required. Like PowerON, WeRecycle provides a free prepaid shipping label. WeRecycle is a domestic operation that safely recycles e-waste without exporting hazardous materials to other countries.

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LG Electronics Commits to Certified E-Waste Recycling Worldwide

July 29, 2011

With the increasing and ever-changing world of electronics comes the problem of electronic waste. E-waste that is not responsibly recycled or thrown away often ends up in developing countries where the people and environment are exposed to toxins. LG Electronics just announced it will be using third-party certification to verify how its electronic waste is certified worldwide.

LG will be the first e-Stewards Enterprise which means it will give preference to recyclers that meet the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment. The standard was developed by the non-profit Basel Action Network which works to prevent the export and dumping of electronic waste in developing countries.The e-Stewards standard also calls for protection of private data and health safeguards to ensure workers in recycling plants are not exposed to toxic dust.

LG has more than 120 operations in five countries. In 2010, the company recycled over 8 million pounds of home electronics free of charge to consumers. Just last week, the U.S. government unveiled a report which outlines electronics purchasing and recycling guidelines for the federal government.

 

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E-Waste Ban Starts in North Carolina

July 1, 2011

North Carolina is the latest state to ban computers, televisions and other equipment from landfills. The new e-waste law is designed to keep hazardous materials like lead, mercury and cadmium out of the ground and water. The ban will also help encourage people to safely recycle e-waste so valuable parts from electronics can be reused.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the ban includes televisions, laptop and desktop computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards and mice. Most counties in North Carolina offer collection programs for electronics. Computer manufacturers are also required to offer free mail-back for their own equipment. Residents can also donate electronics to Goodwill where they will be resold or safely recycled. The NCDENR offers a comprehensive list of recycling options in the state, click here to find out more.

The ban will benefit the environment and the economy of North Carolina since the state is home to about a half-dozen major electronic recycling companies, more than most other states. North Carolina joins 24 other states that that have enacted a variety of bans on some types of electronic waste in landfills. Still, the Electronic TakeBack Coalition estimates Americans throw away three million tons of electronics every year and recycle only about 15 percent.

For more on the benefits of recycling old electronics, watch this DoYourPart video.

 

 

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Congress Tackles the Dangers of Your Old Electronics

June 29, 2011

Old laptops, cell phones and other electronics are piling up at an alarming rate as Americans upgrade to the latest technology. But there is a danger in trashing, even recycling old electronics. Some U.S. companies ship electronic waste to developing countries where it is taken apart or burned with little or no safety regulation, exposing workers to dangerous chemicals. The Electronics TakeBack Coalition estimates 50% to 80% of e-waste collected by recyclers in the U.S. is exported to developing countries. In states that don’t ban e-waste from landfills the old electronics leach into the land over time and are released into the atmosphere.

Now some lawmakers want to put an end to illegal and dangerous exports of e-waste. The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011 was just introduced into the House. It aims to stop the export of electronics that contain toxic material like mercury and lead. The bill would also create green jobs by keeping e-waste recycling in the U.S. and not overseas where it is often shipped to save money. So far, 25 states have passed e-waste recycling legislation but the laws do not ban exports since trade is outside the jurisdiction of states. Supporters of federal legislation say state laws are keeping most e-waste out of landfills but cannot stop recyclers from shipping parts to third world countries.

Leading electronics manufacturers including HP, Dell, Samsung, Apple and Best Buy have all endorsed the legislation. They are also pushing for recycling companies in the U.S. to abide by standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, to upgrade their recycling technology and create more jobs.

To find out more about e-waste and make sure you are recycling in a responsible way click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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E-Waste Law Reaches Milestone

June 7, 2011

It’s been eight years since California adopted a law banning electronics from landfills and six years since the state started an e-waste recycling program. Since then, the state has recycled more than one billion pounds of unwanted electronics. That amounts to about 20 million TVs and computers that have been kept out of landfills. California was the first state to pass an e-waste law and since then 24 other states have some type of electronic waste law on the books. North Carolina is about to become the next with a law banning televisions and computer equipment from landfills beginning July 1st.

To help fund the e-waste recycling program in California, consumers pay a fee of 6 to 10 dollars when they buy a new TV, laptop or computer monitor. Mercury News reports the money is used to pay recycling companies and collection organizations that gather and recycle the old electronics. California is the only state that charges consumers to fund a government-run program. Several states require the electronics industry to pay for and operate recycling programs.

More states are expected to pass or strengthen e-waste recycling laws and President Obama recently established an e-waste task force to develop a national strategy for electronic waste management and recycling. The electronics industry is also pitching in by announcing plans to triple e-cycling rates by 2016.

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E-Waste Linked to Health Problems

June 1, 2011

A new study shows the damaging effects electronic waste can have on human health. Researchers found e-waste pollution can cause inflammation and oxidative stress. Experts say those conditions can lead to cardiovascular disease, DNA damage and even cancer. The study shows crude electronic waste recycling programs in many countries create organic pollutants and heavy metals released from e-waste can accumulate in the body through inhaling contaminated air.

Electronic waste is a growing problem as technology rapidly changes. By 2015, it’s estimated 60 million tons of electronic waste will be dumped in landfills, leaching out toxic material to people and the environment. Another problem is electronic waste illegally shipped to developing countries where it is dismantled with no oversight or regulation.

In this latest study, researchers sampled the air near a dismantling complex in China. Scientists wanted to find out what happens to human lung cells when pollutants are released during the recycling process. At the Chinese province they studied, more than 60,000 people dismantle about two million tons of e-waste each year. The results showed the pollutants caused spikes in indicators of inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Inflammation is a process by which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals protect us from infection and foreign substances like bacteria and viruses. Study co-author Dr. Fangxing Yang says “from these results it is clear that the open dismantlement of e-waste must be forbidden with more primitive techniques improved.” The research appeared in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

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