Here is a recent story from Fox4KC, announcing that Goodwill stores around the Kansas City will be collecting old electronics in an effort to prevent electronic waste in landfills.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Kansas City area Goodwill stores are collecting old electronics. They’re trying to gather 100 tons of e-waste. They’re looking for items like old computers, printers, t-v’s and more.

The items can be recycled and put to good use as opposed to going into landfills. Often times one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

“This is an initiative, emphasis in the month of April we are continuing it on through the year,” said J. Stuart Hoffman with Goodwill. “Bring e waste items to any of the Goodwills throughout the Kansas City area.”

All of the items donated will be recycled or refurbished through a partnership with Dell. None of the donated items will land up in landfills.

Here is an article I would like to share from Mashable.com, written by Jolie O’Dell, about a new iPhone app for the World Wildlife Fund’s annual Earth Hour awareness campaign.

Prepare for Earth Hour 2011 With iPhone App

The World Wildlife Fund’s annual Earth Hour awareness campaign now has an app of its own.

This iPhone offering will help ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things with simple tasks that take the Earth Hour idea beyond a once-a-year activity.

Created by the WWF with help from the Leo Burnett Group, the app “is all about taking Earth Hour a step further by encouraging people to do things to help the planet every day, not just for that one hour,” said a Burnett rep.

To that point, the app is called 60+ [iTunes link] and is available for download now.

The app works a bit like a location-based service in that it has to-dos and checkins. But for this mobile application, you’ll check in positive actions you’ve done from a list provided by the app; for example, you might use more natural lighting, change your air conditioning settings or install a water-saving showerhead.

As you check in more actions, you’ll earn achievements, which are shareable across larger social networks, as well.

In addition to extending Earth Hour beyond its given 60-minute time period, the app aims to expand the geographic reach of Earth Hour. To that end, the WWF and Burnett will be tracking individual and global checkins and achievements within the app to gauge participation and impact around the world.

Soon, the app should have Game Center support to boost friendly competition among its users.

The Burnett Group rep also told us that the design’s interface has a unique, hand-drawn feel — because all the design elements were actually drawn from hand.

“The entire design of the app is also an act of going beyond the hour, as we created the entire interface out of discarded cardboard boxes and paper,” he noted.

“Everything was drawn by hand — even the badges were hand-sewn.”

Earth Hour 2011 will take place on March 26. Will you be using this app to participate?

Thank you to The Recycler for featuring InkCycle and its project aimed at decreasing electronic waste. According to the article, Inkcycle celebrates the success of it’s e-waste project, the company diverted 493 tons of e-waste and recycled 588,209 pounds of inkjet cartridges and 397,718 pounds of toner cartridges in 2010.

InkCycle, a company with a recycled line of ink and toner cartridges known as grenk, is celebrating the success of its e-waste project. The company believe that its media campaigns have been a key to its recycling efforts after working to educate national media, trade press, consumers and businesses regarding the benefits of recycling e-waste.

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Here is an article from Green Technology World, written by Jayashree Adkoll, about the first fully automated consumer electronics recycling kiosk with built-in cash dispenser.

ecoATM Unveils eCycling Station Consumer Electronics Recycling Kiosk With Built-In Cash Dispenser

Approximately, 500 million new electronic gadgets are bought by U.S. consumers each year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (News – Alert). And, average U.S. household currently owns 26 different consumer electronic devices making the total to nearly 3 billion devices in all, many of which are no longer in use and are un-recycled thereby increasing the toxic waste.

In an effort to encourage consumers to responsibly resell or recycle unused devices, a San Diego, California-based provider of automated self-serve kiosk system, ecoATM, announced that it has launched a new fully automated consumer electronics recycling kiosk, eCycling Station, featuring built-in cash dispenser.

According to ecoATM, the eCycling Station provides convenience, immediate financial incentive, and personal data removal for consumers. It leverages a patented, advanced machine vision, electronic diagnostics, and artificial intelligence to evaluate and buy back used electronics directly from consumers for cash or store credit.

This completely consumer self-serve consumer electronics recycling kiosk can not only electronically and/or visually inspect virtually any consumer electronic device, but can also connect consumers in real-time with a broad worldwide secondary market to ensure best pricing.

Grenk recently released a press release on the top 10 green trends for 2011 which has been featured on a variety of the top news sites.

InkCycle was recently featured on therecycler.com about receiving WasteWise partner status with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Based on its environmental footprint reduction, InkCycle has received WasteWise partner status from the EPA.

InkCycle, a North American aftermarket company based in Kansas City, has received WasteWise partner status from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA’s WasteWise programme is a voluntary scheme that encourages member companies to reduce their environmental footprint. To achieve partner status, a company must demonstrate that it has reduced its footprint by utilizing innovative processes and well-managed materials management practices.

“It’s always great to be recognized for something your company is doing right, but for the EPA to consider us a partner, we are thrilled,” said Brad Roderick, Executive Vice President of InkCycle. “Environmental initiatives are truly a part of the culture at InkCycle, and we will continue to be a partner to the EPA, as well serve as a great partner and resource to our dealers.”

InkCycle’s environmental product line, Grenk, contributed to the footprint reduction of the company’s carbon footprint. The product line utilizes recycled cartridges, and has a no-landfill policy for used cartridges that cannot be remanufactured. There is also a reporting feature tied to the company’s CarbonNeutronics Index which denotes the exact weight of cartridge kept from the landfill by using the programme.

Here is an article from triblocal.com, written by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) in Illinois, listing the top eco-resolutions for the 2011 New Year.

10 Eco-Resolutions

1. Rid Your Home of Toxins: Eco-Cleaning Guide
It is estimated that nearly 10 percent of all poison exposures reported to poison control centers involved cleaning products, with half of those exposed being children. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids, include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term negative health effects. The U.S. EPA has noted that the concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to one hundred times higher) than outdoors.

SWANCC’s Eco-Cleaning Guide is one way to make a difference by using safer alternatives to commercial cleaning products. The way you clean your home is a choice. The amount of cleaning products on store shelves can create a daunting task to find the best solution to meet your needs. Whether you choose to buy less toxic cleaning products or choose to make your own, there are many reasons to use environmentally-friendly products to clean and maintain your home.

2. Say Goodbye to Piles of Plastic: Bring Your Own Bag
Which is better, paper or plastic? The answer is neither!

Need a reminder to bring your reusable bags into the store? Visit conservingnow.com and get a free static window cling for your car which aims to help you remember to bring in your reusable bags when you shop. Not only do reusable bags save resources, they are sturdier for carrying groceries. Be sure to take a reusable bag into other stores too. Refer to the Eco-Friendly Marketplace at #8 for different styles of reusable bags.

3. It’s All in the Name: Forego Disposables
As a society, we are using an increasing number of one-time products such as plastic razors, cups, paper towels, wipes, plastic bags, paper napkins and utensils. These types of items usually cost more in the long-run and involve the consumption of more resources and energy than their reusable alternatives, not to mention that they do not biodegrade easily.

Buy quality, reusable, long-lasting products and rechargeable batteries.

4. From Scraps to Soil: Start Composting
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It is a way to turn organics to include food waste, like fruits and vegetables, and yard waste trimmings like leaves, grass and small tree branches into a dark, earthy-smelling soil conditioner. Additionally, it can save money by lowering disposal costs and replacing store-bought fertilizers. It also saves water by helping the soil hold moisture, reducing water runoff. Composting can make a significant contribution to achieving waste reduction goals, especially if organic waste comprises a large proportion of its solid waste stream. There are environmental benefits too – by composting indoors with worms or outside in a container, valuable nutrient-rich organic resources are recycled, extending the life of our landfills.
Visit swancc.org for more information on composting.

5. More for Your Money: Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk greatly reduces the amount of packaging compared to individually packaged products and can also be less expensive. Purchase items with little or no packaging, bring your own bags for bulk items and bring a measuring cup with you if you wish to only buy a certain amount.

6. Think Global, Buy Local: Farmer’s Markets and CSAs
Buying local means purchasing food or other goods that are produced in your area. Buying local supports local farmers and businesses and gives you peace of mind knowing where your goods come from.

Visit localharvest.com for a listing of one-day farmer’s markets and continued Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) options.

7. Lighten Your Energy Load: Switch to CFLs
Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Each CFL contains a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 5 milligrams (roughly equivalent to the tip of a ball-point pen). Because mercury poses potential health risks, the CFLs should not be disposed of in the garbage if there is a recycling option.

For a list of SWANCC communities that host a drop-off for CFLs and fluorescent lights, visit swancc.org. There are also other retail outlets for recycling of CFL bulbs.

8. Closing the Loop: Buy Recycled-content and Sustainable Products
As the world’s population grows and resources are used to meet every day needs, it is only prudent for consumers to examine their buying and throwing away habits, to minimize waste and support items that are made from recycled materials or sustainable/renewable resources.

SWANCC’s Eco-Friendly Marketplace provides references for a variety of goods that have less of an impact on our environment to produce, but is not an endorsement of any company, product or service.

9. Less Waste in the First Place: Stop Junk Mail
Does your mailbox suffer from direct marketing overload? The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Catalog Choice are two places to start combating this problem. The result will be a cleaner mail box and diverted energy and resources that created the junk mail.

10. Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!
Care to learn more about how you can accomplish meaningful preservation and conservation measures in your everyday life? SWANCC has many programs and resources available to residents including compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling, computer and electronic recycling, document destruction and recycling, mercury thermometer recycling, pharmaceutical/sharps disposal program, shoe reuse/recycling, as well as many resources for waste reduction and recycling initiatives.

Visit swancc.org for program information.

Officesupplygeek.com recently reviewed grenk and gave away samples to be reviewed by consumers.

Remanufactured Ink Cartridges by Grenk – Review and Giveaway

Officesupplygeek wrote, “Typically I don’t like to review an available office supply product if I can’t get it in my hands to test for myself, so when the nice folks from InkCycle offered to send over some of their grenk remanufactured ink cartridges I was quickly frustrated when I learned that my newer printer was not supported.  Not wanting to turn down the opportunity to review a cool new earth friendly office supply, I decided to share this opportunity with the awesome folks who have signed up for the special additional content that I share with them in my my newsletter and monthly giveaway.”

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Wisconsin’s Electronic Recycling law is set to take effect Wednesday, September 1, 2010. This means that electronics such as computer, entertainment devices and cell phones all have to be recycled.

The law was passed to stop toxic waste in landfills, as well as to recycle parts of the electronics for reuse.

Watch the video clip below from Fox6.com to learn more about the new law:

I am B ink and media blog gave artist Faith Pearson their empty ink cartridges, and this is what she was able to do with them:

To see more photos follow this link