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Monday, May 2, 2011
The Environmental Protection Agency Starts International Project to Track U.S. Electronic Waste
Posted By Brad Roderick:
Here is a recent announcement from Reuters Africa, written by Alister Doyle, about a new International project by the Environmental Protection Agency to help track electronic waste from the United States.
Project to track US cellphones, TVs for recycling
OSLO, May 1 (Reuters) – A new international project will try to track discarded U.S. cellphones, TVs and other electronic waste to help recycle everything from gold to rare earths and protect human health, U.S. and U.N. officials said on Sunday.
Many electronic items end up at the bottom of drawers at home when they break or get outdated. Many are shipped abroad for recycling. Others get dumped in normal trash bins and vanish into landfills or are incinerated, releasing toxins.
Only about 10 to 15 percent get recycled properly, said Ruediger Kuehr, executive secretary of StEP (Solving the E-Waste Problem), a project led by the U.N. University that works with firms such as Dell and Nokia.
“Tracking flows around the world … is fundamental to work out solutions,” he told Reuters of $2.5 million in new funds over five years announced on Sunday from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help track U.S. electronic waste.
The project will work with port officials in West Africa and Asia to try to estimate flows of everything from flat screen televisions to computers sent to developing nations for repair or recycling. Health laws in such nations are often lax.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Huffington Post Announces: Earth Day Activities: How To Get Involved
Posted By Brad Roderick:
In honor of Earth Day, the Huffington Post provided a list of Earth Day activities. Here are some of the activities that they highlighted.
Earth Day Activities: How To Get Involved
Exactly 41 years ago today, the inaugural Earth Day was celebrated with 20 million participants in the United States. Today, April 22, 2011, Earth Day is bigger than ever, with estimates of more than one billion peopleexpected to participate worldwide.
There are a number of opportunities for you to get involved. Earth Day activities range from a picnic to attending an event or sending a text message donation. (And there are plenty more ideas below.)
By choosing to live a green lifestyle, you will not only be improving the environment, but also your health and the well-being of generations to come.
What are you doing this Earth Day? Add your activity to the slideshow below, or tweet it to us using the hashtag #EarthDayFun.
Here is one of the recommendations:
ACT: Text “TREE” to 85944
The Green World Campaign, in partnership with Earth Day New York, will launch an initiative to “ReGreen the World” focused on supporting the United Nations Year of Forests 2011.
By texting “TREE” to 85944, supporters will help global tree-planting initiatives in environmentally damaged areas of the world. The text message will be a one-time donation of $5 to fund the planting of five trees.
Donations will be used to plant trees in countries such as Kenya, a nation where forests cover only 2% of the land. According to the campaign, planting new trees can increase biodiversity, reduce atmospheric CO2, and offer economic self-sufficiency for struggling communities.
For more information, visit the Green World Campaign’s website.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
InkCycle Celebrates Earth Day with Grenk Giveaway
Posted By: Brad Roderick
InkCycle, the producers of grenk, the green line of remanufactured ink and toner cartridges is celebrating Earth Day with a giveaway.
The first 10 people to complete the steps below will receive a complimentary grenk inkjet cartridge for their inkjet printer, organic t-shirt and a pen and notebook set. Not all printers are compatible.
1. “Like Us” on Facebook
2. Like our Facebook comment, “grenk is good”
3. Email your name, address and make and model of printer to grenk@mediagiveaway.com
Grenk is a line of remanufactured ink and toner cartridges designed to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible. Powered by InkCycle, grenk delivers brand name quality at a fraction of the cost.
Check us out on Twitter: @GrenkInk
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Goodwill Launches Free Computer Recycling
Posted By: Brad Roderick
Goodwill has recently decided to launch free computer recycling. Many businesses remain unsure of what to do with their leftover electronic junk. Furthermore, Goodwill has devised a plan to take action and recycle their out-dated electronics for a better cause without any fees. Here’s a recent report on nebraska.tv, by Steve White, that further explains their recycling plan:
The report stated that Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska has teamed with computer-giant Dell, sensing people don’t have a place for this stuff. Kathy Langley, Vice President of Retail said, “In some cases there isn’t any option and in others people have to pay to get rid of computers and this is absolutely free.”
For Goodwill it also creates about five jobs and it’s a status boost compared to tasks like sorting shoes.”People we serve find a real status working with computers and it’s just a great job for them, a lot of job skills,” Langley explained. Goodwill pays for shipping, and only hopes to break even from the fee they receive per pound.
Langley said, “As long as we’re creating jobs and keeping computers out of landfills and out of bad places it’s a good thing for us and good for the environment.” Goodwill has a long history of recycling through its thrift stores. Carrie Custard said this is a natural extension of that, and it’s in line with the mission of creating jobs for those with disabilities.
It’s part of Dell’s Reconnect program, with 2,200 collection sites across the United States and Canada. A press release indicated they expect to divert about 5 million pounds of e-waste from landfills every year. They will accept computers, monitors, speakers, scanners, keyboard, mice, and power cords. However, they do not take television sets. For a complete list of items that can be donated, visit www.dell.com/recycle.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thank You to The Recycler for Featuring InkCycle
Posted by: Brad Roderick
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.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Illegally Dumping Electronic Waste Overseas Causes Concerns
Posted By: Brad Roderick
Here is an interesting article I would like to share from the Vancouver Sun, written by Douglas Quan, about electronic waste being illegally shipped and dumped overseas.
E-waste exportation a growing trend
Experts concerned about hazardous overseas dumping
Two Canadian companies were recently fined tens of thousands of dollars after pleading guilty in court to attempting to transport containers of old electronics and used batteries to Asia without proper permits.
Environment Canada officials say they believe such cases are rare, but some recycling industry experts say there are likely many cases of illegal e-waste dumping overseas that go undetected.
Some Canadian recyclers just don’t want to deal with the cost of dismantling and recycling electronic parts the right way, so they’ll ship unwanted goods -either whole or in parts -to developing countries in Asia and Africa, sometimes through the use of shady international brokers, said Cindy Coutts, president of Sims Recycling Solutions Canada.
“It’s almost the cheapest way to get rid of this stuff,” she said.
Last month, N.W. Cole Associate Appraisers Ltd., of Halifax, was fined $10,000 after an inspection of a Hong Kong-bound container at the Port of Halifax turned up an assortment of old computer and electronic parts, Environment Canada officials said.
Meanwhile, Jieyang Sigma Metal Plastic Inc., of Toronto, was fined $30,000 after an inspection of two containers at the Port of Vancouver turned up about 1,200 used lead acid batteries and seven cathode ray tube monitors, officials said. One container was bound for Hong Kong. The other had been sent to China but was refused entry and returned to Canada.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
InkCycle featured in The Recycler: InkCycle named WasteWise Partner by EPA
Posted By: Brad Roderick
InkCycle was recently featured on therecycler.com about receiving WasteWise partner status with the Environmental Protection Agency (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.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Simple Ways to Green Up Family Holiday Traditions
Posted by: Brad Roderick
Many families are greening up their holiday traditions this year. According to a blog post, written by Nicole Bennett from http://simpleorganic.net/, consuming less or getting creative with recycled wrapping materials are great traditions that can help green up the holiday.
The article suggests that to make the holidays greener people should consume less by buying less presents, producing less wrapping waste and spending less money.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Reduce Waste this Holiday Season
Posted by: Brad Roderick
This time of year, it is likely that people will have excess waste. People will get rid of old electronics, wrap presents with wrapping paper and buy plastic toys. Below is an article, written by Benjamin Rothfeder from http://ridgewood.patch.com, about how to reduce waste during the holidays.
The article states, “Between Thanksgiving day and New Years Day, Americans generate 25 percent more waste than usual. That is an extra 1.2 million tons per week (6 million tons total). That’s why I’m going to offer to you a list of ideas to cut back on waste. If only one person reduces their waste output, then I’m satisfied that I’ve made a difference.” (But please tell friends and family, too.)
“Wrapping paper is a key source of waste during the holidays. It is laminated and biodegrades very slowly. It is difficult to recycle because it often contains non-paper additives and dyes. Consider other forms of gift wrapping. For instance, aluminum tins are great for cookies. Most small to average sized gifts can be kept in baskets and gift bags with gift paper stuffed around the sides. Another creative surprise is to hang pieces of jewelry on the Christmas tree or menorah. If you’re hell-bent on using wrapping paper, recycled wrapping paper is available.”
“We use a lot of styrofoam in packaging when shipping presents. Styrofoam, the brand name for polystyrene, is a petroleum based polymer, much like plastic. Its decomposition leaches hydrocarbons into the air and water and these can be hazardous to our health and environment.”
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Earth911.com & Call2Recycle Team Up To Sponsor Battery Recycling Week
Posted By: Brad Roderick
According to earth911.com, Call2Recycle, which is a program for rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling in the U.S. and Canada, is asking consumers to search their homes and junk drawers for used rechargeable batteries and cell phones. They are also asking consumers to then bring them to any of Call2Recycle’s drop-off locations.
“We have collected more than 55 million pounds of rechargeable batteries since our program launched in 1996, but too many used batteries are still going to landfills.”- Carl Smith, president and CEO of Call2Recycle.
The organization will be collecting all across the U.S. and Canada this week hoping to complete their goal of 1 million pounds of recycled batteries. Please watch the video below to learn more about MyCall2Recycle and Battery Recycling Week.
Read More.