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- Just when you thought you had the whole recycling "thing" under control, it turns out you have to add computers and all your other electronic gear to the mix. Why? Because "e-waste" is the fastest growing portion of our waste stream.
- E-waste is nasty. About 40% of the heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) in landfills comes from tossed electronic equipment.
- Less than 10% of discarded computers are being recycled. The rest are being thrown into the trash. Massachusetts has banned computer equipment from its landfills, and other states may follow.
- Computer recycling programs make it easier for you to donate or recycle your computer; you can recycle printer toner cartridges and other office supplies, often at office supply stores.
- Energy-efficient computers are also available. Over its lifetime, ENERGY STAR qualified electronic equipment in a single home office (e.g., computer, monitor, printer, and fax) can save enough electricity to light your entire home for more than 4 years.
- Women buy 14% more electronics than men. We can use our consumer clout to increase consumer recycling rates, encourage manufacturers to make computers more recyclable, and favor manufacturers who do the best job of minimizing the pollution associated with producing computers.
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Before you donate your computer, clean it up. Read these " Ten Tips for Donating a Computer" from TechSoup.org.
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The CNET Trade-in Center offers cash for your gadgets and gear, giving you a little extra money to upgrade to that cool new product you have your eye on. Not only are you helping yourself, CNET donates 10 percent of each trade-in's value to the school of your choice.
Most computer manufacturers now offer some kind of recycling program for their own equipment. Before you buy a new computer, get clear on how you'll be able to recycle it (e.g., Dell lets you recycle their computers for free; IBM's Asset Recovery Solutions program buys back certain equipment it thinks still has resale value; Hewlett-Packard may charge a small fee). Pay-for-disposal recycling isn't limited to major equipment manufacturers. Local recyclers, whom you can find in your yellow pages, will pick up unwanted equipment for a fee, then hopefully dispose of it according to state and federal regulations.
Make your computer last as long as possible:
- Explore lease and take-back options (you buy computing "service" rather than a computer product"). Dell and Gateway offer leasing programs. Dell, Hewlett-Packard and some others take back some used equipment.
- Choose operating systems and software you can upgrade so you don't have to buy an entire new machine in two or three years.
- Ask for hardware you can upgrade. Again, can you extend the life of the machine?
- Make sure the memory is easy to expand. Demand "spare tire" software and licensing, pre-loaded to allow for simple reuse of hardware. Can you replace the hard drive with a larger one if necessary?
- Resist the new bells & whistles. Just because there's something new on the market doesn't mean you have to buy it. Always evaluate new options in terms of your own true needs, not what the marketers want you to need.
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EcoMall can help you find "green" computer ribbons, printer cartridges, and recycled paper.
Recycled Office Products has a complete line of products made from recycled and remanufactured materials, including desk pad calendars, sticky notes, air bubble mailers, pencils and paper clips.
Hampton Toner & Ink recycles ink cartridges - you mail them an empty printer cartridge; they'll return it to you filled. You can also recycle used ink cartridges at Office Depot and Staples.
Energy Star equipment listings will give you efficient equipment options and help you find the store nearest you if you'd like to make a purchase.
We have a full office set up at home, complete with desktop computer, printer, fax machine, and phone. We have two additional PCs. Each family member has a cell phone. There are also assorted MP3 players or iPods, cameras, and DVD players. Virtually any equipment we buy at this point that's available with an Energy Star rating is what we choose. In the past, we've donated our old PCs to non-profit organizations or the local school; we also have a list-serv in our neighborhood that enables an active exchange of goods in the community. We've also sold or given away outdated electronic gear at yard sales. I find it extremely frustrating that our computer equipment goes out of fashion so quickly. Our monitor is perfectly functional, for example. It just doesn't happen to be a flat screen. The kids are lobbying heavily to replace it simply because "it's not cool." Sometimes I wish there'd be a design and innovation moratorium for a while. I don't need any more bells and whistles on my computer for a few years!
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Find out where to recycle rechargeable batteries at the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation's "Call2Recycle" website.
Northwest Product Stewardship Council's " A Guide to Environmentally Preferable Computer Purchasing" provides a clear overview of the environmental concerns raised by computer manufacturing and purchasing. It also suggests questions you can ask before you buy a computer for your home or office.
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has developed a comprehensive website on the environmental impacts of the electronics industry. Their report card surveys manufacturers of business and consumer electronics to measure the progress of these companies in protecting public health, worker safety and the environment. Hewlett-Packard and Dell top the list and should continue to receive strong consumer support for their "commitment to producer responsibility." Panasonic, JVC, Gateway and Acer bottom out in this analysis. All manufacturers were evaluated according to materials they used in the manufacturing process; how they disposed of the toxic waste generated during manufacturing; and their willingness to take back their products for recycling.
Don't forget to turn your computer off!
According to PC World, your computer system draws almost as much power when it's in standby mode with a screen saver active as it does when you're using it. By turning off your PC and peripherals when they're idle, and by employing power management while they're on, you can cut energy consumption dramatically. If you use your computer 6 hours a day, you could save 75 percent or more. (And even if you keep your PC on as a server, you'll save energy by turning off the monitor when you don't need it.) A few energy-saving tips:
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Don't keep your computers and peripherals on unless they are being used. Wait to turn your computer on until you need to use it, and turn it off when you finish. If you need to keep your computer on all day because you use it as a server, turn your monitor off, even if you'll be gone for a few minutes.
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Use the energy-saving features on your computer. On Macintosh computers, find these on the Energy Saver control Panel, on Windows, there's a Power Management control panel in older windows programs. For Windows NT, you may be able to choose an energy saving screen saver to put the monitor into sleep mode.
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Forget energy-wasting screen-savers. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends using "standby-mode" when your computer will be idle for more than 20 minutes.
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Smaller computers or laptops use less energy than full-sized desktops. Flat-panel screens are more energy-efficient than conventional (CRT) monitors.
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Try getting a printer with duplex capability to allow printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. Note that inkjet printers consume much less electricity than laser printers.
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Plug all office equipment into a power strip that can be turned off at the end of the day. 75% of electricity used to power home electronics is consumed when these appliances are "turned off," as they're still drawing electricity from their plugs in the wall.
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Programmable powerstrips turn everything completely off. Here's a sample, from Smart Strip.
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