Recycle Your Old Electronic and more

Each year, Americans throw out 3 million tons of electronic waste, more than any other country. Most of this waste ends up in landfills and incinerators. These traditional methods of waste disposal have one big flaw: they release their contents into the environment. Landfills produce leachate, a mixture of rainwater and dissolved waste. Incinerators burn their waste, releasing harmful gasses and particulates.

These methods of waste disposal are especially dangerous when electronic waste is among the trash. Circuit boards, batteries, bulbs and motors contain harmful toxins and carcinogens. For example, the control board in your major appliance might contain Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, or Beryllium Oxide. When these boards are thrown out, these harmful substances make their way into the environment as leachate and smog. There has to be another way!

The excellent phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” holds true here. Most of the components found in electronic waste are recyclable! Because of the high demand for electronics in general, recycled materials are used by many manufacturers. In addition, some companies, like CoreCentric Solutions, recycle the whole control board.

Recycling old electronics helps the environment and the economy. Instead of tossing your old appliance parts in the trash, Think Green and recycle. It’s easy! Just take your old part to one of our many recycling centers. You can find a list of appliance part recycling locations here.

Saturday October 27, 2012 CoreCentric Solutions is sponsoring a Recycling Extravaganza at their main facilities at 175 Wall St, Glendale Heights, IL. Here from 9 am thru 1 pm you can drop off your electronics, light bulbs, powertools and more to recycle. There will even be a free secure paper shredding service available. For more info visit http://www.corecentricsolutions.com/published/recyclingevent.

When it’s time to buy another part, Think Green and buy remanufactured parts. These components are made to meet or exceed OEM standards and even come with a warranty. You can find hundreds of these parts and more information here.

Donate Your Old Working Appliances

Please look into recycling your old appliances so they don’t end up in landfills where they can cause serious problems for the environment. If you’re replacing a working refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, air conditioner, washer, or dryer, parting with the old one could mean giving it away. There are many organizations that would love to take your old appliance off your hands if it still works. Here are some options to consider.

Habitat for Humanity has resale stores in every State. Each “ReStore” outlet provides an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of the waste stream. Each outlet accepts donated goods that they sell to the general public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds help local Habitat affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities.

Goodwill has been an entrepreneurial leader, environmental pioneer and social innovator of the “reduce, reuse, repurpose” practice for nearly 110 years. Goodwill diverts more than two billion pounds of clothing and household goods every year from landfills by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods. In the process, they create job-training opportunities as well as entry-level and skilled green-collar jobs for people in need of work.

Salvation Army uses donated goods to fund their Adult Rehabilitation Centers. These centers provide spiritual, social and emotional assistance for men and women who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves. Many of those who have been rehabilited are reunited with their families and resume a normal life.

So the next time you find yourself purchasing new appliances, remember that your donated goods have the power to make a difference in people’s lives, strengthen communities and create a healthier environment.