Panasonic’s “Eco Technology Center” sits in a little town outside of Osaka, Japan and is unique in that it’s one of the only recycling centers that has an on-site research and development lab and allows public tours. Check out the above video to see more. In Japan, the Home Appliance Recycling Law (HARL) was passed in 1998 and then fully enforced by 2001. The law calls for end-of-life home appliances to be recycled through the cooperation of consumers, retailers, and manufacturers with the target goal of over 50% of the materials in various home appliances to be used to make new appliances. There are four main categories: CRT televisions and monitors, electric refrigerators and freezers, electric washing machines, and household air conditioners. We got a chance to sit down with the president of the Eco Technology Center, Kazuyuki Tomita, and peppered him with questions about what they do with the stuff that can’t be recycled, a refrigerator-eating machine named “Jaws”, and all of the weird and wonderful things that they find in old, forgotten appliances. → Read More
I doubt you guys have quite the amount of gadget clutter as those of use who accrue them for a living, but if you’ve even got half our volume of old cameras, phones, and devices in general laying around you may find Gazelle’s service helpful. Not everyone has a used computer recycler like RePC in the Northwest. And while GameStop might buy your DS and there’s always Craigslist, it might be nice to have a central location with competitive (and market-generated) pricing for your old gear. It’ll recycle stuff for you as well if it has no market value. They wouldn’t buy my Trace, and they offered me $74 for my Ocean, which is probably market value although I bet I could get $100 if I tried real hard elsewhere. Selling an old MacBook looked pretty easy, though selling a Thinkpad was kind of a mess of model numbers which would be trouble for a clueless user who found it in their basement. Give it a shot and see if it’s something you’d use. → Read More
I’d be willing to bet that there are very few people out there who don’t have an old Motorola StarTac in a kitchen drawer or a pale, yellowish 14-inch CRT monitor in the basement or a sticky, dusty keyboard under the bed. I’m just like you — probably worse. I have gadgets from the Reagan administration that are serving no good purpose other than to take up space in my already sorta-small apartment. Time for some spring cleaning, no? The focus of this post will be to spotlight various ways to get rid of three types of gadgets; broken ones, working but worthless ones, and working but valuable ones. I’ll focus on programs that are available nationwide (or mostly nationwide) and aren’t brand- or product-specific. → Read More
It’s time to whip that old Nokia out of the closet and send it off to the recylcin’ barn because the EPA and some industry partners are ready to give you a little help. The EPA is working with AT&T, Best Buy, Dell, eBay’s Rethink initiative, HP, Intel, JVC, Lexmark, LG Electronics, Motorola, NEC Display, Nokia, Office Depot, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, Toshiba, and Wal-Mart to offer a “Recycle Your Cell Phone” campaign which includes in-store recycling dumps and consumer education. Project Page → Read More
If you’re thinking about upgrading your POS TV with a Sony Bravia and don’t feel like putting it on CL because you’ll probably end up trading it for a pack of gum then call 1-877-439-2795 to find the closest Waste Management eCycling center. Why? Well, Sony want’s to change their polluting ass image by recycling any TV you bring in and in turn will give you a $100 credit towards the purchase of a new Bravia. Not a bad idea, but hopefully you can find an eCycling center near you. Recycling Program → Read More
I’m a guy. I don’t like greeting cards. But if you have lady parts and/or you really like greeting cards, here’s a way to send someone a special message while helping the environment. ReProduct cards come with a 2-way envelope. You open the card, enjoy it, and then send it back to ReProduct. Then, and I quote, “Shaw Industries then uses 100% of the cards and envelopes to create carpet backing in new carpet tiles.” That’s right. Somewhere, someone could be stepping on your “Sorry I cheated on you with your sister” card. A set of 24 costs $35. The return postage to Shaw Industries is pre-paid, so you won’t have to worry about slapping a stamp on it. Product Page → Read More
You know that warm, altruistic feeling you get when you attempt to “go green” by recycling your old electronics? Turns out you’re killing people in Hong Kong and other Asian cities. That old monitor you’re recycling has poison inside of it. That doesn’t sound so bad, unless you’re the very impoverished and very unlucky guy who’s job it is to mine the valuable metals out of the thing. He inhales the toxins, and then gets sick, and then he dies. The problem is that many cities, universities, and other large organizations pay to recycle, and it always goes to the lowest bidder. That sucks, because the lower bids are more likely to be the dangerous recyclers. So you should implore anyone who will listen to check the background of the recycling company they’re dealing with. That old PC could turn into cancer in someone a world away, and that would be your fault, jerk. America ships electronic waste overseas [Yahoo! News] → Read More
If you have a fair amount of Sony product wasting away and collecting dust then get ready to clean out the closet because starting September 15 you’ll now be able to drop off your Sony goods at 75 drop-off locations. If you don’t live close enough to a recycling center then fret not because the Sony Take Back Recycling Program will eventually expand to 150 locations and the goal is to have a recycling center within 20 miles of 95 percent of the US population. Maybe it’s because Sony puts the most toxic substances into their CE goods according to the most recent Greenpeace report on the subject or maybe it’s because Sony was part of an alliance that opposed producer responsibility of recycling in the US. Maybe, just maybe. Sony to offer US-wide free recycling [Info World] → Read More
Guess what kids. TheGadgetLocker.com is now offering an iPod Recycling Program where you can dispose of your broken or aging iPod. TheGadgetLocker provides all the shipping labels, so you don’t pay a cent. Plus, you’ll receive $20 in reward points for sending in your iPod. The goal of the program is for consumers to become aware of TheGadgetLocker.com’s merchandise, while they’re saving the environment. Also, I’d like to announce my iPod recycling program. You can send broken, used, old, and new iPods right to my doorstep and in return I smile and give you a thumbs up. Then I turn around and sell the iPods on Craigslist for a buck or two and buy a bottle of tequila to nurse my sorrows with. Wait, what? TheGadgetLocker.com announces iPod Recycling Program [iLounge] → Read More
Don’t get excited, fanboy. We’re just telling you about a new initiative from Virgin Mobile, a fairly popular MVNO amongst you youth types. It has started packaging envelopes with their new handsets with the intention of its customers using it to recycle their old handset. It’s kind of a cool idea, if people actually use it. Far from going to the dump, the phones will be repurposed and sold in developing countries to people far less fortunate than you. So now you can buy the latest not-a-RAZR and have the satisfaction of doing something for humanity. Good for you, duder. Good for you. Virgin Mobile USA and ReCellular Make Recycling of Phones Easier to Help the Planet and Youth in Need [Yahoo! Business] → Read More
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