One place you don’t want your used electronics to wind up is in the media.
We get asked all the time why we charge money to recycle computers and monitors and TVs, cell phones, Blackberries and other used electronics. The reason we get asked this question is that there are a lot of “recyclers” out there who will take this stuff away for free, or even pay to take it off your hands. Why, we are asked, does IRN charge to recycle electronics when other companies will do it for free.
There’s...

The thing I like best is when there's a hurricane and a hurricane expert comes on TV and says "It's releasing as much power as fifty Hiroshima atom bombs going off every minute." Or else this: "It's producing 200 times, as much energy as all of the electric generating plants in the world."
Nothing points out better the absurdities in discussion of America's energy future. Because last time I looked, a hurricane is solar energy.

Solar energy on the scale of...

Boston.com recently published a couple of anti-recycling columns by Jeff Jacoby. I can’t bring myself to write down the link. If you want you can find them easily enough. They’re standard diatribe. Recycling is a pain in the neck. Recycling costs more than throwing stuff away.

Backed by standard sources for persons with Mr. Jacoby’s point of view: The Heartland Institute (Wikipedia: “The Heartland Institute questions the scientific consensus on climate change, arguing that global...

Weird Waste Collections and Electronics Amnesty: Simple & Successful
Electronics Amnesties are a different take on Weird Waste. Used electronics are a liability. They contain information you don’t want to escape. They contain hazardous substances. Many of them, particularly CRT and flat-screen monitors, TVs, laptops, and anything with a rechargeable battery, are regulated wastes. And like dust mites or cockroaches, they’re everywhere – you just can’t see them. Hiding in closets,...

97% Waste Reduction at Smith College Ford Hall through Deconstruction, Reuse, and Recycling

Smith College’s Ford Hall is a 140,000 square foot brick and steel structure designed house Smith’s engineering, chemistry, and computer science programs. Ford Hall uses sustainable design, construction, and operating elements not only for their environmental and economic benefits, but also as teaching tools. In this light Smith sought to maximize and document the financial costs and benefits...