Recycling Computers Saves The Environment and Waste

Nearly everyone has owned at least one computer. The only thing they all have in common is they all become effectively obsolete in just a few years time from their date of manufacture. If you no longer have a use for your old computer, someone else will be able to put it to good use.

Some of the most effective schemes for recycling computers are those that actually teach people how to use a less powerful machine, cobble computers of their own for sale. These organizations, often established as non-profit-organizations, are often able to recycle nearly all of a components into useful parts that can be made into new computers, allowing the materials to maintain much of their value.

Though very complex, people are able to eventually recycle many of the parts out of most computers that can no longer be used to build another, possibly slower computer. The computer gold is recycled. The gold that is found on circuit board contacts are a very common metal to be removed, though the circuit boards are very often destroyed in the process. Eventually, the circuit boards are ground down and disposed of as hazardous waste due to the lead and antimony found on those boards.

For more information on computer recycling, visit our Computer Recycling Guide.

Federal Regulation of Landfills

One of the reasons that the construction of new landfill facilities has slowed down considerably is due to legislation at the state, provincial and federal level.

These laws have not only mandate more restrictive rules on the owners of landfills, but are often conflicting with state and provincial laws and regulations.

Many of the regulations passed in the 1990s caused an unprecedented number of landfills to simply shut down, rather than be held liable for updates and fines relating to past problems or updates required to continue on. As a result, the total number landfills decreased and, according to the “law” of supply and demand, the price to deposit in those existing landfills increased significantly.

In particular, many landfills that shut down before 1993, in an effort to avoid fines for water and soil pollution did so in such a rush that their efforts to contain the “final product” were grossly inadequate, leading to even higher costs that owners hoped to recoup from their remaining facilities.

Recycling Containers – The United States First Bottle Bill

Oregon’s landmark 1971 legislation that established the “bottle bill” was the very first law regarding container waste in the United States.

It was the result of hikers and backpackers who were sick of encountering container waste in the forests of Oregon. While British Columbia enacted the very first such bill a year earlier and Vermont passed an abortive attempt to outlaw disposable containers in the early 1950s, Oregon’s bottle bill was to become the model by which several other states and provinces would model their own laws in the next decade.

It has proven to be enormously successful. While states without such bills average about 25% rates of recycling of such containers, Oregon’s rate has held steady at about 90% for over three decades.

Oregon’s law focuses on the specific industries of soda pop and beer, regardless of the type of container used. In 2007, the state was also among the first to add plastic water bottles to the list of beverages covered under the bill.

Recycling and Putting An End To Junk Mail

In an average week how much junk mail comes to your home? For the average American family, with two adults and two children, they could probably weigh their junk mail at the end of any given week to equal the weight of a small animal. An average American home can get items from; clearing houses, credit card offers, insurance offers, lottery winnings, mortgage advertisements and promises of lowering monthly mortgage bill, college flyers from schools all over the United States, entries into contests that had never been entered in the first place, solicitations from charities and the ever present retail catalogs.

Along with the simple fact that all of these items are unnecessary and annoying, the amount of waste they create is drowning the average American family in misused, unread paper. How can this issue be dealt with and the waste be reduced, or never pro-duced, for Americans all over the country?

The answer to that question is, yes, there is something we can do to stop the madness of junk mail that litters our mail delivery every single day! There is a group that has done all of the work for us, and they have all of the information needed to put an end to the junk mail that we are assaulted with in just a few easy steps and with the patience of a few weeks.

First you order the Junk Mail Reduction Kit for $15.00. Once you have purchased your kit, you simply sign on to the website and have the kit activated by clicking on the appropriate link. It is as simple as entering your name and address and the names of any other people living at your house, even variations of a name that appears on junk mail can be added. The next step is to register your name and the names of the others at your address with the Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service, which will remove the names from hundreds of mailing lists. This service is a one time fee of $1.00 per name and along with monthly monitoring to ensure your name remains off of unsolicited mailing lists. The option of having mail addressed to “resident,” “occupant,” or even “neighbor,” can be done, too.

Because the fact that conventional or “snail” mail isn’t instantaneous, it will take a few weeks for things to get rolling but in a few short weeks you will receive customized pre-printed postcards to sign, stamp and mail in and your name will be removed from as many lists that have your name in their data base.

Eventually all of the companies that have your name will be notified and the endless barrage of junk mail will cease. If a piece of junk mail finds its way into your mailbox, simply sign in to your online account and have your name removed as quickly as possible. Just imagine the impact of one house on one street in one town will make and why shouldn’t it be YOUR house?

How To Start And Maintain A Compost Pile

Today recycling is really not an option, but a necessity and having your own home compost pile is a great activity and resources in keeping with the mandatory recycle laws. The bonuses of composting heavily outweigh any negative connotations compost piles have had to defend themselves against; mainly, the smell.

Composting food waste, when compiled properly and maintained can create rich soil that can be reused on lawns and gardens, it seems the thought of not having one is the poorer choice. We have to eat and there is inevitably an excess and waste, that it seems like a good solution to put our scraps and law clippings to good use.

To begin your project you will need a compost bin. Compost bins can be built or purchased. Before putting out any money for this project, check with your town hall to see if they sponsor a program that will provide residents with the bins. If your town doesn’t provide bins specifically for composting, you should check with local hardware or home improvement stores. These bins can also be found online or via gardening center websites or catalogs.

If none of these options pan out, a compost bin can be built with just a few materials and tools. All that is needed to build your own compost bin would be; some wood, concrete blocks, pallets, wire and maybe even a garbage can with holes poked in the bottom. The only thing to keep in mind when constructing a compost bin is to remember to incorporate a way for excess moisture to escape and a great way to do that is to be sure there are holes at the bottom of the bin but that they are not so big that little critters can climb into the bin and wreak havoc! It’s best to keep the drainage holes no more than half an inch in diameter.

Placement of the bin should be somewhere shady, where it can drain properly and where it will be fairly easy to access without being too close to become a “smelly” problem inside your home (or the home of your neighbor)!

The first level of compost should allow for air passages as well as drainage. A layer of smooth rock placed loosely on the bottom of the bin will work to do the trick.

When you start to add to your compost you should think in layers; start with the bottom layer of coarse materials to further enable the air and drainage passage, and then layer between “brown” waste and “green” waste. “Brown” waste may consist of, autumn leaves, wood chips, saw dust, pine needles, paper towels, newspaper and coffee filters and “green” waste consists of, food wastes, fruits and vegetables, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds, grass clippings and weeds. Another tip is to add a layer of soil on top of each layer of waste because that will help speed up the process.

One last composting tip is to always fluff your layers as you go by using a hoe or a compost turning tool. You’ll also want to be sure to “toss” the entire pile once in the spring and again in the fall, where you turn the entire pile upside down with the bottom ending up on the top of the pile.

Enjoy your compost pile and know that with every item added it is one less item for the waste that will be left for future generations to contend with. Its not that hard when you know how to get started composting.