Are there any legitimate eWaste recyclers out there?

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It turns out over 40 "recyclers" were recently nabbed by the US Government Accountability Office for illegally shipping cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) overseas, thus endangering the environment and the health of the people who dissasemble them. CRTs, such as televisions and computer monitors, contain lead which is a highly toxic metal.

The eWaste segment on 60 Minutes last week left many people (including myself) scratching our heads. How we can responsibly dispose of our electronic waste with scammers like this profitting on our good intentions?

The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition partnered to create an e-Stewards Initiative, which holds participating electronic recyclers to a set of high standards. These e-recyclers promise that they won't export, land dump, incinerate, or use prison labor to disassemble toxic components.

To participate in the e-Stewards Initiative, recyclers must go through a paper audit which includes a review of in-house operations and a verification of the chain of custody of toxic materials through final disposition. Although this is basically running on the honor system at this time, they recently announced that they are planning to launch a 3rd party accreditation and certification program in 2010.

So what's a green girl to do with that expired iPod? I plan to checkout the e-Stewards list of approved eWaste recyclers. But if you don't feel comfortable with that, hold onto your electronics until 2010.

The Story of Stuff

Do you ever stop to think about how all of our wonderful gadgets, gizmos, and gotta-have-em's are created? Or where they end up when we're done using them? The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. For instance, did you know that 99 PERCENT of everything that we purchase ends up in a landfill within SIX MONTHS?

So checkout The Story of Stuff now and learn a few fun-filled facts. You may think twice before upgrading to the latest iPod.

Patriotic and Eco-friendly!

We just received our latest order from Amazon.com and were pleasantly surprised to see a small plastic envelope enclosed. This simple (postage paid) envelope allows you to donate your old cell phone to enable soldiers to phone home.

The donated cell phones are "sold" to ReCellular in exchange for pre-paid calling cards. The calling cards are donated to the soldiers and ReCellular recycles the cell phones. What a great concept!

This not only reduces the number of cell phones that end up in the landfills but also supports the soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country. And to think this patriotic program was actually started by a 12 and 13-year-old brother/sister team in Massachusetts. You can learn more about this program at http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/.

Don't pitch that PC!

In today’s disposable age, most people are used to replacing their computers every few years. But the times they are a-changin’ and with the rising cost of gas, food, and just about everything else, it’s necessary for us to take a step back and reevaluate that new PC purchase.

It’s not just rising costs that we need to consider. It’s also the toll we take on our lovely planet when we discard those tired computers. According to the EPA, Americans tossed an estimated 1.5 MILLION TONS of computers, TVs, scanners, printers, fax machines, and cell phones into the trash in 2005. Now that’s a lot of eWaste.

Before you pitch (or donate) your computer for a shiny new one, check out these six easy tips to revitalize your PC and keep it running smoothly for a few more years.

1. Add more RAM to your computer to make it faster. Today's memory-hungry software makes upgrading your computer's RAM a necessity. View this quick tutorial to learn how easy it is to upgrade your RAM.

2. Remove unnecessary files from your computer. Be sure to empty your recycle bin on a regular basis. Delete cookies, cache files, Internet history, and temp files from your computer. These are all taking up valuable space on your hard drive and removing them will help you improve your PC performance.

3. If you are a Windows user, you should defrag your computer on a regular basis. The easiest way to defrag your computer is to use a registry cleaner, such as PC Tune-Up. You don’t have to be a computer wiz to use this program – it even has a “Magic Button” that will do all the work for you.

4. Dust and dirt block cooling fans and vents, which cause overheating. Remove dust from your keyboard, mouse, screen, and PC unit with a can of compressed air. Use a vacuum to remove dust from inside the case.

5. Keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware protection up to date. Viruses and spyware are malicious and in addition to slowing your computer to a mind-numbing crawl, they can also steal your confidential information.

6. Cigarette smoke residue corrodes the metal contacts and delicate circuits of your computer. As a result, your computer will run slower, freeze, and crash. If you don’t smoke, congrats! If you do smoke, keep your butts away from your PC.

If you’ve tried all of this and you are still ready to buy a new computer, please dispose of your old one responsibly. The EPA has a list of places where you can donate or recycle your computer and other electronics.