4th Bin- Revolutionizing E-waste Disposal

E-waste or electronic waste, has become more than a problem, it is more like an epidemic at this point. With technology moving so fast, our recycling efforts can barely keep up. People are more concerned with what new television set they should purchase, not a recycle how to on old tv's. There are new E-waste companies stepping in every day with more convenient methods of disposal, but none to this point have been better than 4th Bin e-waste disposal.

So maybe some of you are wondering what exactly e-waste is, and how e-waste is bad for our environment. Great question!

Electronic waste (or e-waste) is electronic equipment that is obsolete, or no longer working and includes:

• Televisions and monitors
• Computers
• Printers, scanners, and fax machines
• Stereo equipment
• VCRs, DVD players
• Video cameras
• Telephones
• Cell / wireless phones
• Fax and copy machines
• Video game consoles

Why is e-waste bad for the environment?

• Electronic equipment contains hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and brominated flame retardants.
• Glass monitors and television screens contain about 4 lbs. of lead!
• Circuit boards contain heavy metals that leach out into the environment and affect our public health and natural resources, but when recycled, can help manufacture new electronics.
• 50 million computers and monitors and 130 million cell phones are thrown away each year in the United States. That’s a lot of equipment!

So now that we have a better understanding of e-waste, let me introduce to you 4th Bin. 4th bin is an extremely innovative and convenient way to dispose of your e-waste the environmentally friendly way.

Here is the 4th Bin summary on e-waste disposal from 4thbin.org.

The 4th bin is intended to stand in the common recycling area for apartment and office buildings. The facility manager regularly moves the recycling containers to the curbside and just does the same with the 4th bin when it is full. A transmitter and a sensor in the 4th bin alerts the recycling company when it is moved from the original spot. So the recycling company can customize the pickup routes and work more efficiently.

The whole ECYCLE-system consists of the 4th bin for recyclable electronics and a vehicle for manual collection of reusable electronics.

The expandable 4th bin:

• Takes up only the space that is necessary for it’s content.
• The low starting mode and gradually increasing height of the bin allows a low drop for fragile electronics.
• The expansion gives visual feedback to the facility manager.
• A maximum size bin means it needs to be emptied.
• The RFID locking system ensures that only residents with a valid RFID tag can open the bin.
• A designated person has a special access tag that also unlocks the wheels.
• The main material is Biopregs®, an environmentally friendly biocomposite that can be folded to create the two main parts of the bin.
• Electronics requires gentle emptying in the pickup-vehicle. This is solved with a reusable bag which is lifted out of the bin with a crane and placed carefully in a pallet container on the vehicle.
• The bag is made of a heavy duty fabric with a chemical proof coating.

I don't know if e-waste disposal could get any simpler than this 4th bin concept, and I cannot wait to see this thing rolled out nationwide.

Green How T0- For more information on 4th Bin please visit 4thbin.org

Chat with Your Friends in Eco-Friendly Fashion

Green How To:
All I can say is WOW! That is one beautiful phone. And it's not just good looking either, it serves a purpose. Introducing the eco-friendly Samsung Reclaim M560. It has recently been launched in America and is set to launch in Canada. Samsung has teamed up with Bell mobility to build this awesome phone, and it being presented by Bell as being “eco-friendly without sacrificing technology”.

This "Earth Green" phone is designed with environmentally-responsible components, a bio-plastic casing and fully recyclable packaging. It also comes with an Energy Star-approved charger. Samsung Reclaim cellphone is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and almost free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs): three materials commonly targeted electronic guidelines on green. The outer carton and the phone in the drawer box are made from 70 percent recycled material. The images and text on the box and warranty information of the phone are printed with inks based on soybean.

And all of this is available for under 50 bucks from Sprint. Technology never seizes to amaze me. I absolutely love green innovation.

View Samsung Reclaim at Sprint's Website Here

Revolutionizing Green Education

Green How To:
In my quest to help educate not only others, but myself in recycle how to and eco-friendly practices, I continue to come across some of the best tools available.

The internet seems to literally have infinite information on pretty much any given topic. Recently I came across a website that is still very small, but hopefully with some support from the general public and green community can grow because the mission is great!

The site is called Go Green Tube! Very similar to Google's YouTube but only hosts videos that involve some type of green activity or education as well as recycle how to information. Their mission: "We're here to create a green focused hub of such activity, educating the world on how to live a greener, healthier, fun life, in a way that's lighter on the planet."

Click here to visit Go Green Tube

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

Green How To:
This company is an absolutely incredible "recycle how to" website. They have definitely grown significantly in the past few years, but after suggesting that my girlfriend use them, and she replied with "Who?", I decided that I would love to present them.

Welcome Terracycle, a company with a hope is to eliminate the idea of waste by finding innovative, unique uses for materials others deem garbage. So here is the just of what these guys do. You send them old trash, things like cookie wrappers, drink pouches, chip bags, etc. after you have already eaten the goods. THEY PAY YOU for sending them your trash. Once they receive your trash they recycle in the most incredible ways. They will actually assemble handbags, backpacks, cleaning products, etc. out of the trash you send them. After they transform your old waste, they resell the novelties in stores such as Target, Wal Mart, etc.

These guys really have set a new standard for recycling and defined what being green truly is all about. I love what they do and what they stand for.

Visit their website for more info:
Recycle How To: Terracycle.net

California to Ban High Energy Televisions

Recycle How To: California has 35 million television sets — one for nearly every man, woman and child. Television use here in California accounts for nearly 10 percent of our electric bills. Alarmed that state energy consumption would spike as consumers switch from the old cathode-ray-tube sets to the new, energy-gobbling flat screen liquid-crystal display (LCD) or plasma televisions, the state's regulatory mavens have formally proposed regulations that would force the industry to make more energy-efficient models

California would be the first in the nation to start these tv efficiency policies, and it would go into effect in January 2011. It would require televisions sold in California to use 50% less energy by January 2013. Strict-target limits on greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 are propelling policymakers to cut consumption of energy and increase renewable generation.

Nissan Joins the "Green Party" with Electric Vehicle

Nissan is joining the "green party" with other auto manufacturers as it sets to release the Nissan Leaf. This will be Nissan's first attempt at an electric car which seems to be the way a lot of the auto manufacturers are going.

Designed as a four-to-five seat, front-drive C-segment hatchback, Nissan says the Leaf is not just for use as a specialty urban runabout, but rather, it was designed as an everyday vehicle – a "real car".

The company is now saying that its new electric car, the Leaf, will get an astonishing 367 miles per gallon... even though it's a 100 percent electric , and runs on absolutely no fuel. Eclipsing the new Chevy Volt, another electric vehicle, which is claiming 230 miles to the gallon, Nissan is set to launch this vehicle in 2011. A well equipped C-class vehilce runs in the $28,000 to $35,000 range, without the $7500 tax credit the car will be expected to enjoy. If they are factoring that in, consider $35,500 to $42,500.

Ban on plastic bags in Laguna Beach

Recycle How To: "Laguna Beach city council voted unanimously yesterday to move ahead with its process to ban plastic bags. The council will hear an ordinance to ban plastic bags as soon as an environmental review is completed."
Committee summary of proposed ordinance:

 Prohibit the distribution of single-use, plastic carryout bags from all retail establishments, except as used for take-out food to be eaten off the premises.

 Prohibit the distribution of single-use, plastic carryout bags from city facilities, concessions and events.

 Establish progressive enforcement procedures:

1. First violation, written warning;

2. Second violation, $100 administrative citation;

3. Third violation, $200 administrative citation;

4. Ongoing violations, $550 each.

 Provide hardship exceptions.

  Require that grocery stores and pharmacies provide customers with only reusable or paper bags, which would have to be 100% recycled material with a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content.

 Require that grocery stores and pharmacies providing paper carryout bags must charge a “green fee” and indicate on the transaction receipt the number of paper bags provided and the amount of green fee charged to the customer.

Introduction and Background- Green How To

Hello my name is Ian.

Green How To: I work for a company called Green Junk Machine. We are an eco-friendly junk removal service focused on giving back to the community.

http://www.greenjunkmachine.com/

Working with this company the past year has opened my mind up so much to the green movement and I want to do everything I can to help contribute.

So I decided to start this blog. I will update this blog on a regular basis with tips, information, recycle how to, local recycling centers, etc. Anything that will help for a greener tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! I absolutely love to hear feedback so feel free anytime to leave comments. If you have any of your own recycle how to information, I would love to read it!