Battery Recycling

Nearly three billion batteries are sold annually in the United States, approximately ten batteries per person. It is estimated that the average person throws out eight dry cell batteries each year. Most of them end up in landfills where they can cause fires and injury, release toxic gases or in some way contribute to the contamination of the soil, water and air. Battery recycling is becoming more important as an increasing number of products require the use of batteries to operate, and more dead batteries are being disposed of using unsafe and potentially dangerous methods.

Ninety percent of lead acid car batteries are recycled. Typically, any dealer that sells car batteries will also accept used ones for recycling. Recycling car batteries is mandatory in most states. As a result, new batteries contain sixty to eighty percent recycled lead and plastic.

There are some companies that recycle alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, however it is not necessary. These batteries can be safely disposed of in normal municipal waste. The exception is in California, where non-households are required to dispose of these batteries in accordance with California Universal Waste Rules.

Neither rechargeable batteries (commonly used in cordless power tools, cell phones, laptop computers and digital cameras) nor button cell batteries (the types used in watches and hearing aids) should ever be disposed of in the trash. Hazardous waste collections sites will accept used batteries for recycling. Many municipalities have scheduled collection dates in which residents can deliver hazardous waste for safe disposal.

Five Unusual Eco Friendly Products

The RITI Coffee Printer for a PC that uses used coffee grounds – or tea leaves if coffee is not consumed in the household – as the ink supply. In addition, the printer is manually operated, each line created as a lever on the top is slid back and forth.

The Bware Water Meter. This is a device that attaches to a waterline or faucet and measures the amount of water used by the device attached to it. One of the more difficult aspects of leading a greener lifestyle is to have awareness of the resources being conserved. Without a method of measurement, any perception of the amount of use or conservation is purely subjective, especially with commercial utilities.

The HydroWind power generator that generates 12VDC for campers is a grand gadget. It uses running water – from a stream, for example – to turn a waterwheel or the wind to turn a fan connected to a generator to recharge batteries.

The sunLight. A flexible solar panel that is wrapped around an LED and rechargeable battery core to form a powerful green flashlight.

The solar cooler. It uses solar panels and a Peltier cooling system – both off-the-shelf items – engineered originally for sub-Saharan environments with a lack of electricity to keep malaria drugs cold. A much more practical application is undocumented: the cooler compartment is the perfect size for a six-pack of beer in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. For centuries, the sun has been the enemy of beer, now it can be put to an ecologically green application well worth consideration.

Global Warming- The Myths and the Realities

Greenhouse gases are paramount to life, because they keep the Earth’s surface warm. Unfortunately, the concentrations of these gases have dramatically increased in the atmosphere in the recent past, which makes the planets temperature much warmer. Scientists believe this increase in temperature will have a negative, severe impact on the Earth’s future.

Despite what you might have read or heard, It is not true that global warming and the extra carbon dioxide will actually benefit the Earth by stimulating crop growth. Warming that is not too severe will still have a massive impact on our environment. The effect of global warming will increase temperatures and the levels of the seas causing damage to coastlines and their communities. The carbon dioxide levels will raise the acidity of the oceans, which will harm marine life.

Scientists believe higher levels of carbon dioxide under certain conditions can act as a plant fertilizer, however, they now believe that the carbon dioxide fertilization effect on crops has been exaggerated in natural ecosystems. The fertilization effect can decline as plants become acclimated after only a few years. The increased carbon dioxide may aid the detrimental, weedy species of plants more than beneficial species.

People cause global warming by cutting down forests and through the burning fossil fuels. It is not just a natural process, from things such as volcanic eruptions, cosmic rays and sunlight. Scientists have ruled these natural environmental nocturnes out. Today there are a much higher level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as much as twenty five percent more than in the past.

Recycling Batteries

Recycling is not only good for the environment, it is good for a persons pocketbook. It is very important to recycle batteries which are composed of tough materials that cannot biodegrade. It is important that things like batteries be returned to manufacturers who know how to reduce them and redistribute the materials so that it can be reused again. Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling, in this case is imperative in this case so that these materials do not have to be made or mined again.

There are many kinds of batteries out there and they all can and should be recycled. There are:

– Lead-acid automotive batteries
– Non-automotive lead-based batteries
– Dry cell batteries

It is required by law that retailers accept and recycle used lead-acid based batteries. The 2006 Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Act regulated battery manufacturing and required that all batteries be easy to remove to facilitate the recovery of batteries for recycling. Batteries were also required to be labeled informing the consumers of the batteries makeup. The three arrows symbol also has to be located on the battery. According to an article put out on battery recycling by the Environmental protection Agency there has to be conformity or continuity in collection, storage, and moving of certain batteries across the nation. The act also required that manufacturers turn away from using mercury in batteries.

For more information about battery recycling The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, which is a not for profit, is a great information resource for people seeking more information about battery recycling.

Recycling Paper

Paper is in every aspect of our lives. We may not even think of all the ways we use paper, such a tissue, paper towels, mail, baby diaper, newspaper, boxes, cartons, and containers. Packaging for products is 41% of all paper use worldwide according to the Bureau of International Recycling. We use paper at work and school to write on it, or read the pages of books. The United States use 700 pounds of paper per person; worldwide each person uses 110 pounds annually. It is imperative that we understand that paper is a very integral part of our lives, and then learn ways to recycle paper.

Recycling paper is obviously good for trees, because 35% of all trees worldwide that are cut down each year to make into paper. Most companies that mill paper reforest, but trees can grow as fast as our use of paper. Recycling paper saves energy too. The Bureau of International Recycling claims that recycling paper instead of new trees, saves 64% of fossil fuel use. Recycling one ton of paper, can save enough electric to fuel a house for a year. Another benefit of recycling paper is to reduce paper in landfills, 35% of landfill waste is paper that could have been recycled.

Today, paper is made from trees mostly grown in working forests and from recovered paper. Recycling has always been a part of paper making. When you recycle your used paper, paper mills will use it to make new paper products. 36% of the fiber used to make paper or paper products come from recycling in the United States, although internationally 50% of all paper is made from recycled paper.

Why You Should Use an Eco-Friendly Printer

It’s a simple fact: Printers are power-hungry; they use far more energy idling than they do operating in many applications. Most are made from virgin materials and of environmentally unfriendly plastics. When it’s time to replace an old technology printer for a more energy-efficient, made from recycled materials, ink-saving and paper-saving eco-friendly printer, how is the old one disposed in a responsible and environmentally sound manner?

When considering energy-efficiency, it’s not only precious natural resources that are being saved by using an eco-friendly printer. Daily cost savings are instantly realized on the electric bill. In an environmentally green house, the power generated by the solar array, wind generator, and lower thermal generation from the AC-DC inverter all contribute to thermal and electrical inefficiency. The newer printers use less than half the electricity in normal printing operations than their older equivalents. Timed power-off or sleeping modes can save up to 80% of the electricity used than if the printer is always on and idling. Energy Star compliance is a good starting point when considering a new eco-friendly printer.

More than 80% of most printers are made from virgin plastics. With recycling efforts and awareness increasing nationwide, more consumer recycled plastic is available than ever. Some manufacturers are using the more biodegradable grades of plastics in the manufacture of their eco-friendly printers. Printers use a lot of ink. While this may be profitable for ink manufacturers, it’s not conducive to a healthier environment. The cartridges themselves are generally made from virgin materials. Some manufacturers have established free ink cartridge recycling and many of the larger office equipment retailers and computer stores offer either cash or a cash-saving coupon when an old ink cartridge is brought in to exchange for a new one.

Some of the more responsible and environmentally conscious manufacturers are offering significant trade-in allowances for making the move to an eco-friendly printer from a list of selected older technology printers that are the most egregious offenders. Some of the newest technology is surprisingly affordable. Other cost savings may be possible at tax-time for qualifying purchases; consult a tax professional to determine if a tax credit or other qualifying deduction is available.

Currently, there are over a dozen large original equipment manufacturers with eco-friendly printer models available. It’s doubtless there will be more in the future. It was not that long ago when an Energy Star compliant computer was the exception. Today, it’s very difficult to find a computer that is not Energy Star rated. The consumer drives the market and environmentally-conscious people will make their will known to the manufacturers. With today’s engineers – who were raised in a world of environmental responsibility – it’s simply a matter of time and energy.

Facts About Recycling Plastic

Keeping the Earth healthy, being Green and eco-friendly have become a huge part of the world due to the spot light of global warming with climate and weather changes. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to help the Earth is by recycling plastic.

Every day hundreds of plastic containers and bottles are thrown in the trash instead of recycle bins or thrown in the street or on the ground. During last year’s Keep America Beautiful campaign, volunteers collected about 189 million plastic bottles and containers left on the road or ground and recycled them.

Recycling plastic is a definite plus for the environment; about one ton of recycled plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill. A lot more than most recyclable items. A lot of major grocery stores will recycle your plastic bags and plastic wraps as well for you; a lot of them have set up collection agencies through their stores to encourage the act of recycling. Recycling a piece of plastic doesn’t seem like much, but it has a huge impact on your community and throughout the world. It only takes a few seconds of your time to place something in the recycle bin rather than the trash. Most recreational areas and parks nowadays provide some form of recycling as an alternative outlet to the common trash bin.

The average plastic is 70 percent natural gas, allowing the form to be broken down easily and reused. So by recycling you are helping the environment reuse its natural resources for a common good. Make a difference, recycle.

The Advantage of Recycling

Today, the hip thing to do is “be green”, but people all around the world that are trying to save the earth seem to be forgetting the most important thing of them all. They drive hybrids, save water, and use energy saving light bulbs, but you never hear people talk about recycling! Recycling has been around for many years now, but if used and done more now than ever, the world would benefit from it so greatly and drastically, that we may be able to really slow down the march of global warming.

Recycling is actually much easier than people make it sound. In fact, it is as easy as placing items in a bin, literally! Instead of throwing away your trash into a trash can so wastefully, instead place them into a recycling bin. You can have a bin for just about any item such as plastic, metal, glass, tin, paper, and even compost such as banana peels and apple cores.

If you recycle, you are also saving so much space and are saving so much more fresh oxygen for us to breath on the earth. When we just throw items away without recycling them, they go to a dump site and pile up upon other trash piles hundreds of feet high, and miles long for sometimes years until finally they are burned. The smoke from the burned garbage goes all over the world, polluting our air. But when you recycle, the items are reused, renewed, and of course, recycled!