When it comes to being more environmentally friendly, the opportunities to do so are growing by the day.
Whereas years ago the focus of living a more eco-friendly life was largely on recycling used bottles and cans, today there are many more ways individuals can make a positive impact on the environment.
One of the ways eco-conscious men and women can do that is not all that different from the salad days of the recycling movement.
Known as ecycling, the trend promotes and even fosters opportunities for individuals to donate or recycle their electronics.
When people choose to eCycle, they are helping to conserve natural resources. Recycling electronics helps recover valuable materials that can be used to make new products. Such recovery can reduce pollution and save energy.
When it comes to recycling electronics, the most commonly recycled items are cell phones, computers, and televisions. Thanks to The Plug-In To eCycling partnership, recycling each of those items is easy and can help the environment in myriad ways.
Cell phones
Most people who have ever owned a cell phone likely have an older phone they no longer use lying around the house.
Recycling those old cell phones, as opposed to simply throwing them out or keeping them around the house, helps save energy and keeps usable materials out of landfills.
To make a cell phone requires precious metals, copper, and plastics, each of which requires energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling a cell phone not only saves the energy it takes to mine and manufacture them, but the cell phones can also be used to make new products.
Cell phone collection programs exist all across the country. An old cell phone, PDA, cell phone battery, charger, or additional accessories can be dropped off with a host of retailers or service providers. Computers
Donating computers helps the environment and the scores of people who otherwise might not have access to computer technology. Visit Wellington County’s website for information about electronic recycling programs.
Televisions
Thanks to rapidly developing home theater technology, more and more households are upgrading their televisions more frequently than they once did. Old televisions contain lead, copper, aluminum, and steel, each of which can be recovered if individuals simply recycle their televisions.
By recycling their old televisions, people can reduce pollution that results when raw materials like those mentioned above are extracted from the Earth.
Many big ticket electronics retailers and television manufacturers have television recycling programs. However, once the switch to digital broadcasting went into effect, many older televisions (the kind that required the use of rabbit ears) no longer qualified for donation.
In Wellington County, Erin and Harriston have already had electronic recycling days.
The schedule for remaining communities is:
– May 28, Aberfoyle, county roads garage, 7396 County Road 34, Aberfoyle;
– June 25, Grand River Raceway, 7445 County Road 21, Elora;
– Oct. 1, Mapleton municipal office, 7275 Sideroad 16, Drayton;
Oct. 15, Rockmosa community centre, 74 Christie Street, Rockwood; and
– Oct. 22, Liquidation World 480 Smith Street (Highway 6), Arthur.
