I've been storing recyclable batteries that no longer work and similar electronics to drop them off at a reliable recycling center, but while I've been accumulating, several places have actually gone out of business. The reasons for proper disposal of electronics are explained in a series of blog posts from my environmental blog, or other articles of mine and articles I noted from the mainstream press, as cited at the end of this post.
So, I'm glad to see that Best Buy has simple drop-off boxes for batteries, inkjet cartridges, cell phones, CDs/DVDs, PDAs, smartphones and Best Buy gift cards, according to their new web site.
For TV's larger than 32 inches, you'll need to use their pick-up service. The same goes for major appliances.
The company says:
"Now you can bring almost everything from TVs and computers to DVD players and more to any U.S. Best Buy store, and we'll recycle it. Best Buy does not charge a fee for recycling most consumer electronics. However, we do charge $10 for TVs 32" and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops, which is offset with a $10 Gift Card."
Furthermore, you can check out their corporate stewardship on this web page, which lists their recycling standards, partners and policies.
Recycling, and proper recycling at that, needs to share the top of our national environmental policy in the US (when we finally have one).
We need as many convenient ways to keep landfills free of toxic electronic components as possible, without irresponsibly shipping the waste to developing countries so it becomes their problem.
More resources can be found at these links:
Problem Electronic Waste Recycling- Basel Action Network- and the State of Recycling Worldwide
When Light is Dark: Waste from Key Solar Cell Ingredient Damages Chinese Environment
or read the above article at the e-zine Blogcritics
New York City First With Electronics Recycling Law
Greenpeace is happy with Apple going greener- so am I
Planetsave | China’s Toxic E-Waste Problem Grows Daily
What do you think? Shall we sign the Basel Agreement and protect developing countries from our toxic trash?
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 33
Thanks for the great information on the electronic recycling
Gerry, I agree- I'd love to see the US sign the Basel Agreement (Accord). For those who don't know about it, the US is about the only industrialized nation not to sign. It pledges not to dump toxic waste on developing countries. Why would we in the US be against this?
We should not be paying to recycle. We are giving the corporations raw materials that they can use, they should be paying us for them. Steel has long been the most recycled material, because people get paid for scrap steel. If the powers that be want recycling to work, they should pay us for it. Laying the big guilt trip on us about the environment and then making us pay to do it is a load of crap-o-la!
Bob: I think that you are stretching the outrage too far here. Paying $10 and receiving a $10 gift card in return is not the same as paying $10. Furthermore, there are more important issues at stake than $10. If Best Buy is willing to share the details of its recycling efforts, which it is, then this is worth some real peace of mind that the toxic components won't make their way back into your food supply. The elements and compounds found in most electronics are seriously poisonous if they make their way into groundwater. I hardly think you can claim that corporations are laying a guilt trip on you about the environment since they are simply doing what consumer and environmental groups have been asking for, for years. In fact, NY State now has a law requiring stores that sell electronics to act as recycling depositories (see link above). Your arguments just don't make sense to me. Do you want to protect your health and the environment or not? If you do, you should be happy that there is an apparently responsible organization providing a means for doing so. They'll even drive out to your house for your large appliances. If you have other recycling outlets available to you, by all means use them. But don't make the mistake of concluding that community recycling programs are free. They are paid for in part by taxpayers. Besides, most of the things that Best Buy recycles are handled for free, and relatively old tube (Cathode Ray Tube, or CRT) TV's are heavy and dangerous. I just can't see any merit to your objections (but that's just my opinion).
Sure, "the people" started the environmental movement, but the corporations quickly found it to be a good piece of leverage to use on us. "Throw away your old and wasteful product and buy our green product" is just another advertising ploy, especially when making an new product and throwing away the old one does more harm to the environment than continuing to use the old one.
I am all for a clean environment, done efficiently. But I stress, again, that when we recycle, we are giving the manufacturers raw materials they can use, and it is only fair that we be compensated for our efforts.
We need to be smarter in how we do things. Here's and example: we make our houses out of wood, which needs lots of preservation, and still deteriorates over time. Then we make our use once and throw away items out of a plastic that can last hundreds of years. Boy, have we got that one backwards!
Bob: I agree with you. We should be compensated for providing raw materials to manufacturers to use.
We do need to be smarter in how we do things, because we do have things backwards. But seeing how this has been going on for such along time, and how we have accepted those things as a way of living, I think it might be a while before we "set things right". Which is really unfortunate.
I certainly agree with you strongly on one point-
"... making an new product and throwing away the old one does more harm to the environment than continuing to use the old one."
I must add, however, that no environmental group or set of ideas that has any respect in the communities I'm familiar with has failed to embrace this concept, and the idea has been formally introduced into many economic analyses of things like "when to replace or not," and "what to replace with." This is true for corporations, too, because they have more to be concerned about than what we buy, they also have to be concerned with the energy costs of what they do and the total, real cost of new construction, as in factories.
Whatever the reason we are recycling something like a TV, it is dangerous and unhealthy to put it in landfill, instead. I hope people are buying new TVs when they need them, rather than when they want them, but I doubt that this is necessarily true, and I also doubt that the blame for this can be placed solely on the manufacturers. After all, we still have free will and a choice not to buy that TV.
Anyway, Best Buy is not requiring that you buy something new in order to recycle something old. That way, we can clean out our homes of old and broken equipment in a safe manner, being sure that we won't damage the environment in the process. Profits for recycling are only realized when pretty large economies of scale are in force, at least usually, so the dollar value of each individual item is almost always minuscule (if we are talking about electronic equipment). Scrap metal is obviously another matter, but that can be sold on the open market right now, so we can be paid for that now, and have had that option for a long time.
In order to decide on the right materials for a job, a full life cycle, or cradle to grave, analysis is necessary, and these are being done routinely (and with greater accuracy) all the time.
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks, Angela, for your comment. I agree with your prediction (unfortunately, too).
Commenting for Paying It Forward!!!!
God Bless and have a wonderful Sunday!
Stopping by from The Goal Getters Team! PIF>>>
PIF
I wish we had a recycling place here but we do not.
WE do recycle many things around the house and I take my ink cartridges to Staples. Staples is a 2 hour drive from me but we do the best we can. LOL
There is a local Women's Aid In Crisis that will accept old cell phones to be distributed to the people who come to them for help.
This was a great post.