Do you suffer from the feeling that you could and should be doing more to help preserve the environment? “Green guilt,” as it is known, affects about one-third of the Americans surveyed about their recycling habits when it comes to electronics. A good part of the reason for this is Americans not knowing how to properly recycle things like batteries, cell phones and small electronics.
The following tips should help:
What to recycle—Do you ever ask yourself, “How do I get rid of this?” or “Should this be recycled or thrown in the trash?” It’s simple; items that use rechargeable batteries, including cell phones, laptops, power tools, digital cameras, two-way radios, MP3 players and iPods, and tablets should be recycled.
Why recycle—Batteries contain metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when improperly disposed.
Where to recycle—Outstanding Renewal Enterprise, Inc. (The) was founded in 1987 as one of the first organizations to offer community-based recycling and composting programs in New York City. The Center’s electronic waste reuse and recycling program offers free, responsible disposal of working and non-working electronics to New York City residents, small businesses and non-profit organizations. They offer e-waste collection events seasonally in neighborhoods throughout the city and also accept equipment five days a week at their Gowanus E-waste Warehouse, where reusable and refurbished items are available for sale.
