Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
George asks…
How does recycling help and prevent pollution?
The Expert answers:
The sad fact of the matter is that recycling usually does not help the environment.
The exception: metals. The worst offender: paper.
In most cases, recycling a product consumes more energy and causes more side effects from re-manufacturing than simply burying the old and producing a new product. This is especially true of paper. In the US, and most first world countries, paper is produced exclusively from replanted trees. No new deforestation occurs. It isn’t the cleanest process, but initial production can’t even come close to the toxicity of recycling the paper. Plastic recycling creates toxic byproducts, and consumes more energy then simply creating a new product.
The other thing that has to be considered is landfill. There is a huge amount of FUD surrounding them. The fact is we are not running out of space (not even close), and modern landfills have not only incredible environmental safety records and protections, they also are used to create clean energy from the byproducts of decomposition. Most of the confusion stems from a very poorly worded report from a single person at the EPA about twenty years ago.
Metals on the other hand, are impact neutral when it comes to recycling, and it is much cheaper to recycle than to mine. The only real side effect that metal recycling creates is the black market in copper, people are stealing from constructions sites and even occupied houses to scrap the copper from AC, electrical, and plumbing systems. This is more of a side effect of the price of copper than recycling as a whole. Mining can have a large local environmental impact depending on the type of mine.
Ken asks…
Is recycling bullshit? and why?
I’m doing a persuasive essay on why its bullshit.
The Expert answers:
No.
Recycling has become a politically correct issue, but the fact is then when materials are recycled:
1. The materials do not take up valuable space in a land fill
2. The materials generally are worth money
3. Recycling helps keep the cost or raw materials down because it is much less expensive to recycle than manufacture new materials, whether it is steel, wood, plastic, or other materials.
Why it can become BS, is that collecting recyclables in domestic addresses has become big business and it is manipulated by individuals and politicians for political and financial gains.
Some think that since many municipalities have multiple materials dumped into the same container going down the road, there are very efficient sorters (machinery) that separate the materials into specific categories.
Glass is one of the materials that is just about more work to recycle than what the value of the cullet is, but that keeps thousands of tone per week from being dumped into a land fill somewhere.
Hope this helps add to the equation.
Paul asks…
Why don’t they want us to smash alumunim cans before recycling?
The cans are bulky to store before taking to the recycle center. It would help if we could reduce the bulk. Why is there a rule to not smash or break?
The Expert answers:
There’s no general reason why cans can’t be smashed before recycling. In fact, one of the first things that are done to them is… Smashing!
However, there may be a reigonal reason for not doing so. Requiring residents to smash their cans may cause injury (not everyone is young and vigorous and can smash one on their head). If smashed in vigour, the few remaining drops are made easier to leak out a hole since they don’t have pass through a lip to escape.
Some recycling plants use human quality control for sorting and its easier to recognize and not be hurt by an unsmashed can.
Hope this helps!
Linda asks…
the chemical equation?
anyone who can tell the chemical equation to recount the steps taken to recycle aluminium
thank u
The Expert answers:
#
1.
Recycle now – Aluminium
Aluminium … Materials recycling: Aluminium is a lightweight, strong metal that suits … A big obstacle to recycling aluminium is that just not enough …
Www.recyclenow.com/facts/materials_fact_files/aluminium/index.html – 12k – Cached
#
2.
Recycle-more – don’t waste time! Check out these aluminium recycling facts on recycle-more
… Recycling specifics page for in depth details on paper, steel, glass, aluminium, … Recycling aluminium drink cans saves up to 95% of the energy needed to make …
Www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page712.aspx – 57k – Cached
#
3.
Aluminium recycling – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A common practice since the early 1900s, aluminium recycling is not new. … WasteOnline: Metals aluminium and steel recycling …
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_recycling – 26k – Cached
#
4.
Recycling metals – aluminium and steel
… Dustbin yet in 2003 the recycling rates for aluminium and ferrous metals as a … Recycling aluminium requires only 5% of the energy and produces only 5% of th
Ruth asks…
My mom will not recycle. How can I get her to do what I suggest???
She’s thrown out whole wine bottles before. when i asked her why doesnt she recycle she said because the garage isnt clean. we have a boat that takes up half the garage, furniture and a bunch of bike. what else can I tell her cuz she’s not listening!!!
The Expert answers:
First of all I recycle and I don’t have a garage, that’s just an excuse. I recycle glass, cans, paper, card and plastics. It’s easy, first step get the garage cleared out, Freecycle your unwanted things, if you haven’t used it for a year then get rid of it. Recycle any metal or other junk, take the rest to the dump. It doesn’t need your mom to start recycling, you can do it. But if you need her help tell her that you would appreciate the fact that she is helping reduce our effect on the planet. Tell her it may not help her, but it could help you and your children (her grandchildren) if she recycles.
John asks…
What can i Recycle?
What sorts of things can be recycled? I know the basic, paper, plastic, aluminum, glass. But what about candy wrappers? or paper towels? Also, are there any helpful sites about “going green” ?
The Expert answers:
Well I know that some candy wrappers can be… Like Hershey’s kisses wrappers can be, also,Styrofoam, oil, old car parts, and rubber (tires) can also be recycled but here are some websites
http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html
http://earth911.org/
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/405-what-can-be-recycled-at-kerbside.asp
http://www.bucknell.edu/x4774.xml
Daniel asks…
is recycled paper towel legit?
Does anyone know if recycled paper products (household products like paper towel and toilet paper) are really recycled or any better for the environment than virgin paper products? There are a number of paper towel and bathroom tissue brands that claim 100% recycled content and I wonder if that is possible or 100% true. I recently saw a cbc program that busted the claim that paper products come from sustainable and environmentally-friendly forest management system, so I am really wondering about recycled product now.
If anyone can make an educated guess/generalised statement as to the legitimacy of this claim or has any knowledge about specific brands in Canada that would be great.
The Expert answers:
They can be 100% recycled but that does not mean it’s better for the environment. In fact you should not trust any claims when it comes to the environment. Environmentalism is the biggest scam going in history. Don’t you remember the global warming scam that was exposed.
Carol asks…
Ideas for recycling video?
I am blank on ideas for a recycling video i have to do for video class. I want it to be eye catching not the typical video like just facts about recycling. Anything other than that will be awesome! Thanks!
The Expert answers:
Since you like to present more than just having a typical video like just presenting facts so why not create a video in which you really demonstrate on how to do the recycle like for example showing in the video what are the things which can be recycled and how to recycle it, what would be the finished product then.
Steven asks…
Is my recycling even working?
I started recycling plastic 1 and 2 about 2 years ago but i heard on the radio about this lady that cut plastic out of her life like 98% except for her shampoo bottles. So I think I’m using the same amount of plastic and yes I am recycling them but is it even working if I’m not cutting the plastic out of my life. I don’t think so huh?
The Expert answers:
This question goes back to the basic fact of green living. While it is great that you are recycling. The best thing you can do is to REDUCE unnecessary waste (if you can do what needs to be done or what you want to do without creating a demand for a hard to recycle or even an easy to recycle item to be manufactured) secondly look to REUSE of an item that has already been manufactured (such as a used barrel becoming a rain barrel or some old jeans being used as rags and then maybe processed to become insulation) and lastly RECYCLE it is very important but if you could have gotten by easily enough by doing the first two it shouldn’t get to this last of the 3 R’s.
Your efforts are appreciated and do contribute to doing the right thing but maybe you have seen a way to contribute more if so and it is within the realm of what you are willing to do then. Thank you even more.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Betty asks…
What is recycler? How can remove this?
My system was infected by some problems(virus).its name is RECYCLER Had to format the c: partition and installed winxp pro sp2 again. But now I’ll will find the recycler folder or file in the other partitions. scanned forvirus with kaspersky and Avast but no virus. I tried unlocker to removeit completely but comes back again after a restart.
The Expert answers:
That is NOT a virus! You formatted and reinstalled so any infection that was there, is completely gone.
What you’re seeing is a hidden system file that is part of Windows Recycle Bin.
Open any folder, click on ‘Tool’ tab>’Folder Options’>’View’
Scroll down to ‘Hidden files and folders’
Put a tick/check in the boxes next to:
‘Do not show hidden files and folders’
and ‘Hide protected operating system files (recommended)’
Click ‘OK’?
Lisa asks…
what does recyclers do?
i have it plz help?
The Expert answers:
Recycler is the noun from recycle. Recycling is:
transitive verb
1 : to pass again through a series of changes or treatments: as
a : to process (as liquid body waste, glass, or cans) in order to regain material for human use
b : recover
c : to reuse or make (a substance) available for reuse for biological activities through natural processes of biochemical degradation or modification
2 : to adapt to a new use : alter
3 : to bring back : reuse
4 : to make ready for reuse
intransitive verb
1 : to return to an earlier point in a countdown
2 : to return to an original condition so that operation can begin again —used of an electronic device
— re·cy·cla·bil·i·ty -?s?-k(?-)l?-?bi-l?-t? noun
— re·cy·cla·ble -?s?-k(?-)l?-b?l adjective or noun
— re·cy·cler -k(?-)l?r noun
Jenny asks…
. what is RECYCLER?
i m finding theres a folder calld recycler in every partition in my computer.even i delete it.after restarting again its coming.
is this the virus
The Expert answers:
No its not a virus
C://RECYCLER is basically a location where a users deleted files are stored. After a user empties their Recycle Bin the data will stay in the RECYCLER location. This could be viewed as a kind of hidden back-up for deleted files (99.9% of users don’t know about it) or back door to track a user if ever needed. I would imagine its purpose is in the event a user deleted a critical system file that needed to be recovered.
The Recycler folder contains deleted files. On an external drive, the Recycler folder is not visible unless enabled (in Windows Explorer uncheck: tools/folder options/hide protect operating system files).
The files contained in the Recycler folder on an external drive can be deleted if, while the drive is mounted (connected) the user right clicks on the Recycle Bin on the DESKTOP (the main desktop, not the external drive) and selects “Empty Recycle Bin”).
Note that the Recycler and the file contained therein will remain apparently unchanged. To confirm the deletion, right click the file within (the name will be a long string of letters and numbers) and select “properties”. An empty file will be something like 8kb in size.
Michael asks…
Do Metal Recyclers Accept Old Appliances?
My husband and I have just bought our first home. Built in 1961, it contains all original appliances (fridge, range/oven combo, washer and dryer). We have NO interest in keeping these antiques around. Do metal recycling centers accept or recycle appliances? I don’t want these appliances around, but I’d like to avoid just tossing them into a landfill.
The Expert answers:
Yes, metal recyclers will accept those appliances. The fridg may need special handling, for freon, and possibly to have the door removed on it. Children have become trapped, and died in the old friges, with the locking doors, so it became law that the door had to be removed.
I’m very currious about your range/oven though. The very best oven I EVER had came out of an old house. It was huge. It was a double oven, so you could cook in either side. It had four burners on top, and over one side of the oven it was just bare enamel that was and outstanding place to set pots and keep them warm (if the second oven was on).
Sometimes the other side is a grill (next to the burners) on the older stoves.
If you have one like I’ve described, you might actually want to give it a trial run….you might find you love that thing! If you have that type of oven, but just cannot stand it, then put an add in the paper. People actually love them! (and they are hard to come by) That stove was heaven, especially at Thanksgiving, and other big cooking times.
~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years
P.S. Don’t forget to check out your water heater…it may well need to be updated too!
George asks…
Tips for a new recycler?
I’ve decided to start recycling.
How should I go about this?
How many different bins should I have and what should go where?
Are chip bags recyclable? I also thought i remember hearing that a certain type of glass can’t be recycled with other types of glass..?
well, we have a recycling center where i live, so you have to presort the things and take them down there.
i’m just wondering how i should set up the bins
and what types of bins
and what items to put in what bins.
The Expert answers:
Only one recycling bin is needed these days. They found out that with consumer sorted bins, they still had to sort them because it took just one consumer ignoring the rules or accidentally mis-sorting just once for them to require hiring a sorter to sort through the recyclables so they might as well save money by collecting just one stream of recyclables instead of three to four streams. This is called single stream recycling and is why you’ll often see the pickup crew just toss it all, even trash into the same truck. The only reason why people still have sorting bins is that the bins were designed before single stream recycling was even thought of.
Unfortunately, modern recycling is often more about economics instead of the environment. The best recyclers would crush the recyclables between heavy steel drums, chop them into particles, pick out the valuable ferrous steel with magnets, drop the remainder through a steady flow of air which deflects them by density hence sorting them in the same fashion as a mass spectrometer would, repeat drop the plastics in a single stream through lasers that would detect what type of plastics they were and deflect those plastics with puffs of air and they would repeat this process until they get the purity they want. Unfortunately there are smaller lower cost contractors that sometimes underbid these recyclers. The lower cost contractors either use inexpensive labour to hand sort or they would ship the recyclables to China and India where hand sorting is less expensive. Minimum wage hand sorters in North America aren’t environmentally motivated so they tend to just direct batches to the landfill if there’s any question about the quality and contamination hence soggy and wet bins get tossed out just because the cardboard and paper is soggy etc. Shipping half way around the world is not exactly environmentally friendly as there’s a huge carbon footprint involved with all that shipping. They argue that the shipping containers have to go back anyways whether empty or not but that just means it’s economically viable, a full container takes more fuel to ship then an empty one.
Research into who picks up your recyclables and find out what they recycle. Chip bags are aluminized plastic so in theory they could be recycled but the lower cost recyclers probably won’t bother with them, nor will they bother with styrofoam due to the low amount of material in styrofoam. Find out what your recyclers do with the recyclables, it may be better to drive your recyclables across down then to use your neighborhood recycling pickup service.
Robert asks…
RECYCLER VIRUS! HELP!!!!!?
my USB, w880i cellphone, and sony hard disk videocam are inflicted by this recycler virus..
all of my files become hidden..
i deleted the recycler folder that showed..
what should i do????? can i still recover my files?
they’re very important! please help!!!!!
thank you very much!!!!!! 😉
The Expert answers:
Hi,
More than likely your deletion attempts deleted the infected file, however this will not remove the virus from your computer because there is a carbon copy on your root directory, housed in a shell folder called recycler. This is hidden normally but can be viewed and removed by doing the following:
1. Click START | select computer (or My Computer)
2. Open C Drive
3. Select folder options and check the option to show hidden files.
Now reboot PC and tap F5 continually till you get the black command screen where you can choose to boot to Safe Mode.
Use the down arrow on keyboard to select:
Safe Mode with Network Support
Press ENTER
In this mode your desktop icons will appear larger than normal because it is using a lower screen resolution; this is normal.
4. Now update any antivirus software you are running. If you are not running any, then open your browser and download and install one; for example AVG; or alternatively, visit a website that offers a free online scan; for example McAfee, Symantec etcetera.
5. Which ever option you chose, do a full system scan while still in Safe Mode with Network Support. Allow the antivirus program to quarintine any infections.
Assuming the antivirus program does not delete the recycler folder, then right click on it and select delete; now empty recycle bin.
Note: c:Recycler (is the folder to delete if antivirus does not do this for you)
OK, now reboot pc.
Plug in phone card and scan it.
Issue solved.
Regards,
TgTips
Joseph asks…
how to remove recycler virus ?
this one is irritating me
i have a recycler virus in my system which ever usb device i connect its spreading and and converting the folders and files in them to .exe format
my phone has very important data and now i have virus unable to open the files in my memory card
no anti virus is able to delete 🙁
formatting the memory card is not helping
The Expert answers:
Go to command prompt by clicking start menu then selecting run and then typing cmd and click OK.
Go to the drive which has virus: Recycler.exe
Type:
attrib -s -h -a recycler.exe
This will make recycler.exe visible if it is present and clear its System file property.
Next you need to right click on My Computer and select System Restore tab (Windows XP) and check the option for ‘Turn OFF System Restore on all Drives’, enable this option so that virus cannot restore itself once you have deleted it.
Next, restart the computer under safe mode by clicking restart and then pressing F8 key while the computer is restrating. Select Safe Mode (Command Prompt only).
From command prompt goto the disk which has virus.
Type: del recycler.exe
Restart the computer by typing shutdown -r.
Chris asks…
Recycler virus remover?
Anyone know how to remove the recycler virus? I opened my external hard drive and there were so many shortcuts there, including the $RECYCLE.BIN. I copied all of the files that could be saved and then format it. Does formatting it make it safe? or should I do anything else?
The Expert answers:
Recycler virus comes with autorun.inf therefore formatting does not work.
First I would run free flash disinfector by sUBs:
http://experi3nc3.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/flash-disinfector-by-subs/
(when the program tells you to connect usb you connect external hard drive)
(Now you can format the external hard drive if you so wish.)
If you dont wish to format, show hidden files on external hard drive & check whats there. (this is where recycler virus hides)
Mary asks…
how do you remove a recycler??
The Expert answers:
When you delete a file in Windows Explorer it’s not only moved to a RECYCLER folder, but it’s moved into a user-specific folder within it. So the files you delete are in the Recycle Bin and they’re kept separately from the files deleted by other users on the same machine.
And when you empty your Recycle Bin You’re only emptying your Recycle Bin. The other users Recycle Bins are not affected.
The appropriate way to truly empty all of them would be to login as each user and empty their Recycle Bins.So you cannot really remove a
recycler as such,but you can remove what is in it.
Your Q lacks detail,but i think this is the info
you are looking for.Hope this helps.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
George asks…
Has anyone developed good cheap ways of solving the waste problem in poor countries?
poor countries don’t have good waste production systems what can be done to aid these people cheaply and to make their homes more hygienic?
The Expert answers:
The way I see it, there are a number of ways and methods to convert garbage and waste products into oil and energy fuels which could be used in poor countries to make better use of garbage/ waste products to become more self sufficient and raise economic standards. As Markey points out, some countries like Egypt, India, Nigeria, etc… Have whole communities that recycle old products into resellable items or earn a living on waste products but they could be even better and cleaner if they had technologies to convert garbage and waste into valuable oil and electrical energy or fuels.
Parts of Lagos Nigeria, China, etc.. Are full of imported plastic or electronic waste products and others which contain harmful toxins and chemicals since their laws are lax on health issues and they have become a dumping ground for illegal toxic wastes or E-wastes from other areas or countries.
Garbage/waste issues….
Http://www.wastelandmovie.com/
http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/planet-pic/5674706/disposable-communities-living-and-working-the-worlds-largest-trash-dumps
Biggest garbage dumps in the world…
Http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/08/0805_biggest_garbage_dumps/1.htm
Plasma gasification process to convert wastes into energy…including toxic wastes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/science/plasma-gasification-raises-hopes-of-clean-energy-from-garbage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/01/ff_trashblaster/
Nancy asks…
How Plastic simply recycling ?
The Expert answers:
Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state. For instance, this could mean melting down soft drink bottles and then casting them as plastic chairs and tables. Typically a plastic is not recycled into the same type of plastic, and products made from recycled plastics are often not recyclable.
When compared to other materials like glass and metal materials, plastic polymers require greater processing to be recycled.[citation needed] Plastics have a low entropy of mixing, which is due to the high molecular weight of their large polymer chains. A macromolecule interacts with its environment along its entire length, so its enthalpy of mixing is large compared to that of an organic molecule with a similar structure. Heating alone is not enough to dissolve such a large molecule; because of this, plastics must often be of nearly identical composition in order to mix efficiently.
When different types of plastics are melted together they tend to phase-separate, like oil and water, and set in these layers. The phase boundaries cause structural weakness in the resulting material, meaning that polymer blends are only useful in limited applications.
Another barrier to recycling is the widespread use of dyes, fillers, and other additives in plastics. The polymer is generally too viscous to economically remove fillers, and would be damaged by many of the processes that could cheaply remove the added dyes. Additives are less widely used in beverage containers and plastic bags, allowing them to be recycled more frequently.
The use of biodegradable plastics is increasing. If some of these get mixed in the other plastics for recycling, the reclaimed plastic is not recyclable because the variance in properties and melt temperatures.
Ken asks…
Motor oil/fabric softener disposal?
So I accidentally mixed used motor oil and fabric softener in the same bottle and I need to know how to dispose of it. My city will collect household hazardous wastes, but only if they are in their original containers. And since only the fabric softener half is, they won’t take it. I know autozone takes used oil, but they won’t take it if there’s other stuff mixed in.
The Expert answers:
Motor oil and oil filter recycle program
Used automobile oil and oil filters can be recycled if dropped off at bulk tanks available at the Waterloo landfill (Gate 2 – Household Hazardous Waste Depot), the Cambridge waste managment site and at all of the rural transfer stations.
Motor oil:
A maximum of 25 litres of used motor oil per household per month is accepted. Bulk tanks are available for residents to empty their oil into. Please, no five gallon pails. Not accepted in the tanks: anti-freeze, transmission fluid or brake fluid. These items should be dropped off at the household hazardous waste depot.
Oil Filters: a maximum of five used oil filters per household per month can be accepted.
This is a residential program only. Businesses are NOT permitted to use this program.
Laura asks…
how can recycling and saving energy reduce wasting our natural sources?
I also need examples and a site that could answer that question for me =]
Thank-you
The Expert answers:
By recycling, you are using old products e.g. Paper, to make new paper, and hence eliminating the need to cut down new natural resource i.e. Tree to make the paper…recycling plastic therefore means you are eliminating the need to extract oil from the earth.
The situation is similar with saving energy…a lot of electricity is generated from burning non-renewable resources e.g. Coal…by using less energy, we need to produce less electricity, so less coal is extracted from the earth.
Not sure if you are in the uk or not, have a look at the following site – www.communityecochallenge.com (uk based info and stats) it is for a project i used to work on, which helped people reduce their ecological footprint…it has info on recycling and how it helps the environment, as well as energy saving and the environment.
Hope this helps. It is maybe too simple an explanation for what you require, but i teach this stuff to community groups and children, and usually the straightforward approach is best!
Helen asks…
Why should we prevent waste accumilation?
Please answer as quick as possible i need 4 my project
The Expert answers:
Preventing waste accumulation means waste reduction and finding alternate methods of waste recycling and disposition,
You cannot do do a total prevention, otherwise it would not be called waste anymore. Some examples are:
Recycling used oil – waste product from cars and trucks oil changes etc.
Recycling wood chips from wood saw mills,
Recycling sugar cane waste from sugar mills
Recycling agricultural crop waste into animal feed or composting for fertilizers
Recycling building materials or broken asphalt etc. Into new roadbeds or earth filling materials for new buildings or grounds etc.
Recycling waste water from cities or villages after proper treatment and filtration to irrigation canals,
Mark asks…
Connecticut recycling?
Can anyone supply a list of what can and cannot be recylcled in the Hartford, Ct area?
The Expert answers:
Glass & metal food & beverage containers
Newspaper
White office paper
Corrugated cardboard
Scrap metal
Waste oil
Lead acid storage batteries
Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries
Leaves (must be composted)
James asks…
Decompsing Waste Oil?
What does decomposing waste oil mean? In reference to oil spills, meaning people who do not want to pay to “decompose their waste oil” so they release it into the ocean.
I’m asking what does decomposing waste oil mean?
The Expert answers:
I think people have to retrain their minds to make the extra effort it takes to dispose of properly. I don’t think one can quickly do this at home-should be taken to an autoparts store that recycles.
Lizzie asks…
how do you prevent waste oil dumping in a wetland?
People are changing their own oil to save money. They dump the old oil into the storm drains. The oil makes its way into the wetland. How can waste oil impact the wetland?
The Expert answers:
Used oil is a great source of fuel and can be recycled. Take it to a local business that burns that used oil onsite as fuel for a furnace or boiler.
One of the fascinating things about used oil is that it has the same amount of energy content as it did before it was used, which makes it a great—and cheap!—fuel. Businesses that generate this oil can safely recycle it onsite in the most environmentally friendly manner available with a waste oil furnace or boiler. These complete heating systems provide safe fuel management, EPA-approved used oil disposal and free heat. Emissions are incredibly low and the byproduct is a fine ash that can be thrown away. As if eliminating a heating bill weren’t enough.
For more than 25 years, waste oil heating systems have provided onsite recycling of used oil for companies such as garages, lube shops, car dealerships and heavy equipment dealers. Any other method of disposal requires transportation and processing with mean unnecessary risk to these businesses producing the used oil onsite, exposing them to what could be very high costs if that used oil is spilled or otherwise improperly disposed of in transit. Burning waste oil as fuel for heat, on the other hand, allows these businesses to turn this liability into an asset and is a simple, yet far-reaching, way to “go green.” And, recycling onsite is the cleanest, most efficient manner of disposal for our environment.
Find out more at www.energylogic.com
Maria asks…
whoever is a good writer/thinker please help me!?
i need 3 reasons y we should recycle!
The Expert answers:
Recycling should not be an after thought, it should come to us as naturally as the rising of the sun or the brilliance of an Autumn day. Recycling reduces the stress on our planet. Paper recycling saves our forests and helps reduce the pollution released into the air by our factories. Recycling of our plastics and other solid wastes saves our land and water sources. We can no longer afford to keep dumping materials into our dumps knowing that nature cannot possibly break them down. Chemicals leeching from these solids pollute our soils and water supply leading to a backlash of human health problems. We need to recycle our waste oils, converting them into reusable fuels as Mother Nature does not have an inexhaustible supply to continue feeding our habit.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
George asks…
Recycle By (No) Numbers?
Im a new recycler. I finally got my roomate to make the switch….but I have some questions about plastics (and yes I checked the forum for answers)
Can you recycle plastic items without the identification numbers? (no triangle, no number 1-7)
For example: My plastic cat food container reads “6T” on the bottom…no triangle, just 6T. What does it mean and can it be recycled?
I have tons of CD jewel cases I want to recycle but can I?
Im confused with all this plastic stuff…..
what about lids made of aluminum but coated with some sort of plastic on the inside (Im assuming its plastic), like vegie cans or pickle lids?
Do you throw those out?
The glass, aluminum, and paper I get… but the plastic is a little complicated.
The Expert answers:
The plastic IS complicated, even for avid recyclers so don’t worry. The plastics that are accepted is different depending on where you live, and what your local agency collects. I’m guessing they have a website that tells you all about what they do and do not take.
I live in San Francisco. Just to give you a general idea, here are the rules here:
Plastics number 2, 4, 5, and 6 are accepted, and bottles of any number are accepted. However, the caps to plastic water and soda bottles are not recyclable, and unfortunately that is true no matter where you are. (Booo!)
And, if you have something like CD jewel cases, you should absolutely donate them. Reuse and reduce are the two most important rules, recycle is next! So if you’ve got anything that can reuse, I would either donate it to an agency like Goodwill, or Freecycle it! (Not familar with Freecycle? It’s awesome!! Check out http://www.freecycle.org/)
Hope that helps! 🙂
Susan asks…
Where can I recycle plastics numbered 4?
Where can I find information on recycling number 4 plastics in my area? The local recycling center does not accept it.
The Expert answers:
Plastic grocery bags Type 2 (high-density polyethylene film – HDPE) and Type 4 (low density or linear-low density polyethylene film – LDPE/LLDPE) can be recycled at your local supermarket and other locations. Once the bags are recycled, they are made into lumber, trashcan liners or plastic bags.
Steven asks…
Are cell phone numbers recycled?
Can someone have a number that was used by someone else before them?
The Expert answers:
Yes they are recycled. I called my thrown-away number once after I got my new number for my cell and someone picked up… Lol
Sandra asks…
recycling?
i know that recyclable plastics have numbers (1 through 7), and i know that they have to be sorted to be recycled. what i want to know is this: what number does a #3, for example, recycle into? and what type of products would they be?
The Expert answers:
Wikipedia has a great page on recycling codes (see below). Code 3 is Polyvinyl Chloride and is recycled to become pipe, fencing, and non-food bottles. All the other codes and what they are recycled into are listed too.
Lizzie asks…
do you recycle?
The Expert answers:
Yes, my family recycles as much as our town and state will let us. (You know how you can only recycle certain numbers.)
Ken asks…
does verizon recycle phone numbers?
if someone cancels a phone do other people get the number?
The Expert answers:
I believe they do. My son kept getiing calls to the same person, not him, after getting his phone. I eventually called andd had the number again and have had no issues…
Nancy asks…
Cell Phone Numbers?!?
What happens to a person’s cell number when the person dies? Does the number become available again, or is it theirs forever? Weird question, I know. Just curious.
I know of some girls who died this last summer but have the same cell numbers.
The Expert answers:
In most cases, cell phone numbers stay with who ever is using the number as long as the bill/service is paid.
The company assigns a number when service is activated.
As long as the bill gets paid, the number remains available for use. If someone dies, and the bill is paid, unless someone notifies the company that the phone needs to be disconnected, or the bill, is not paid, then the phone stays active.
If the bill is unpaid, then of course, the service will eventually be canceled. Once that happens, if the number is not reactivated within a certain time by the person who had it, or someone taking over responsibility for it, then it goes into a recycle list and will eventually be reassigned to someone else.
It is actually not that uncommon for family members to keep cell phones active after a user has died to keep voice mail recordings and things, or sometimes they are just sentimental about the number.
Mark asks…
Recycling Question Help me?
Why can you only recycle number 1 & 2’s? It really bothers me. Because I’ve seen 7 as the highest so I don’t get it.
The Expert answers:
Ok, so here’s the deal. Each different number is a different kind of plastic, as follows:
1: Polyethylene (PET or PETE)
2: High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
4: Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
5: Polypropylene (PP)
6: Polystyrene (PS)
7: Other plastics (e.g. PC for polycarbonate)
In some places, you can recycle all numbers of plastic, in others only certain numbers, and in still others only certain shapes of certain numbers. I go to college in a place in which all plastics #1-7 can be recycled only if they are bottle-shaped (so if you stack them one on top of the other, they will not nest), but back home we only recycle 1-3.
The reasons behind not recycling all numbers are actually very complex. Sometimes, small communities simply do not have the proper facilities to deal with all different kinds of plastic. Other times, large plastics companies purchase the recycled materials and only can use certain types of plastic because that is all that they have market demand for.
The reason that plastics have to be separated by composition has to do with the chemistry of polymer chains- if you mix milk jugs (2) and Coca-Cola bottles (1) and then melt them together, the resulting plastic is very weak and tends to tear along the boundaries between the two different kinds of plastic.
If you are willing to put in the effort, see if there are any places near you where you can bring numbers other than 1 and 2. It might be closer than you think! Alternatively, contact your recycling company to see if they are able to handle other numbers, or even talk to your municipal council to see if they can improve the equipment at the local recycling facility using federal grants.
Good luck, and hope that helped =]
EDIT: No, Grape, it does not really a measure of how hard the plastics are. While it is true that different kinds of plastics have different hardnesses, that is not the meaning of the numbers.
Charles asks…
recycling assignment?
for materials science class we have to bring in one of each of the 7 types of recyclable materials. and i’m not sure exactly what they are… i know that malk cartons are #2, i know that aluminum and plastic water bottles and glass and cardboard are all recyclable but i’m not sure what their numbers are. i’ve looked everywhere on the internet for it but i just can’t seem to find it, so if anyone knows, could you please give me the material and the number that goes with it?!! thank you soooo much <3
The Expert answers:
You may use “My Best Recycling Idea” and put it to use in the classroom and home.
Besides recycling the plastic containers, you can improve your work or home environments by bringing live potted plants indoors.
Major items needed:
One empty plastic gallon container. Tree Top Apple Juice is preferred, or equal in shape.
One empty plastic ½ gallon container. Langers All Pomergranate Juice is preferred or equal.
Directions: Lay the plastic gallon container on its side so the front label is facing up. Place the empty plastic half gallon container on the label and with a sharpie pen outline the bottom on the Tree Top label and with a sharp knife carefully cut the outline. Insert the half gallon into the hole until it rest on the back label of the gallon container. Then mark and cut approximately one inch above the cut on the ½ gallon to complete your planter container. Remove and drill several ¼ inch holes on the bottom of the ½ gallon cut container for drainage.
Fill the cut ½ gallon planter with one inch of gravel before putting in good potting mix soil and live growing plant. If you make two or more you can pour the water back and forth and not waste the water with the nutrients.
Go to NASA’s Clean Air Plant Study for the top ten plants that cleans the indoor air better than the rest.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
David asks…
can anyone help?
My daughter and I are planning to start a recycling project to earn money for her school.
can anyone tell me what types of things can be recycled for money in West Michigan?
We also need to know where to recycle these things.
thanks to all in advance for your help.
The Expert answers:
Tin cans such as soup cans and etc can be recycled at cash value . Places listed under scrapmetal (in the phone book) should be able to accomidate your locality needs and they are very helpfull in answering questions
Lizzie asks…
why do cans have michigan 10 cents on the top?
does it mean 10 cents per can when you recycle them or what?
The Expert answers:
You pay a 10c deposit when you purchase the can (in MI) and when you can turn them in for 10c a piece, basically just getting your deposit back, a few states let you do that but MI is the only one that gives you 10c, the rest of the states only give you 5
Sandra asks…
Why cant non-carbonized bottles be recycled?
I’m not sure if its just a Connecticut thing, but why cant non-carbonized bottles/cans be recycled/refunded for the 5 cents? I mean, a bottle of Sprite or Coke is made up of the same materials as a bottle of Snapple, right? So why cant it be recycled? I mean… sure I can recycle it by putting it in a recycling bin, but why cant I get 5 cents for it? Just curious…
The Expert answers:
In michigan we get 10 cents for bottle refund. I believe that they put deposit on unhealthy drinks.
Jenny asks…
how much cans do you have to save to turn them in for money?
i have alot of beer cans and keep getting more every week as alot of people…soda cans etc…i heard if you save them and crush them or someting and turn them in to a place they buy them……how much do you get and how many do oyu have to have…is there a same thing with bottles anymore?
The Expert answers:
You get paid by weight, not by can, if you are returning them to a recycling center. Some states have a deposit law, like Michigan, you can get $.10 a can. A few years ago, I took a full 30 gallon trash bag with all the cans compressed down, to a recycling center, and got $5.
Ken asks…
What all can you recycle to get money?
i am trying to get some really fast money to pay for food during a road trip to michigan.
i was wondering what can you recycle to get money?
like plastic bottles, soup cans, pop cans, computer parts etc.
and if you say paper what kind?
like newspaper or just scrap paper?
where would you turn them into?
i only want to know the things that you can get money for,
please help!!
thanks!
oh,
and can you recycle plastic and paper grocery bags and get money for it?
i know you can recycle them but i don’t know if you can get money for them.
The Expert answers:
It really depends on where you live. Where I live you cannot get money for recycling, and unfortunately there is no pick up service. We have to gather and deliver all our recyclables.
You should look into your local salvage yards and recycle centers. Just call them and they can give you the price per pound if they are buyers.
Sandy asks…
What are the costs for recycling initiatives in International Paper?
The Expert answers:
Well lets c The food packaging goal is to recycle paper cups and foodservice packaging into valuable, high-quality materials. Every year, 4.1 million tons of paper, prepared food packaging is landfilled in the United States. The collection and recycling of this material would decrease greenhouse gas emissions by ~15 million mtCO2e, equivalent to removing 3 million passenger vehicles from the road.
Foodservice Recycling Pilot Held at Seven Starbucks Stores in Manhattan:
Results Indicate that with Appropriate Signage and Messaging, 90% Purity is a Realistic Target
Dec. 2009 – An eight week pilot was conducted at seven Starbucks stores in Manhattan in the Fall of 2009. For the pilot, Western Michigan University’s Coating and Recycling Pilot Plants tested the recyclability of a
representative sample of the cups and sleeved used in Starbucks stores and found that they offer
equivalent recyclability and repulpability as old corrugated cardboard using the Fibre Box
Association’s Wax Alternative Protocol. The material collected from the store had a purity level greater than 80% was acheived and strategies for achieving a 90% purity identified. Learn more.
Starbucks Announces Participation in Global Green Recycling Pilot at June CoRR Meeting
June 2009 – Global Green’s Coalition for Resource Recovery, convened 80 participants for a “value chain caucus” aimed at diverting prepared food packaging from the nation’s landfills. The Manhattan meeting followed a Recyclable Cup Summit arranged by Starbucks at their Seattle headquarters in May. Starbucks’ Jim Hanna announced that a first trial will ask customers to assist by pre-sorting their cups. Learn more.
Global Green USA and Western Michigan University Release
White Paper on Recycling Paper Food Packaging with Corrugated Cardboard
May 2009 – Global Green USA and Western Michigan University release a
white paper, entitled Recycling Paper Food Packaging with Corrugated Cardboard: A Proposal for a New Recyclability and Repulpability Protocol and Preliminary Test Results for Fiber-Based Hot Cups. The paper proposes that the Fibre Box Association’s Voluntary Standard for Repulping and Recycling Corrugated Fiberboard Treated to Improves its Performance in the Presence of Water and Water Vapor could be modified to pre-screen foodservice packaging for its recycling along with corrugated at containerboard mills. The paper also contains results from bench top testing of hot cups. Learn more.
Global Green Presents Foodservice Packaging Recycling Concept to Western Michigan University and Foodservice Packaging Institute
Oct. 2008 – Global Green present concept for recycling foodservice paper packaging along with old corrugated cardboard. Original presentation can be downloaded here.
Our Approach
Charles asks…
where can I find free refurbished computers in michigan?
The Expert answers:
The University of Michigan often donates used computers to various charitable organizations in your region.
Check with Goodwill and (if someone in your family is a veteran)Local Veteran Organizations.
Lastly, the group “Freecycle.org,” is dedicated to reducing the human footprint on the environment through the recycling of usable items by giving them away.
Give them a look at “http://www.freecycle.org” select your state and city or county, join the group and if what you need isn’t posted, simply post a “wanted ad.”
The best part is that it’s all free!
Mark asks…
Does anyone know where I can recycle water bottles?
Like at any local grocery stores???
The Expert answers:
Depends where you at, in some states you can bring them to almost any grocery store and actually get money for them; states like Michigan, New York and Delaware do this because when you buy a bottle you’re putting a deposit down on them. Most areas have a recycling plant or recycling service, where they pick any recyclables outside your house. When I recycle bottles and cans I just go to the local dump and they have certain bins to put them in to be recycled
Mary asks…
do all states give a refund when you recycle cans and bottles?
or which ones do?
thanks!
The Expert answers:
Many cans and bottles will have a list printed on the container. There are a long list of states that refund $0.05, and then there’s Michigan, which refunds $0.10.
There’s a good Seinfeld episode that revolves around this opportunity for arbitrage.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Nancy asks…
Recycled clothe crafts?
Ideas , maybe instructions, recycled clothes ( rag quilts, pillows, stuffed toys, etc) please :3 thanks 😀 With sewing
The Expert answers:
I make all kinds of dolls, and doll clothes from recycled clothes, and materials found in thrift stores and garage sales. Stuffing for my dolls comes from destroyed stuffed toys and pillows. I take lace and trim off clothes to re-use on doll clothes. Some baby clothes can easily be converted into dolls. Old crocheted or knitted afghans when unraveled becomes kinky, curly doll hair, or the fake fur animal toys I took the stuffing from can also become doll hair. Remove buttons for eyes. You can find bags upon bags of embroidery thread and needles and felt and notions, all for practically nothing.
I have a store on etsy and those dolls I make, sell for 50-70 each. It’s a very rewarding hobby. If you are like me and just love the act of creating, try your hand at this. You can make your own patterns, which is what I do, or there are many books and kits out there to get you started.
You can also quilt. The patterns and styles for quilting are endless. Baby and children quilts sell really well and don’t take a year to make. You can use graph paper to draw your idea out. Cut these pieces out and then add a seam allowance. I usually cut my pattern pieces out of felt because it lasts pretty much forever and it’s easier to work with than paper or cardboard.
I hope this info helps. Have fun.
John asks…
CraftS ?
What some crafts you can do on a budget and not gay crfts ones that you’d buy in stores?
The Expert answers:
Origami is good. It is inexpensive-use junk mail (there is a great book for this now) or just find instructions online! The folding projects will spark your creative imagination.
Card Making is good, again with paper supplies, scissors, craft glue as complicate as you make it.
I think ANY craft with recycled materials is good! I have seen sweaters knit from twine that are amazing!
Tin crafting (luminarias, and lanterns) can be fun!
You could use your computer to create word art, like calligraphy samplers and so on…Keep looking around and I am sure you will find something!
Good Luck!
Susan asks…
craft ideas for recycling plastic lids?
I have been asked to come up with some ideas for recycling several plastic lids. They are about 3.5″ wide and 1/2″ deep. Any art project ideas? Please help. Serious suggestions only please. Thanks!
pictures appreciated!
The Expert answers:
I am teaching an Enrichment Class at my son’s school called Funcycle. We make crafts using items that would normally be thrown away and add to landfills. Sounds like you are talking about the hard plastic lids like on jars of peanut butter. One of the crafts I am doing in my class is a photo ornament with these lids. Clean the lid. Cut a photo into a circle just smaller than the lid. Glue the photo inside the lid. Adhesive photo squares work good for this. Glue ribbon around the outside rim for decoration. Then attach a narrow ribbon for hanging. You can do that by gluing it to the outside (back) of the lid or drill two small holes and loop it through. Also, instead of a photo you could use a child’s drawing or artwork. Makes a great gift for Mother’s Day or a grandparent.
My kids were using these type of lids for bowls when eating snacks and candy. But I quit doing that because of issues with food touching plastic (chemicals in plastic).
Kelly
Sharon asks…
Recycled Craft Ideas?
I have a project that is due on thursday..
I cant find anything pretty on the internet.. i want something creative.
My friends did a lamp out of spoons..
and a piggy bang out of soda bottles..
Help please ://
The Expert answers:
There are all kinds of of ideas on this website. I went through some and they look pretty easy to do so you should be able to get one of these done by Thursday.
Http://www.craftbits.com/recycled-crafts
Ken asks…
What are some recycling crafts similar to this one?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Soda-Tab…
recycled, but still looks nice or is usefull
The Expert answers:
Http://www.instructables.com/
I went here and typed in soda-tab on search.
Cool stuff
I do know of recycling tricks but not with the tabs.
For other recycling tips try the site below and see some of the crafts I have done Pressing flowers .
Mary asks…
Cool recycled crafts ?
I love recycled crafts but I want something really cool which is also useful but it doesn’t have to be but it’s gotta look good! No pencil pots or anything and website links are appreciated!
The Expert answers:
Make small pillows out of old clothes or material and stuff with cotton and lavender to make cool air fresheners for wardrobes and draws. They get rid of the dusty smell that wardrobes often gain for a few months, after they loose their scent replace the lavender or make new ones.
Lisa asks…
recycled crafts?
i need to make either jewlery or decorations out of recycable things like….cans, plasic bottles…like that kinda stuff.
so if you know of something please tell me!…and if u can attatch a picture…thats if u want to. =]
thank you!
The Expert answers:
Make beads from magazine pages and junk mail. Some people use them to make their own jewelry, others sell them. There are several videos on ‘youtube’ that show how.
Http://youtube.com/results?search_query=paper+beads&search_type=
Examples at:
http://www.junkmailgems.com/beads.html
I think ‘junk mail gems’ beads are SO cool! Hope this works for you.
Donna asks…
What should we name our recycling, green craft store?
We would like something trendy and catchy…
The Expert answers:
Renata (femanine) or Renatus (mascualine) mean reborn.
Renata World.
Renata House
Renata Recycling and Craft.
Renatus Craft and Recyling
Mark asks…
what was your child’s favorite recycling craft?
The Expert answers:
We moved overseas when my son was four, then back to the US when he was six, and again overseas when he was eight. Hands down, his all time favorite recycling craft has been turning big boxes into houses, forts, or even vehicles (my mom came on the first move, and made a delivery van out of a furniture box — she’s a very creative gramma).
My son is ten now, and he still has a giant box fort in his bedroom — he can’t bear to part with it, even though it’s starting to topple. I should point out that he has a very nice castle tent stashed away in his closet. No contest. : )
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Daniel asks…
Is it possible to reuse/recycle nuclear waste?
If such a thing is possible, is it cost efficient?
The Expert answers:
Read this article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821213606.htm
With the cost of storage and control of the waste it may be cost effective to recycle.
Sandra asks…
recycling schemes what waste?
The Expert answers:
Yes a lot are a waste. I have seen people go great lengths to sort out plastic and glass only to see the bin get thrown in with the rest of the trash. I am a big fan of recycling metals. At the very least the trash needs to be run by a magnet to take the steel out.
William asks…
recycling??
when did they make it a law to recycle?
The Expert answers:
The City of Brooklyn Park and the “Hennepin Recycling Group” cities of Crystal, New Hope and Brooklyn Center have entered into a joint powers agreement for administration of the recycling and waste materials management programs for all four cities.
It is the responsibility of each municipality to ensure that the public health and welfare of the community is maintained. By local ordinance and State law, every household, agency, business and facility must have, at a minimum, weekly collection of garbage and refuse from their premises, or provide the city with verifiable proof of an alternative legal disposal practice or waste management program, which must be approved by the city. It is illegal for any individual, company or organization to place garbage or refuse in or on any public or private property without the expressed consent of the public agency or property owner. Proof of such action, known as “illegal dumping”, can result in prosecution and fines.
Sandy asks…
How much waste is recycled in india?
The Expert answers:
India generates approximately 0.1 million tonnes of municipal solid waste everyday, or about 36.5 million tonnes annually! Of this waste, 40% is just paper. In other words, we produce 14.6 million tonnes of waste paper every year!
Waste paper is not just thrown away or used only for wrapping your purchases at the local kirana shop. Globally, recycling of paper is a huge business. There are global exchanges that deal in waste paper and many countries mandate the recycling of paper.
Machines needed for
making recycled paper
Pulping Machine
Multi-stage Washer
Headbox
Felt
Paper Machine
Dryer
Currently, the recovery of waste paper in India is low at 26% compared to say Germany at 80%, Thailand at 45% and China at 38%, according to the Indian Agro & Recycled Paper Mills Association (IARPMA) estimates. Here, it is pertinent to note that recovery means collecting back for reuse, while recycling means producing paper out of recovered waste paper. This means that out of our consumption of 8.3 million tonnes of paper, only about 2 million tonnes is recovered for reuse. Obviously, there are significant opportunities hidden in paper.
Joseph asks…
How to recycle plastics waste, like polythene bags?
The Expert answers:
Use resuseble bags will be better than to recycling plastic waste.
Lizzie asks…
waste and recycle..?
has your local council issued you with food waste bins’..
and if so.. do you think the rise in council tax , will cover the cost of sending someone round to wash them after they have been emptied.. as we cannot line them with bin bags..
i don’t fancy doing it.. would you ?…
hi helen..it is gross..
we have two brown lidded buckets’..
i will be serving up smaller portions from now on..
we do put all peelings onto a compost heap.. but these bins are for cooked waste food..and the council are doing random wheelie bin checks to ensure that waste foods are not put in them..
The Expert answers:
I’ve got 3 different bins, but none of those bins take glass or plastic. I’ve got a mountain of glass bottles and jars and another mountain of plastic bottles that I have to take to the recycling centre.
I’m paying more for my council tax, yet I’m having to do the work that the binmen used to do?! I don’t understand it.
Thomas asks…
Questions on waste and recycling?
1 Explain why you think the treatment of prescribed or hazardous wastes needs to be closely monitored?
2. As you know Australia has large amounts or uranium which we are selling to Russia and India. One of the aspects of the sale is being negotiated, which is that we in australia are being asked to store any uranium waste. Many Australians are unhappy about what might happen to the radioactive waste in these countries. It may be dumped into the environment or used to build nuclear weapons. It has been suggested that the nuclear waste should be returned to Australia for storage to ensure it is disposed of correctly
(a) Is Australia in any way responsible for what happens to the waste and why?
(b) How do we ensure that the waste is managed properly?
(c) If it is returned to Australia Would you be happy to support a uranium waste repository (storage facility) in your neighbourhood? why or why not? if not where should it go?
thanks please help!
The Expert answers:
1. The hazardous waste could go back into the environment.
(a)Yes,because since they created the waste they have the responsibility of ensuring that the waste is disposed of properly.
(b)The way that you can ensure that the waste is managed properly is by storing the waste in a facility under the ground made of a special metal that cannot be disintegrated or dissolved by the waste. It will be there for thousands of years but it is controlled in the facility.
(c) No, because the waste can come out of the storage facility and harm people. I would put it in a barren place where nothing particularly lives.
Charles asks…
How widespead is food waste recycling in the U.K.?
i.e. What percentage of councils offer this service?
The Expert answers:
Check out DEFRA’s website:
Info on food wastes
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/topics/kitchen.htm
Statistics on UK Waste:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/index.htm
Household waste recycling, by material: 1997/98-2006/07 England
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/kf/wrkf15.htm
Susan asks…
Why Is It Necessary To Recycle Electronic Waste ?
Why Is It Necessary To Recycle Electronic Waste ?
The Expert answers:
In todays society we need to recycle all of the elements of the universe , all gold /silver/ copper / nickel /platinum/ as were at a shortage and landfills are overcrowded. Space is of the essence.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Mark asks…
Why dont Democrats understand that the Lord gave us the earth to do what we want with it?
All I hear from Demoturds is that we need to save the earth and bla bla bla.
Yes I drive a Suburban,
yes shop a Sams Club,
yes I have moral values and no, we do not recycle, fact.
So why do Democrats accuse of us ruining the earth when God gave it to us to do what we want with?
The Expert answers:
We are suppose to be taking care of this planet, not trying to destroy it.*
Sandra asks…
Recycling + Cheerleading=need help?
we are making this video in scince about recycling and we have a cheerleading theme but the problem is we need a cheer about recycling if u have ne idas plz submit
Ps. if u no ne facts about recycling plzz do tell
The Expert answers:
R-e-c-y-c-l-e recyle!
C-o-n-s-e-r-v-e conserve!
Don’t pollute the rivers, skys or seas or else you are going to get…
What you deserveeeeeeee
I stole that from Rocko’s Modern Life. Opps.
Richard asks…
Recycling?????????????????
could someone give me three websites about recycling, and could you give me 3 facts about recycling from each website? ill give best answer!!
The Expert answers:
What about phoning your council! THERES MORE QUESTIONS HERE ON RECYCLING THEN GW!
Laura asks…
recycling around the world?
hey : ) well im doing a project on that and i was wondering if u know any websites where i could compare different recycling methods and find out how different countires contribute to recycling.any useful facts or info would be useful too 😀 thankyou to everyone for reading this and contributing.
The Expert answers:
Alright…this is one site:
http://www.recyclenow.com/
but you do realise that wikipedia is the best place for anything¬!!!
Good luck!xx
George asks…
What’s a good name for an environmental email newsletter?
I am going to send an email to those interested in my company which will have facts about local recycling programs, as well as our company recycling program. I also want to include environmental topics. We have local wildlife reserves and I would like to cover the events that happen there, as well as anything cool coming up like meteor showers, eclipses, etc. I also will have info about websites provided disaster relief since hurricane season is coming up.
Any catchy names for my newsletter?
The Expert answers:
Eco mail
Environews
Daniel asks…
what are the advantages and disadvantages of recycling metals?
i need to find out facts for my science project
The Expert answers:
I think the greatest advantage to the Earth is that there will be less digging in the ground, and in the case of strip mining there is less of a chance of soil erosion from the removal of trees and ground cover which results in mud slides, loss of top soil, water pollution from the machinery and waste material from the mining.
Helen asks…
Why recycling is good?
I need to write a speech on why Recycling is good and
i need a few facts to back me up its a persuasive argument speech.
The Expert answers:
Recycling is good because it can be reused and produce less waste and plastic is very harmful to our planet, so recycling is one of the ways we can help and protect the earth from becoming a waste land. 😉
Maria asks…
What’s the history of recycling?
The Expert answers:
Recycling is the collection of used materials that would otherwise be waste to be broken down and remade into new products. Similarly, reuse is collecting waste such as food and drink containers to be cleaned, refilled and resold. Proponents of recycling say that it prevents waste and reduces the consumption of new raw materials. Commonly recycled materials include glass, paper, aluminum, asphalt, and steel. These materials can be derived either from pre-consumer waste (materials used in manufacturing) or post-consumer waste (materials discarded by the consumer).Many manufactured products are not readily biodegradable and take up space in landfills or must be incinerated. Recycling is an alternative to this. In fact, now there are machines that can recycle waste into energy sources and water. In theory, recycling would allow a continuing reuse of materials for the same purpose. In practice, recycling most often extends the useful life of a material, but in a less-versatile form. For example, when paper is recycled, the fibers shorten, making it less useful for high grade papers. Other materials can suffer from contamination, making them unsuitable for food packaging.
Of the 24 OECD-countries where figures were available, only 16% of household waste was recycled in 2002.
US issues
A neighbourhood recycling station in Oxford, England.
Enlarge
A neighbourhood recycling station in Oxford, England.
State support for recycling may be more expensive than alternatives such as landfill; recycling efforts in New York City in the USA cost $57 million per year.1 Environmentalists argue that the benefits to society from recycling compensate for any difference in cost.
A number of U.S. States, such as California, Hawaii, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan and New York have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers in order to promote recycling. Most are five cents per can or bottle. Michigan’s deposit is 10 cents.
Some cities, such as New York and Seattle, have even created laws that enforce fines upon citizens who throw away certain recyclable materials.
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Reuse
The 600ml brown bottle are the “standard beer reused bottle” in Brazil.
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The 600ml brown bottle are the “standard beer reused bottle” in Brazil.
One form of recycling is the reuse of goods, especially bottles. Reuse is distinguished from most forms of recycling, where the good is reduced to a raw material and used in the making of a new good (example: crushing of bottles to make glass for new bottles). Refillable bottles are used extensively in many European countries; for example in Denmark, 98% of bottles are refillable, and 98% of those are returned by consumers. [1] These systems are typically supported by deposit laws and other regulations.
In some developing nations like India and Pakistan, the cost of new bottles often forces manufacturers to collect and refill old glass bottles for selling cola and other drinks. India and Pakistan also have a way of reusing old newspapers: “Kabadiwalas” buy these from the readers for scrap value and reuse them in packaging or in recycling plants. These scrap intermediaries also help in disposing other articles and metals from the consumers and is a lucrative business for the resellers. [citation needed]
In the former East Germany, organic household waste was collected and used as fodder for pigs. This integrated system was made possible by the state’s control of agriculture; the complexities of continuing it in a market economy after German reunification meant the system had to be discontinued. Organic household waste is still collected separately in some towns in Germany, and may be used for fertilizer or landfilled in more sensitive locations where other waste cannot be.
In North America, organic household waste, especially yard waste such as leaves on a seasonal basis, is often collected and heaped up to form compost.
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History
Recycling and rubbish bin in a German railway station.
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Recycling and rubbish bin in a German railway station.
Recycling is generally at its peak during wartime or energy shortages. Massive government promotion campaigns were carried out in World War II in every country involved in the war, urging citizens to conserve metals and fiber. These resource conservation programs established during the war were continued in some natural resource-poor countries, such as Japan, after the war ended.
In the USA, the next big investment in recycling occurred in the 1970s, due to rises in energy costs (recycling aluminum uses only 5% of the energy required by virgin production; glass, paper and metals have less dramatic but very significant energy savings when recycled feedstock is used). The passage of the Clean Water Act in the USA created strong demand for bleached paper (office paper whose fiber has already been bleached white increased in value as water effluent became more expensive).
On September 17, 1981, the first ever blue box recycling program was launched in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Today, more than 90% of Ontario households have access to recycling programs and annually they divert more than 650,000 tonnes (1 tonne = 2,200 pounds) of secondary resource materials. The “blue box” program has expanded in various forms throughout Canada and to countries around the world such as United Kingdom, France and Australia, serving more than 40 million households in countries around the world. Windsor, Ontario uses a red box for paper and cardboard items only while Ottawa, Ontario uses a black box for this purpose.
In 1987, a barge called the Mobro 4000, containing a little over 3,000 tons of garbage departed from Islip, New York to deposit its load of garbage in Morehead City, North Carolina. However, before it reached its destination, rumors that it contained medical waste caused officials at Morehead City to deny the barge permission to unload its garbage. As a result, the barge traveled down the East coast of the United States searching for a place to unload, eventually being denied in Mexico and Belize. The barge finally returned to Islip, where the trash was incinerated after a brief legal battle. The barge’s journey became a small media event. According the Federal Reserve bank of Boston [2], Kelly Ferguson (editor of a pulp and paper industry newsletter) [3], and conservative columnist John Tierney [4], media coverage of the Mobro 4000 led to the false public perception that American landfills were nearly out of space. They say that this perception led to increased public interest in programs to recycle household goods.
A recycling and rubbish bin in a Berlin public-transport station
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A recycling and rubbish bin in a Berlin public-transport station
Another major event that initiated recycling efforts occurred in 1989 when the city of Berkeley, California, banned the use of polystyrene packaging for keeping McDonald’s hamburgers warm. One effect of this ban was to raise the ire of management at Dow Chemical, the world’s largest manufacturer of Polystyrene, which led to the first major efforts to show that plastics can be recycled. By 1999, there were 1,677 companies in the USA alone involved in the post-consumer plastics recycling business.
Chris asks…
how does recycling help the environment?
how does recycling help the environment ?,meaning that how it works and how it can help our community.
The Expert answers:
Recycling is the process of turning used products into new products, in an attempt to reduce wastefulness. There are a number of different benefits and advantages to the process, and it’s important to understand the impact on the environment.
Recycling Reduces Waste :
One of the important advantages of recycling is that it helps reduce the waste that goes into landfills. Landfills are a site for waste disposal. Unfortunately, the amount of space in landfills is limited.
Landfills are currently filling up faster than expected. In 2000, nearly one hundred landfills had to close because they were filled to the brim. In fact, some individuals contend that within the next fifty years or so, the majority of landfills will have reached their full capacity.
The waste in the landfills emits dangerous gases when it begins to rot. This is dangerous to both the environment and to individuals that might live near the landfills. The gases that the rotting trash emits pollute the environment.
Recycling reduces that amount of waste that is going into the landfill. For example, according to Earth 911, recycling one ton of plastic will save almost seven and a half cubic yards in landfill space.
While the rate that landfills are filling up is certainly still a problem, recycling is one way that can help reduce that rate. Additionally, by reducing the amount of waste going into the landfills, recycling helps reduce the amount of pollution the landfills are emitting.
Reduced Need for Products to Be Manufactured :
Another benefit tor recycling is that the process reduces the amount of new materials that have to be manufactured. The process of manufacturing usually results in a lot of pollution. Factories usually use carbon dioxide in their manufacturing process.
Carbon dioxide has both contributed to air pollution, and contributed to global warming. Global warming is the defined as an increase in the average temperature of Earth’s near surface air and oceans. This increase is specifically due to human activity, and the carbon dioxide emitted from the factories is one of the activities that alleviate the problem of global warming.
Recycling reduces the need for more and more products to be manufactured.
Recycling Saves Rainforests and Resources :
Currently, the rainforests on the Earth are disappearing. While rainforests at one point covered approximately 14% of the Earth’s surface, Rain Tree.com reports that they now only cover approximately 6% of the Earth’s surface.
There are a number of reasons why rainforests are destroyed. Governments frequently chop down the rainforests to gain profit from the timber in the forests. There are a lot of resources throughout the rainforests that are used to make products such as the rubber in shoes.
Regardless of the reason, the facts are that :
Every second approximately an acre and a half of the rainforests is chopped down.
The rainforests are extremely diverse, and the destruction of them means that the world is losing thousands of unique species, and plant life. For example, more than 50% of the species of plants, animals, and insects on the planet live in the rainforest.
The rainforest helps reduce some of the air pollution that is caused by human activity by recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. The Amazon Rainforest alone is responsible for approximately 20% of the Earth’s oxygen.
Recycling reduces the need for the creation of new products from the rainforest, and the timber from the trees. Recycling newspapers, cardboard, and other types of paper reduces the need for more trees to be cut down to produce new paper.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Sharon asks…
Recycling Aluminum Cans?
I was wondering if anyone knows what aluminum cans go for? Is it x amount of $ per pound or per can? how much? (in oklahoma if it makes a difference) Thanks..
To ‘rain’- I’m not a true greenie. I’m not afraid to admit I need some extra money.
The Expert answers:
Well i live in illinios and the price here is around 60 to 65 cents a pound.
Steven asks…
Where can I recycle old mobile phones, mp3 players, cameras and chargers in Melbourne?
I have a bag full and I don’t like the idea of just throwing them in the trash.
Ideas? Thanks
The Expert answers:
Before recycling your old mobile phone, you can compare the prices at the mobile phone recycling comparison website. Different recycling companies and the prices they offer are available at http://www.sellmobilephone.com
Mark asks…
where can i recycle my K510i for a reasonable price?
i want to recycle it for money in exchange or sell it altogether i live in the U.K
The Expert answers:
You can try bringing it back to your provider. I’m not sure if you get money, though.
Lisa asks…
Scrap metal prices?
I was wondering if anyone knows prices for scrap metal around the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia
I’m only after Metal rods, bars, etc. because I’m starting a Go- Kart project and need materials for a frame.
So if anybody roughly knows the price of the stuff around here than many thanks.
The Expert answers:
Scrap Metal recycling prices for various metals and materials can be obtained at http://scrapmetalpricesandauctions.com/
Chris asks…
Where can I recycle cans for profit in New Orleans?
Also, how much is it worth per pound?
The Expert answers:
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for an individual to make any money from recycling cans, and that’s because the price of scrap aluminum is too low to make it worthwhile, unless you have thousands of cans. I don’t know the exact price, but recently, it was about 42 cents per pound. (It varies every day, and I have also seen it around 30 cents a pound.) There are roughly 30-32 cans per pound, so a can might be worth 1.5 cents or so. But that’s a delivered price. You have to bring the cans to the place they will be melted down. If you can’t (and of course, you can’t) you take them to a wholesaler, who will pay you even less money. So unless you have thousands of cans, that price is not high enough to make any money. Even worse, you might have to crush the cans first, so that the buyer knows there aren’t any full cans in the pile to increase the weight.
For example, if you have 300 cans, that is about 10 pounds’ worth. Let’s be optimistic and say you could get 50 cents per pound, which is above the last price I saw and way above what a wholesaler would pay. But assuming that you deliver them to a recycler, the 300 cans might be worth $5.00. However, if you have to drive 10 miles to the recycler and 10 miles back, you would use about a gallon of gas, which means you would be spending at least half the $5.00 on gas. On top of that, you would need to put the cans in large plastic bags for transport, so your profit would be even lower. And that’s even with the optimistic assumptions I made.
It makes sense for communities to do recycling, because they are able to collect thousands of cans every day, and tens of thousands every week. But the economics of it just don’t work for individual people. I know this is not the answer you wanted, but I hope it helps anyway.
Paul asks…
What is recycling to you?
Recycling can mean many things to different people. I want to know that information. Recycling is ___________.
The Expert answers:
A waste of time and money. With few exceptions recycling is promoted by government agencies and/or environmental groups. They are not interested in the cost or labor involved in recycling. They have a political agenda and recycling is part of it.
Take plastic bottles as an example. In my town recycling of plastic bottles is mandatory. We must sort our trash and put plastic bottles in a separate bin. The city loves this program. First they force you to buy a $5 plastic bin from the city for $50. Instant profit for the city. The bins are not numbered so if they get lost or stolen there is no way to track them. If you lose your bin you must pay another $50. Meanwhile the city has a return center for “lost” bins and you get $5 for every bin you turn in. No questions asked, no ID needed. This means you have to take out your bin once a week and stand and guard it until the truck arrives then take it back inside.
If the city finds a plastic bottle in your regular trash it is a $100 fine. More money for the city.
The unions love this recycling project. It means more union jobs as “recycling engineers” as they call the drivers of the special trucks, and “inspectors” who go around and root through your garbage looking for reasons to fine you $100. They also have separate mechanics to work on the recycling trucks. They are just Ford pick ups but they need special mechanics to work on them. At union wages.
The local government and eco groups use this recycling as PR for their “Green Initiative” program. They tell us about all the jobs it creates, the income it brings to our city, and how they are cleaning up the planet.
Meanwhile do you know what they do with the plastic bottles? There is no place to sell them locally and it cost more than the plastic is worth to ship them to the nearest place that reuses them. So the city dumps them in the local landfill. This is what recycling means to me.
Paper recycling. Paper plants get tax subsidies to recycle paper. That is our tax money. Then they sell you the recycled paper at a higher cost than new paper. That’s right. They sell you inferior paper at a higher price because it is “green.”
Recycling metals works because it is private business and not run by the government. Steel, aluminum, copper, lead, etc. Scrap yards buy these metals from you. You make money from recycling and the metal plants save money from buying recyclable metals. It works because it is profitable for both parties and cost no tax dollars.
If private business ever gets into the recycling of plastic, paper, glass, etc without government interference then it will work. Until then it’s a waste of time amd money.
Nancy asks…
when i recycle how many cans would make…….?
$50.00
The Expert answers:
Depends. Are you selling these cans directly to a scrap yard? If so, the money you get will be dependent on the price of aluminum. Alternatively, are you taking these cans to a recycle depot? If so, how much do they pay you for each can? Divide 50.00 by how much they pay you per can to get the number of cans you need. Here they pay 5 cents so it would be 50/0.05 = 1000 cans.
Lizzie asks…
What is the price of aluminum scrap metal in the US?
I want to find out the price of aluminum per pound in the US, as I want to recycle my cans but want to make sure it will be worth the long drive to the plant. Thanks!
The Expert answers:
US$ 2035.00 highest price
US$ 1693.00 Average Price
US$ 1891.21 lowes price
Daily Aluminum – LME Cash Prices
Date DScrap Sellrice Close Price Change Up / Down Changes in (%)
07-21-2009 Tuesday 1671.5 1713.5 +42 +2.45%
07-22-2009 Wednesday 1713.5 1693 -20.5 -1.21%
07-24-2009 Friday 1707 1702.5 -4.5 -0.26%
07-27-2009 Monday 1702.5 1798 +95.5 +5.31%
07-30-2009 Thursday 1814 1775.5 -38.5 -2.17%
08-03-2009 Monday 1819 1863.5 +44.5 +2.39%
08-04-2009 Tuesday 1863.5 1930.5 +67 +3.47%
08-05-2009 Wednesday 1930.5 1904.5 -26 -1.37%
08-07-2009 Friday 1904.5 2001.5 +97 +4.85%
08-10-2009 Monday 2001.5 1972 -29.5 -1.50%
08-11-2009 Tuesday 1972 1998 +26 +1.30%
08-12-2009 Wednesday 1998 1954 -44 -2.25%
Donna asks…
Can you make money recycling?
I use to live on the west coast and remember that there were machines where you could turn in cans and such. I now live in the heartland and have not seen any yet. I do know that you are now required to recycle from your house to the city.
So, is there a place where I can turn in recycled cans and such and get money back?
If so how much do you make a can? and what are the price differences between glass, aluminum, and such?
Due to the present economic recession will you be able to make more money from recycling? And do you think the amount of recycling will increase in light of both the economy and the environment?
Is there a place where I can go straight to instead of a medium like those places that pay you in parking lots “that is if they aren’t direct already” and get paid more?
If you have any more information that I have not even considered to ask about could you please share? Thanks.
Also, does the city make a profit from what we recycle?
Charlie, do you have any idea why that happened? Was it the economy? Does it often fluctuate?
I don’t really understand the label on can and return policy thing. Are you saying some cans will pay you more because you pay for the recycling up front and the governments work with that and pay you back? I would think it would be hard to know which cans especially if you smashed them to fit in a trash can if that is the case.
The Expert answers:
Most places do have a recycling center you can go to. Check out http://earth911.org to find one near you.
Depending on the laws and norms where you live some pay per pound and others pay a redemption value. The redemption value is a deposit you paid when you purchased the product and is usually determined by the state, generally 5 cents per can or bottle but this varies. Some states exclude water from the deposit system. They know which cans even if they’re smashed because it’s a standard system. The only way you can cheat the system is if you bought the product in another state that doesn’t use the system or has a different rate, which is mostly unlikely to happen on a large enough scale to matter much.
Those that pay per pound are based entirely on market value – what they pay is directly tied to what they can sell the melt down for, so yes the economy will dictate that.
Generally, since you paid for the product, you will never MAKE money recycling unless you didn’t pay for the product to begin with AND do it in a high volume. You will only reduce your cost for buying products.
Because most places have a convenient curbside pick up now (whether you know it or not,some jurisdictions sort from your regular trash) recycling will increase, but getting money back will decrease. Why drive to a recycling center when your trash man will do it for you?
For the city to have implemented a recycling program chances are good they are at least making the money back that it costs them to run the program, if not more. The economy might drive places like schools and museums to install recycling bins that they redeem to recover some money. As well I know a few people that are more concerend with every penny so they’ve begun recycling where they would have seen it as a waste of time before. So yes, the economy will boost recycling. However, less people will be able to afford soda and bottled water and such, so this may be a toss up in the end.
Most recycling centers are middle men with a close affiliation to the actual melt down plant. Sometimes they’re owned by the same company but it’s rarely done at the same site.
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Your Questions About Recycling
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Laura asks…
recycling old electronics?
where can i take my old computer to have it recycled? i have totally smashed the hard drive, so am not worried about my data, but don’t want to just throw the old laptop into the trash. Best Buy, maybe?
The Expert answers:
There are several options,
!) put it on freecycle a Yahoo group
2) take to electronics stores, they are no longer suupposed to charge for used electronics ( government changed the charge system)
3) drop off at Scotts Industrial waste cleanup, on fortune Crescent on the south end off Gardiners north of Princess. The plant on the North side at the rear you simply drop it off in the rear. (they have a building on the south side as well but not for ewaste)
James asks…
how do you make/recycle old electronics?
so i keep buying electric keyboards from thrift stores and realizing that they dont work. i was fed up, so i decided i would try to make sense of the inner workings of the keyboards. of course, when i unscrewed the top and peeked inside, i was utterly confused, but also very intrigued. after further inspection, i found 2 parts clearly werent touching, so i manually pressed them together and it actually worked just fine. the only problem was that when you close the keyboard up, the parts dont touch anymore. ive been looking on stumble upon lately and ive seen diy projects of people taking electronics and basically reorganizing all of the components to create something new, usually just at the cost of aesthetics. i really want to try my hand at that type of thing. i figured maybe i could fix the keys, speakers, and other components of my keyboard onto just some flat surface and possibly combine the 3 keyboards i have to make some kind of funky organ type thing with like 3 layers of keys. i guess my question would be do you need an extensive knowledge on things like that, or can the slightly above average informed average joe accomplish that? i want to know what all of the metal tracks and dots on the ever abundant green plane guts of a machine do. where can i find the information i seek?
P.S. this is my first time using yahoo answers, and that was a littlle hard to direct into an intelligible question.
i actually do have a somewhat substantial knowledge, im just not sure how to directly apply it. im studying to become an engineer at the university of arkansas. i just finished my freshman year. physics 2 seems to be the closest ive come to all of this, but the class was very conceptual. i just really want to bridge that gap between the classroom knowledge and applying that knowledge
The Expert answers:
If you like artistic things then junk electronics, they can certainly be used for that purpose without knowing what each part does. I would suggest that you be carefull with batteries, especially lithium batteries because they may be charged and if they are shorted out they can get hot enough to explode.
As far as the wires on the boards is concerned, once a device is beyond repair it really doesn’t matter where the wires go but you can look up some of the ICs and figure out what they do. The keyboards usually have a chip that detects when a key is depressed. One terminal of a whole row or half a row of keys is connected to a digital output of a chip. This output delivers a low power signal that changes from 0 V to maybe 5 V (or vise versa) for a very short time. Columns of keys are connected to inputs of the same IC. When it sees one of these inputs go from 0 to 5V then it knows you pressed a key and it can then send a signal back to the computer to show it on the screen. This is called keyboard scanning because the IC sequences the output pins continuously so at any time when a key is pressed your selection is detected and the computer is signaled.
When I was growing up how things worked was a chalenge to me and that is probably why I tried to find out and ended learing alot about electrical and other engineering.
Good luck on this adventure.
Nancy asks…
Where Can I Recycle Electronics?
I’m looking for a place in Albany, Oregon that will recycle my lap top and might do it for free.
Recycle, NOT donate. The lap top is falling apart and needs recycled.
As soon as I can afford to buy a knew lap top, I need to recycle this one.
It’s falling apart.
The Expert answers:
I entered Laptops and Albany Oregon on Earth911 and it spit out dozens of sites within 25 miles.
Go to the site and enter in your zip code to find the closest recycling sites to you.
William asks…
how to start an electronics recycling company?
I got little money, but really feel this is a great project cause here where i live they don’t recycle electronics at all. how do i get it started?
The Expert answers:
Given below point will help you.
1. Draft a budget, marketing plan and operations plan for your business. Design or buy forms that you need to keep tax records. Plan your schedule so that you have time every week to keep track of your income and expense and to review your marketing and operations plans.
2. Assess the market opportunity in your area. Make a list of several categories of electronic equipment users that you can contact about picking up their discarded electronics. In addition to individual consumers, consider businesses, churches, nonprofit organizations, healthcare facilities, public and private schools and day care facilities. Depending on your area, your city and local government and utility providers might also be great prospects.
3. Review the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations on electronics recycling. Get information about state and local recycling regulations and services already in place. Consult your local government about any permits and licenses that your business may need. Check with your insurance company about the use of your personal vehicle in your business. Get additional coverage or a rider, if necessary.
4. Locate buyers for the electronic equipment that you plan to collect for your recycling business. Some larger cities have centralized recycling locations run by the government that accept recyclables from consumers and entrepreneurs. In other cases, you may need to find companies that pay for recycled electronics by consulting business directories and your local phone book.
5. Decide whether you will collect electronic equipment from both consumers and businesses. Initially it may be more efficient to collect unwanted electronic equipment from businesses. In most cities, businesses tend to be grouped close together due to zoning laws. You may spend less time collecting equipment in an office park than trying to contact individual consumers.
6. Find out the rates that master recyclers pay for used electronics in your area. This can range from a few cents per item to several dollars. You may need to identify more than one electronics reclaimer that will accept your recycled electronics. Some may specialize in audio or video equipment only and refuse items like portable telephones and computers.
7. Set up a fee structure that you can advertise to potential prospects for pickups. You can offer to pick up discarded electronics from prospects for a fee or at no cost to them. Some recyclers also elect to provide a small financial reward as an incentive for people to hold discards for them instead of a competitor. Estimate your potential profit and determine if splitting it with the equipment donor is practical.
8. Make a schedule for picking up equipment from customers that have agreed to give you their discarded electronics. Let your prospects know how frequently you expect to visit their area. Give prospects a way to contact you to schedule special pickups, if their normal equipment disposal schedule changes.
Susan asks…
how many of you recycle your electronics?
I’m doing a research essay about e-waste. I was wondering how many people really recycling their electronics. Yes, no, or any answer relating to this question will be fine. 🙂 Please and Thank you!
Eample: phones, computer, TV, printers, and etc.
The Expert answers:
I don’t recycle them because there isn’t an electronic recycling center near me.
Charles asks…
Can I make money for recycling certain electronics?
Can you make money through recycling electronics?
The Expert answers:
Yes, you can make money by recycling your electronics as now a days many online site provide platform which buys your E-waste and also pay a respectable amount for it.
Ruth asks…
Are electronics easily disassembled and recycled?
(computers, game systems, refrigerators, televisions)
The Expert answers:
No way. Electronics are an amalgamation of many different types of materials, some of which are actually worth “harvesting” and others are not.
Often times the way electronics “Recycling” works is by feeding circuit boards into a chipper, feeding the result into a furnace and them collecting the melted copper and gold. The waste is disposed of, so it’s not really recycling. This is what happens in asia and india with our old pc’s.
Refrigerators are a whole separate issue due to the complications caused by their compressors and chemicals used in them.
Recycling appliances and electronics is really difficult. The only effective method of recycling is encouraging the re-use of old items and extending the time before they end up in the landfill.
Mary asks…
How much output would our economy get from recycling electronics?
Can you give me different resources about this topic?
The Expert answers:
Your question suggests it doesn’t recycle at all, it does by sending the old stuff abroad by the container load.
How much could this be improved, I suspect quite a lot.
Http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/2aae1d283e9996cf85257944005c71d4?OpenDocument
http://www.urtrecycles.com/ProductsServices/ElectronicsRecycling.aspx
Sandra asks…
Is certification required for collection of electronics for recycling?
certification requirements for collection of electronics for recyling
The Expert answers:
I worked ten years for a pair of fly-by-night but one-long-coming remanufacturing plants of chemical agents used in the making of various electronic components.
Dramatizing, mind you, sometimes the mob and the garbage man are the only ones doing what is right by accord of the larger picture of natural harmony.
I suppose you ought to pay taxes on your business success by pursuing a business license or by listening to better advice than I know to give you.
In recycling huge volumes of the slop that formerly was the stuff buried in pits in Mexico and was $400/55 gal drum to have buried, I was amazed that the chemistry of its undoing was a high I cannot begin to convey to you…and there is no question to me how the spiritual and the scientific are one origin that is like your best friend who works as three-headed dog at the gates of someplace where the door styx so please show some respect.
Understand all that goes into the brainery of electronic material manipulation and you’ll find much human genius that didn’t bother to clean up its mess after finishing its last project, and if it had , it would never have run into that big snag it has, as growing stigma, on its current project.
Using makeshift garbage equipment, a ten-man job of chemical production can be safely performed with the focus of one…in a weekend , not six months. But whom I? It is a cooperative effort of countless thousands that is
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