Where to recycle electronics

So your electronic whatsamajigger just died. Don't take it to the dump! It can be recycled.

Check out local electronics recycling options here. Accepted items include TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computer monitors, CPUs, mice, keyboards, cell phones, power supplies, laptops, scanners, computer cables and cords, stereos, answering machines, and other home electronics. They do not accept appliances at this time.

Don't forget the donation/reuse/repair angle. Check out the Baltimore County re-use directory for information on where to send your not-quite-dead or repairable electronics. There are plenty of charities that accept old cell phones for reuse by soldiers stationed abroad or survivors of domestic violence.

What about the accessories that go with your electronics: batteries? printer ink? light bulbs?

The MyGreenElectronics website lists corporate recycling and re-use programs by Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, wireless phones, Best Buy, Nokia, and Motorola. Just the other day I dropped off some spent printer ink cartridges at my local Best Buy: the recycling kiosk is right inside the front door. I've also recycled printer ink cartridges at Office Depot, and I imagine you can do the same at Staples and other office supply stores.


You can recycle alkaline (AA, AAA) batteries, light bulbs, and plastic bags at IKEA.

Recycling and re-use programs are out there, and new initiatives are popping up all the time. If your favorite store doesn't appear to have recycling programs, ask a manager or check their webpage.

Photo credit: Chris Jordan creates remarkable photographic art. A few of his recent projects illustrate American consumption and waste on a grand scale. Click here to view "Running the Numbers." Ever wonder what two million plastic beverage bottles looks like? That's the number used in the US every five minutes. View his main website here.

Curbside recycling in Baltimore

I'm always surprised to run into people in the Baltimore area who aren't aware of the curbside recycling programs. It's so easy! Just sort your paper, bottles, and cans into clear bags or open-top containers (or toss them all in together if you live in a single-stream recycling area) and put them outside on the prescribed day.

Baltimore County picks up recyclables every week, with paper and glass/cans/plastic on alternating weeks. Check their webpage to see what can and can't be recycled curbside. Better yet: post a copy of the list wherever you keep your recycling bins for quick reference until you learn the system.

Baltimore City just recently switched to single-stream recycling. Read the details and check your zone schedule here.

But what if it's raining? You can still put your recycling outside. The guidelines request keeping paper out of plastic bags even in the rain, so I put mine in cardboard boxes or re-usable plastic storage containers to avert wet paper disaster.

Where to recycle household hazardous waste

News from the Baltimore County recycling website:

The Spring 2008 Household Hazardous Waste One Day Collection Event will be held on Sunday, April 13, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Baltimore County Resource Recovery Facility (BCRRF) in Cockeysville. Baltimore County residents may drop off unwanted household chemicals, paints, pesticides, mercury thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs, re-chargable batteries, ammunition, fireworks and automotive fluids. No trash will be accepted at this event. No commercial or institutional materials will be accepted at this event. For questions or additional information, call 410-887-3745 or check their website.

Household hazardous waste materials include paint thinner, car batteries, polishes, insecticides, mercury thermometers and glues. These materials are too dangerous to be simply poured down the drain or placed into a garbage can. Some, such as gasoline, thinners, lighter fluid or glues and adhesives can catch fire. Others, such as pool chemicals and bleaches, can react violently with other materials to explode or produce toxic gases. Many, such as lawn and garden or agricultural chemicals, can be toxic if inhaled or ingested, and can cause serious medical problems. HHW is accepted at the Eastern Sanitary Landfill Solid Waste Management Facility (ESL) in White Marsh April through November, Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Why recycle?

Recycling saves energy! Here are some facts from the Baltimore County recycling webpage:

1. A recycled six-pack of aluminum cans could save enough energy to drive a car five miles.
2. Every ton of newspaper recycled saves 4,100 kWh of electricity, enough energy to power a TV for 31 hours.
3. The energy equivalent of 16.3 barrels of oil is used when one ton of plastic bottles is produced.
4. Steel recycling saves enough energy to electrically power the equivalent of 18 million homes for a year.
5. One recycled aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a computer for three hours.
6. Americans waste 500,000 trees every Sunday by throwing away their newspapers instead of recycling them.
7. Recycling one ton of plastic bottles saves enough energy to run a refrigerator for a month.
8. Recycling 25 aluminum cans conserves one gallon of gasoline.
9. Recycling one ton of paper saves the energy equivalent of 39 gallons of gasoline, enough fuel to run the average car for 975 miles.
10. It takes 20 times more energy to make a steel can from raw materials than from recycled steel cans.

Meet SCIP

I recently discovered GreenTech radio, which podcasts about green building technology. The latest one was sponsored by Studio-RMA, an architecture firm in California, on the topic of SCIP.

SCIP stands for Structural Concrete Insulated Panels. It consists of insulating foam panels reinforced with 12-ga steel mesh, and covered on both faces with shotcrete (sprayed-on concrete). Robotic welding of the mesh and foam results in a strong assembly, made even stronger by the concrete-on-mesh facing.

These panels can withstand 200 mph winds, and seismic forces up to 8 on the Richter scale, plus they boast a 4-hour fire rating. Panels are vermin- and termite-resistant, and insulation values start at R-40.

Why are they green? First of all, they are built with recycled and sustainable materials. Unlike SIP (Structural Insulated Panels, faced with wood) structures, SCIP buildings can last up to 100 years because concrete does not deteriorate as quickly as wood when exposed to weather. When a SCIP building is demolished, the panels can be crushed, and each component recycled separately.

SCIP panels are currently being used in residential construction, especially in areas of the southern USA damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Retaining wall testing is underway, and they may be used in dam construction in the future.

Stay tuned for more on new green building materials...

So many acronyms...

Over the past few months I’ve been collecting a list of acronyms that are useful for navigating the world of green building and the technical BIM and interoperability jargon that is sprouting up around it. View my list here.

Tiny is terrific!

Could you imagine living in a house less than 100 square feet? Jay Schafer could. In fact, he liked the idea so much that he started the Tumbleweed Tiny House company to design and sell his lilliputian creations. Now people all around the country are living in small, semi-portable Tumbleweed houses.

They come in various sizes ranging from 70 to 770 square feet. Building plans can be customized, and if you aren't the do-it-yourself type you can even have them build and ship it to you in about three months. All but the largest versions are built on trailers, so they can be towed anywhere, plugged to electricity (or solar/wind/hydro/etc power) and made your own.

Building materials in Baltimore

An entry in the Cheapskate monthly newsletter reminded me of a favorite shopping destination here in Baltimore: Second Chance Architectural Salvage.

Not only do they give old buildings new life by rescuing unique architectural elements from demolition, they also provide job training for low-income residents of Baltimore by providing instruction in construction skills from carpentry to precision deconstruction techniques.

While their main focus is building materials, they do sell furniture too. On my last trip to Second Chance a few weeks ago, I came away with a lovely little cherry dresser, gently used. You never know what treasures you will find in their warehouses! Remember, antiquing is recycling.

Here are some other local stores that give construction materials a second chance...

The Baltimore ReStore. Grand opening coming up on April 5. This Habitat for Humanity fundraiser serves the community by providing discount building materials, and serves the environment by keeping these materials out of landfills.

The Loading Dock. Their motto is “Don’t Dump: Donate!” ...proving that you really can build a house with what people throw away. Look for them at the Ecofestival during Baltimore Green Week.

In other cities...

New York "Build It Green"

Or check the national directory at the Building Materials Reuse Association webpage.

Greensburg goes green

A city in Kansas called Greensburg (yep, Greensburg) that was decimated by a tornado in May 2007 has resolved to rebuild their community as sustainably as possible: all city buildings are to be certified LEED platinum. It will be the first city in the country to undertake such an endeavor. Read the press release on the USGBC website here.

Why buy organic?

A recent study from the University of California at Davis found that organically grown tomatoes had higher amounts of two disease-fighting flavonoids than conventionally raised tomatoes. Plus, the levels of these two nutrients rose over the course of the 10-year project until they were 97 and 79 percent higher, respectively.

Why? Organic plants have to work harder than plants raised on chemical fertilizers to fight off infections and predators, and to extract nutrients from the soil. Because of this, they grow more slowly and have the time to produce more nutrients. There is also evidence that organic produce contains more antioxidants than conventionally-grown produce.

Need more incentive to buy organic? Consider the Bug Arms Race concept presented by Steven Hopp in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: evolution is based on survival of the strongest, the fittest, the most adaptable. Repeated spraying of pesticides by farmers is weeding out only the weaker bugs, while the stronger bugs develop resistance to pesticides in much the same way that some germs in humans are developing resistance to antibiotic medicines. These chemicals are also killing micronutrients in the soil that are essential to plant health, fertility, and resistance to diseases.

When pesticides were first introduced in 1948, farmers used about 50 millions pounds of them and suffered a 7 percent crop loss. Contrast that with year 2000: farmers used more like a billion pounds of pesticides and lost 13 percent of their crops.

Note that 20 percent of chemical pesticides are listed by the EPA as carcinogenic in humans.

(sources: Good Housekeeping, January 2008, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver)