Comments on: Where to Recycle or Donate Electronics

By: Soccer9040

Soccer9040 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:01:14 +0000

Officemax is where its at. 10 cartriges per week. Last month had 5 weeks in it. The real bonus is that some stores will let you buy gift cards with your reward check.

I also have 3 staples accounts (Me, wife & a work account). I staggered them so that one account’s reward checks are always expiring. (Think CD ladder) Its $90 bucks a month of free $$.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:53:53 +0000

HOw did you get $150? I recycle printer cartridges at Staples and it’s only $3 each, limit 10 a month.

By: Soccer9040

Soccer9040 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:29:19 +0000

The Staples & OfficeMax recycling program is AWESOME! I hope I’m not the only one taking advantage of this program. I earned $150 bucks this past month. It just doesn’t get any easier.

By: CAB

CAB — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:52:20 +0000

I need to properly dispose of a few things and I’m in Columbia, SC. What is the name of the place that recycles e-trash here, and where is it located?

By: e-man

e-man — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:04:35 +0000

im new to this but i hate receling but its true wat u guys are saying so i have just recyeled 100 elctronies that i had laying around my house isnt that great yeahhh =]

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:05:26 +0000

I just bought ink cartridges and they came with an insert to recycle the old ones and they would cover the shipping cost. Great link Jon. If I never need to recycle electronics I can go there since it is pretty close to me.

By: Posco

Posco — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:29:54 +0000

Pay ten dollars??

Check with your city’s or county’s sanitation department. They may not charge anything, though you’ll need to transport to some collection point that may be less convenient than Staples.

Los Angeles has a program called S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) for recycling and disposal. Check it out: http://www.lacity.org/san/solid_resources/special/hhw/safe_centers/

And, yes, I agree that CFL bulbs ARE electronics.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:54:08 +0000

The Goodwill in our area won’t accept any electronics unless they are in working order because they don’t have the capacity to repair them for resale.

You can also drop off old cell phones in most cell phone stores like Sprint, Verizon, etc. I’d try donating it to someone who could use it first, but if it is beyond repair or too old, just drop it off in the recycle box.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:26:20 +0000

Don’t forget Freecycle!

By: jim

jim — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:18:26 +0000

Glenn – You are totally right, many people, including myself, just don’t think of them as electronics in the way that a television, receiver, or computer as electronics. Technically, anything that runs on electricity is electronic right?

By: Glenn Lasher

Glenn Lasher — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:39:21 +0000

I hope you won’t mind a minor nitpick . . . I disagree that CFLs aren’t really electronics. If you were to open the base of one (I don’t recommend this, by the way), you will find that the ballast consists of a combination of different components built up into a controller that rectifies the input power (i.e. turns AC to DC), re-inverts (i.e. turns DC to AC) at a higher frequency (this is to prevent visible flickering) and provides a widely-varying complex of voltages in order to make the tube light and warm up quickly, then run at a reduced voltage once it is started. The benefits of these electronics are (a) no observable flicker (b) instant-on (c) instant-full-power (on some models), (d) no audible hum/buzz.

This is in addition to the mercury that they contain.

By: Kara

Kara — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:33:39 +0000

Another place to recycle cell phones is through Good Deed Foundation, they offer an on-the-spot printable label and the money goes to women in poverty and climate change. The printable label can be found here: http://www.gooddeedfoundation.com/files/Envelope%20-%20331.pdf
They also have teh option of ordering a collection box for your community or if you don’t have a printer to request an envelope..

Also – HomeDepot recently announced that each of their stores will offer CFL recycling (for when the bulbs actually die… in five years!) Here’s their Press Release: http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/stage/pdf/cfl_recycle.pdf

Staples also offers a discount on the purchase of another print cartridge if you bring one in! I think theirs is $3 as well.

And if you have more time, trust your neighborhood, want to clean out your house of objects, FreeCycle is a great way to engage in a green lifestyle : )

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:17:35 +0000

In MD, you can bring old electronics to the Baltimore County Resource Recovery Facility.

http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/publicworks/solid_waste/trash_disposal_faq.html

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:09:57 +0000

You can get $3 off a purchase at OfficeMax for bringing in an old ink cartridge. Just give the old cartridge to the cashier and they’ll take the money off right there.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:08:14 +0000

I recently discovered that my area, Columbia, SC, has a program for recycling e-trash. The downside is that they only accept the items on specific days at specific times. These times are of course during the normal work day. Luckily, I work not far from the place and just packed my car in the morning and took the stuff over during my lunch hour.