Yes, Virginia, Recycling Really Does Help Save the Planet in Three Important Ways

While the debate continues about whether recycling can actually rescue the planet, here are three vital ways in which it is already rescuing the third rock from the sun.

One, recycling saves trees. Paper consumption remains at the base of the consumer-use pyramid. Americans alone use more than 90 million short tons of paper and paperboard every year. That amounts to each person using an average of 700 pounds of paper products each year to the tune of 2 billion books, 350 million magazines and 24 billion newspapers. Another way to think about it is that it takes about 500,000 trees to generate each week’s Sunday newspapers. In other words, recycling just a single run of the Sunday New York Time would save about 75,000 trees. Recycling plainly helps reduce the number of trees that are cut down each year to produce these and other products.

Two, recycling saves energy. Recycled paper requires less energy to manufacture than creating new paper from trees. Energy comes in many forms, including that which equipment uses to cut down the trees, the transportation that is required to move the trees to the paper mills, and the manufacture of new paper in Combined Heat & Power (CHP) plants, which also produce carbon emissions. In addition, it takes three gallons of water to produce just one sheet of paper. Recycling significantly reduces the large environmental footprints of producing paper and other manufactured goods. Glass and aluminum require substantially less energy to recycle into refurbished products than creating them new from raw materials. For example, it takes about 95% more energy to produce a new aluminum can than the 5% it takes to re-create one from recycled aluminum.

Three, recycling saves money. Selling or gifting your recyclables to organizations that accept these donations allows those goods to be used by others with little to no cost. It further provides you with the ability to claim a tax deduction for the donation. Moreover, when you purchase goods made from recycled items, they tend to be less expensive while being gentler to the planet. Other ways recycling saves money is it enables you to use things like eggshells, vegetable peelings and similar items as fertilizer, avoiding the need to buy costly, unhealthy fertilizer from the store. Shopping for like-new items in thrift shops and consignment stores, rather than paying the full retail price, also considerably reduces the cost of clothing and lightens environmental footsteps on the big, blue marble called home. Reusing containers, jars, plastic bags and boxes not only saves money, but also makes sense – and cents. 

Visit this website to learn more about appliance recycling in Santa Clara and how recycling saves the planet and your wallet.

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Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves Before Recycling Your Computer

 

Identity theft is one of the world’s fastest growing crimes. Many people do not realize that their electronics, including computers, cell phones, tablets, and even fax machines retain hidden personal data even if you have deleted all files and folders. Before you recycle your computer, take these steps to be sure your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

1.       Wipe your hard drive.

Deleting a file doesn’t actually remove it; it just marks it as a file that can be written over. Erase the hard drive with software that meets Department of Defense standards; these programs will overwrite the hard drive multiple times with meaningless data, displacing your old files.

2.       Check other data storage locations.

You should remove any programs installed on your machine, like browsers, that store personal data.

Check to make sure you don’t have data in other locations where files are stored, such as CD-ROM discs still in the drive, or SD cards still inserted in slots.

3.       Encryption adds an extra layer of protection.

For additional protection long before you are considering parting with your computer, use encryption software; this will make it difficult for anyone to mine your data over the life of the machine. Once you are ready to dispose of the computer, you will rest easy knowing that even if you have forgotten something, the extra security will ensure your data won’t be accessible.

If your computer is ready to retire, visit this website to learn more about recycling company in Mountain View.

100 Percent Recyclable

Glass used for food and beverage containers is 100 percent recyclable and can be reused endlessly. Recycling glass saves raw materials, conserves energy and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, consumers can recoup the deposit they pay when they bring glass to a recycling center.

Why Recycling at the Office Makes Sense

Most people are accustomed to recycling household trash, and it’s easy to put your plastics and aluminum in a bin to place on the curb once a week; however, many businesses have never considered a recycling program because they never analyzed the benefits. Here are some surprising facts that show how valuable this practice can be to a business.

1.       Recycling is cheaper than waste management.

If you are throwing out a lower volume of trash than before, you can get a discount on waste management services. The company that removes your trash for you may even be able to find a market for you to sell your recycled materials. Employees develop a sense of thrift from recycling and often stop carelessly using supplies, which also improves your bottom line.

2.       Protect confidentiality.

When your business documents are shredded and baled for recycling, you can rest easy knowing no one is dumpster diving for your company’s trade secrets. Recycling companies can provide special bins with limited access to further protect this information.

3.       Polish your image.

Going green is not only popular, but your clients and employees will hold you in higher regard. By reducing pollution and waste, you display conscientiousness and responsibility. It boosts morale in the workplace because employees like to be associated with programs that have social benefits.

If you are ready to start a recycling program at your place of business, visit this website to learn more about computer recycling in San Jose.

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3 Tips on How to Recycle Office Computers

 

Electronics, including computers, have valuable components made of metals, plastic and glass which are expensive to mine and manufacture. Recycling old office computers not only preserves natural resources but also helps reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions produced in landfills. Check out these tips on how to recycle your computers.

1.       Erase your data.

It is your computers you want to recycle, not your company’s private data. To protect your information from potential theft, be sure to use credentialed software that can thoroughly do the job of wiping your hard drives clean. Just deleting files from your computer does not erase them.

2.       Help your community.

If you want to help the underprivileged, you could donate your old equipment to a charity, as long as the computers are not too old to support up-to-date software. You can get a tax deduction for doing this.

3.       Look for a reputable recycling company.

Verify a company’s credentials to be sure they actually recycle responsibly. Computers contain many hazardous materials such as mercury, lead and cadmium which can be environmentally dangerous. They also contain valuable metals like aluminum, gold, and copper; sometimes computers you may think have been recycled have been shipped to third world countries to extract these metals.

You can check with the manufacturer of your computers as they often sponsor recycle programs, as do major retailers, but you may find it more practical to use the services of a local company. To learn more about computer recycling in San Jose, visit this website.