By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Special for USA TODAY

Consumers saddled with old cellphones, TVs and computers are flocking to electronics recycling events, which have sprung up in more than 1,000 communities over the past four years.

But don’t be fooled, activists warn. Items collected at free events are sometimes destined for salvage yards in developing nations, where toxins spill into the water, the air and the lungs of laborers paid a few dollars per day to extract materials.

“If nobody is paying (the collectors) to take this stuff, especially if they’re getting a lot of televisions, then they are very likely exporting because that’s how they make the economics work,” says Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a San Francisco-based advocacy group.

“E-waste,” or electronics trash, is piling up faster than ever, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Americans discarded 47 million computers in 2005, up from 20 million in 1998. Factor in other forms of electronics, and the nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, according to estimates from the EPA and the TakeBack Coalition.

To Read the FULL article, please click on the following,

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/environment/2008-07-06-ewaste-recycling_N.htm

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The future is… Geep!

Sunday, Jun. 21, 2009 | 06:34 PM AT

E-waste or electronic waste is everywhere. And it isn’t pretty. It’s actually pretty toxic–what with all those plastic bits and heavy metals, etc. Of course, by now you know that when you want to get rid of your TV or computer, you must take it to an eco-centre, not throw it in the trash. You knew that, right?

But perhaps you didn’t know this:
A lot of our e-waste (and plastics and paper) is shipped off to China, where the “real” recycling takes place. It’s really nice of China to be taking in all our rubbish (although these days, with the falling price of commodities, they’re less and less interested in recycling stuff when the secondary markets are drying up). But let’s face it, China isn’t exactly a world leader in environmental or safety policy. Plus, there’s all that very un-green shipping back and forth.
Luckily, there are companies right here in Canada that are working quite hard to come up with a zero-landfill, local solution (and you’re a part of it!)
Welcome to Geep Ecosys.

Did you say “Geep”?
That’s pronounced “geep”… with a hard “g” like “Geeta” or “go”. Sounds funny, no? Actually, it’s an acronym that stands for Global Electric Electronic Processing. The way that VP Bruce Hartley explained it to me, if your item has a battery or a power cord, they can arrange its eco-friendly disposal for you.

What Geep does
* They take in used and broken electronics and break them down into “commodities” (plastics, metals like aluminum, gold, silver, mercury, cadmium, etc). Most of these commodities are then resold for use in other electronics.
* They refurbish stuff that still has some life left in it. This could be your sewing machine, your Gameboy, your modem or the laptop that you swapped for something faster. And consumers rejoice, because you can go to the Geep showroom in Dorval and actually purchase these refurbished products at a fraction of the cost of a brand new thingummy.
* They aren’t kidding when they say they recycle EVERYTHING with a power cord or battery port. This means your TV remote, your iPod (although Apple offers a rebate on a new toy if you bring your old one in), your blender and also computers, MRI machines, professional scanners, etc. Everything!
* They have a great social program where they partner with Réseau québécois de CFER, a program that provides vocational training and social reintegration opportunities to marginalized youth. CFER partners with companies like Bureau en Gros (where you could bring in your printer for recycling, let’s say). Then workers at CFER dismantle the machines and Geep either buys the commodities off them or provides internships and jobs to CFER graduates.

What’s in it for you?
* Make some money: If you work for a company that often has large amounts of e-waste that’s still functional, Geep will actually pay you a fair market value for your stuff. They’ll then refurbish it and sell it and thus prolong its life. This helps you offset the costs of buying new equipment while keeping your eco-karma sparkling clean!
* Buy refurbished By buying electronics secondhand at Geep, you can save hundreds of dollars while constantly staying on top of the market!

The catch
For the moment, Geep does have to charge you a small fee (it’s usually under $15) to recycle your ewaste. This will be phased out when the government introduces a “recycle tax” (like the one we pay on tires). This is where consumers pay a small premium on their brand new toys to cover the eventual cost of disposing them off safely. Until that tax comes into effect, Geep does charge a little fee. On the bright side, if you buy a refurbished product, the fee is usually waived!

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