On your own – If your property manager cannot provide recycling, or you are a small business, meet with your green team and decide what materials you want to recycle.

1. Contact a recycling company – Interview multiple companies and get price estimates for providing a dumpster and pickup services. Most recycling companies provide rebates on materials collected.

These companies provide recycling pick up services in the Kansas City region. They will provide a dumpster and establish a regular pick up schedule to meet your needs.

• Abitibi-Consolidated Recycling
• Allied Waste
• Batliner Paper Stock Company
• C & H Transfer
• Deffenbaugh Recycling
• National Fiber Supply
• Paper Stock Dealers
• Smurfit-Stone Recycling

1. Drop-off Recycling – If pickup services are not an option, another option is to take your recyclables to a drop-off recycling center.
2. Coordinate collection – with the recycling service provider, janitorial crew and/or staff. Think about:
   • Small bins – You can provide durable recycling containers to each staff person or ask them to use copy paper boxes or something similar at their work stations. Decide what type and size of bin to locate next to printers, fax machines and other machines that generate paper.
   • Central bins – Locate large recycling bins in copy rooms or break rooms.
   • Collection – Create a regular schedule and determine who will pick up recycling from the small and central bins. It may be staff, janitorial crew or a combination.
   • Drop-off recycling – If your staff is using a drop-off collection center, set up a team and schedule for taking recyclables to the center. You may also need to determine a place to store recyclables.
   • Communicate all this information to your entire staff and janitorial crew.
3. Educate staff
   • Distribute fact sheets describing the new recycling program for employees and janitorial staff and post updates on your company’s intranet site.
   • Provide bins and collection containers as mentioned above.
   • Mark containers with signs labeled by item. It is helpful to use the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol.

Full Article: http://ewastedisposal.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-set-up-recycling-at-your.html

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November 4, 2010

With the speed of of a melting glacier, Australia’s recycling industry is grinding towards its long-promised national scheme for recycling old computers, televisions and mobile phones, as well as bottles and cans.

There were pledges of future legislation and further studies, but few tangible results to report so far, at a meeting of state and federal environment ministers in Sydney yesterday.

The quick action on a national “cash for cans” recycling scheme, flagged by former Environment Minister Peter Garrett as last year’s meeting, will have to wait until next year while a review into its impact on industry is completed.

Legislation to underpin a scheme for recycling electronic waste will not be in place until July next year. The ongoing delays mean up to 200 million electronic items will now go into landfill over the next seven months instead of being recycled.

A scheme for recycling old tyes will be in place by November next year, while legislation for recycling packaging and limiting plastic bag use is now set down for March 2012.

The NSW Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, called for faster action.

“The TV and e-waste strategy is going far too slowly – there is a timetable that’s been proposed but it’s got to be expedited,” Mr Sartor said. “The wheels of COAG move very slowly and they need some WD40.”

Full Article: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/conservation/recycling-industry-heading-for-change-20101104-17fzx.html

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The Basel Action Network is pleased to announce the solution to one of the most serious toxic waste issues of our time:

The e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment®

The Standard is the result of long collaboration between the environmental community and leaders in the recycling, auditing, occupational health, data security, and manufacturing industries as well as from the accredited third party certification industry. It is the standard that will be applied in the e-Stewards third party audited, accredited certification for electronics recyclers that will be begin in early 2010.

Two documents are now available:

The complete e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment (which contains the entire ISO 14001 standard) that serves as the basis for official certifications. Our use of ISO proprietary language and our licensing of it from ANSI requires a purchase price. To purchase, click here to go to the purchase page, where you will see a “Buy Now” button. Or, send a check for $125 dollars payable to The Basel Action Network, 122 South Jackson Street, Suite 320, Seattle, WA, 98104, along with an email address and we will send you a PDF copy.

An excerpted version of the complete Standard, which contains all the industry-specific e-Stewards performance requirements, but only summarizes the ISO requirements. This version may not be used for the purposes of certification. The purpose of this excerpted document is to provide access to information about the specific e-Stewards requirements that are built into the ISO requirements for an environmental management system. This version is available at no cost and can be freely distributed. Click here to download.

See www.e-Stewards.org for more information:

Link: 

http://electronic-recycling.blogspot.com/2009/07/e-steward-standard-is-finished.html

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July 31, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chairman Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), a founding member of the Congressional E-waste Working Group introduced a resolution today (H.Res. 1395) expressing the opposition of the U.S. House of Representatives to the federal policy allowing toxic electronic waste, or “e-waste” exports to developing nations. The resolution also calls for the U.S. to join other developed nations to ban such trade.

“We have introduced this resolution today to draw Congressional and public attention to this pressing problem,” Green said. “Many Americans are unaware that discarded electronics contain lead, mercury, and other toxics and end up being salvaged under inhumane conditions in the developing world.”

“I am encouraged by the efforts to improve e-waste recycling in the U.S., but progress is an illusion when ‘recycling’ means exporting e-waste to be picked over by scavengers under hazardous conditions,” Green said.

“If we export our e-waste improperly, it can come back to haunt us,” Green said. “Instead, we should create jobs by recycling it properly at home.”

See full article here:

http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx29_green/20080731ewaste.html

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LANSING, MI. — The following is a message from the Michigan Senate:

The Michigan Senate today approved legislation that will establish a manufacturer-driven program to increase the recycling of consumer computer electronics without a charge on consumers. Both measures, sponsored by Sens. Patty Birkholz and Valde Garcia, were sent to the governor to be signed into law.

“E-waste recycling is an important program because it allows state residents to properly handle old computer equipment free of charge,” said Birkholz, R-Saugatuck Township. “By recycling these items, consumers can help reduce the amount of hazardous materials being placed in our landfills.”

Senate Bill 897, sponsored by Garcia, and SB 898, sponsored by Birkholz, will require manufacturers of consumer computer electronics to implement a take-back program for the free return of computers and video display devices that they produce. To participate, a manufacturer must first register with the state.

Part of the Senate Republican “Green Michigan Initiative,” the legislation will:

• Outline registration guidelines for manufacturers who opt to be in the program;
• Establish requirements for the electronics take-back program;
• Develop an Electronic Waste Advisory Council;
• Create the Electronics Waste Recycling Fund.

To read the entire article, please follow this link: 

http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=237258

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