The longer I’m around, the more I notice the cyclical nature of, well, life. What goes around does, indeed, come around.

The question of recycling, where, how & why is often asked. And so, the question is revisited with the hopes that it will help make “reduce, reuse, recycle” an easy, fun, frequent activity. Plus, isn’t that part of going around & coming around, too?

Here are a few great on-line resources for reducing, reusing & recycling. Some serious & some just serious fun:

• earth911.com & 1800recycling.com (All Kinds of Recycling): For all kinds of info on where to recycle what, when & how in your neighborhood. These are a couple of those go-to sites.
• batteryrecycling.com (Batteries): For rechargeable & single use batteries, check out Battery Solutions.
• habitat.org/env/restores.aspx (Building Stuff): Habitat ReStore accepts leftovers in good condition from construction & remodeling jobs & uses the proceeds to fund affordable housing projects.
• dressforsuccess.org (Business Clothing): Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success & they’ll give them to low-income women searching for jobs.
• ncadv.org (Cell Phones): Donate old cellphones to help raise money for your favorite charities. NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) is one that’ll take them.
• delforte.com/rejeaneration (Del Forte Jeans): Return old Del Fortes back to the company. They’ll give you 10% off your next purchase. And make some things you might end up purchasing with your jeans.
• swapadvd.com (DVDs): Post ten DVD titles to receive credit on the site. Each time you mail a movie, you accumulate more points. Then trade for new old DVDs with those points. Who needs cable!
• myboneyard.com & venjuvo.com (Electronics): PCs, MP3 players, cameras & more can be traded online for cash at these sites. AND…
• radioshack.com/tradein & officedepot.com/techtradein & staples.com (Electronics): Those items can also be traded online for store credit or for a small fee.
• buymytronics.com (Electronics): Recycle broken or used electronics in exchange for cold, hard cash. They’ll pay dollars, reuse the working parts & recycle the rest.
• www.usps.com/green (Electronics): A pilot program with Clover Technologies Group & the USPS is available a select post offices. Where it’s happening, you can ship stuff for recycling for free through the Mail Back program. So cool.
• patagonia.com/recycle (Fleece): Drop off or mail fleece garments (of any brand) to Patagonia & they’ll recycle the old fabrics into new clothing for future seasons. Everything old is new again!
• reecycle.org (Free Stuff): Join your local Yahoo! group to search for free stuff in your ‘hood. Everything’s free & you can rid yourself of the clutter you no longer want.
• swapnstuff.com & swaptree.com (Fun Swaps): Trade CDs, DVDs, books & video games at these to groovy sites.
• recycleplace.com (Ink/Toner Cartridges): Not only will you recycle those cartridges, but they’ll give you cash for them.
• gimmeyourstuff.blogspot.com (International Swaps): Swap stuff with someone from another country. Think souvenirs & cultural kitsch!
• proquo.com (Junk Mail Reduction): Register your name & address to remove yourself from mailing lists for all those offers, catalogs & coupons you never wanted in the first place. Down with junkmail!
• recycleoil.org (Motor Oil): This site will help you find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state. Oils meant for recycling, not gunking up our water supply!
• plasticbagrecycling.com (Plastic Bags): Find a local spot for recycling plastic bags – think bread, produce, shopping & even Ziploc bags. Bags begone!
• oneworldrunning.com (Shoes): Shoes in still wearable condition will be sent to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America & Haiti.
• playitagainsports.com (Sports Equipment): Resell or trade your sports equipment with Play It Again Sports. Croquet, anyone?
• nike.com/nikebiz/reuseashoe (Sports Shoes): Send worn out athletic shoes to Nike & they’ll make ‘em into “Nike Grind” (even if they’re not Nike shoes). This stuff’ll be donated to children’s organizations & used in sports surfaces.
• greendisk.com (Technotrash): For a small fee, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of technotrash including CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio & video tapes, cell phones, pagers, batteries & so on & so forth. Awesome!
• videofitness.com (Workout Videos): Yes, you can even swap exercise videos on line. Om that’s good.
• recycline.com (#5 Plastics): Send your Preserve products, yogurt containers & other #5 plastics back the Recycline & they’ll make them into more groovy BPA free products. Here’s the address: Preserve Gimme 5
  823 NYS Route 13, Cortland NY  13045.

For additional recycling info, do a Search in our Blog (i.e., type “Recycle That” for some local resources).

The Avenue is kicking it off on September 5th with a “Back to School Celebration”!  Stop by for a day of fun & games before heading back to hit the books or for a last summer hurrah! The first Sunday is jam-packed with free activities, music & merchant specials with more every week.  Some activities for the whole family include:

• Facepainting, street games, hula hoops & chalking
• Cooking demos & tastings
• Yoga & dance classes on the street
• Live mural making
• Dance party with Soul Summit

For a block-by-block summary of activities for September 5th check out Myrtle Avenue’s website & Green in BKLYN’s blog. 

In addition, there’s a new contest this year on the Avenue.  A lucky winner will be selected each week to receive $100 in Myrtle Avenue gift certificates! You can pick up your Explore Myrtle Avenue game cards at every Sunday event (at MARP’s table between Washington & Hall) & enter for your chance to win a Myrtle shopping spree later in the fall!

Here’s a teaser about what’s in store for upcoming weeks:

• E-Waste Recycling on 9/12 (at Green in BKLYN)
• “Wii and Thee” demos with dancers from Chase Brock Experience also on 9/12
• Brooklyn Food Coalition’s Good Food Fest on 9/12
• Book Drive for Our Community Center (at Green in BKLYN) on 9/19
• “The Case of the Curious Pedestrian” brings tons of playful public art projects & performances to the avenue on 9/19
• BAMcafe’ brings featured artists on 9/19 & 9/26
• Local Honey is Extracted from Hives (on bees) at Green in BKLYN on 9/19
• Our first ever bike/scooter/big wheel parade from Hall to Clermont kicks off 9/26 with lots of bike-themed programs throughout the day!

There are a number of e-waste recycling events happening this summer so now’s a great time to get rid of all that e-clutter you’ve accumulated.

Sponsored by The Lower East Side Ecology Center, the events will recycle electronic waste (“e-waste”) from New York City residents so bring your unwanted or broken electronics to the collection events to have them recycled responsibly.

E-WASTE SUMMER RECYCLING DAYS

• July 10: 10am-4pm @ Tekserve - 119 W 23rd St NYC 10011

• July 17: 10am - 4pm @ RING Garden – Riverside Dr (btw Seaman Ave & Bway) NYC 10034

• July 18: 10am-4pm @ Stuyvesant Town- 14th St Loop (enter at 14th St & Ave A) NYC 10009

• July 24 & 25: 10am-4pm @ Essex Street – East Side (btw. Hester & Grand St.) NYC 10002

• July 31: 10am-4pm @ Smith St (btw President & Union St) Brooklyn 11231

They accept the following working & broken items:

• Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes)

• Monitors

• Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers

• Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)

• Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)

• Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)

• TVs, VCRs, & DVD Players

• Audio-visual equipment

• Cell phones, pagers, PDAs

• Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
  

NOTE: LESEC does not accept home appliances (such as microwaves or refrigerators) & cannot accept any electronics from businesses.

Tekserve has teamed up again with the Lower East Side Ecology Center to offer free electronics recycling on Saturday, July 10th from 10am-4pm.

Recyclable items include computers, monitors, fax machines, copiers, DVD or VCR players, radios, telephones, cell phones, televisions, cameras, & stereo equipment.

Unfortunately, they cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators & air conditioners.  Or bulk drop offs from businesses.

• EVENT: eWaste Recycling Event
• DATE: Saturday, July 10th
• TIME: 10am-4pm
• LOCATION: Tekserve @ 119 W. 23rd St. (btw. 6 & 7 Ave.)

To celebrate the event, anyone bringing electronics to be recycled can register at Tekserve for a raffle to win a new Mac mini.  All participants in the event will also receive a coupon for a $25 discount on any new current-model Mac or iPod (except Shuffle).

For more info visit tekserve.com/recycling.

WHY RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS?

The components in many electronics can be incredibly hazardous to the environment – contributing up to 70% of the toxins found in landfills – so it’s important that they’re properly recycled.  Sponsored collection events are one of the easiest ways to properly dispose of your old gadgets in NYC.

A perfect time to Spring clean & finally get rid of all that electronic waste that’s been cluttering up the entry to your apartment, the feng shui in your home, the mobility in your pad.  Reduce, reuse, recycle & get that junk out of the way…

• What: A Free Electronics Recycling Day
• Date: Saturday, May 8th 2010
• Time: 12-3PM
• Location: PS 107 @ 1301 8th Avenue, Brooklyn 11215
• To Be Recycled: Electronic Equipment (see below)

Electronic equipment that will be accepted includes broken or unwanted computers, monitors, keyboards, PDAs, mouses, cellphones, printers, dvd and cd players, routers, remote controls, stereos, cables).  However, it does NOT include household appliances like TVs, microwave ovens, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc., which will not be accepted.

Sponsored by the Mac Support Store in Brooklyn.  Thanks, folks!

PS – They’re also having a great raffle: Enter the $1 raffle & win a new Apple Mighty Mouse or Mac OS 10.6 “Snow Leopard,” courtesy of The Mac Support Store, Brooklyn’s First Authorized Repair Shop!

At Green in BKLYN, we collect & recycle clean #5 plastics & batteries (

In addition, our blogs include lots of recycling info (just type “recycle” or “recycling” in our Find! area for all kinds of info).

And we share info on e-waste recycling events, whenever possible…

This month, in celebration of Earth Day (4/22) there’s been a veritable smorgasbord of e-waste recycling options.  There’s still one more scheduled this month, here in Brooklyn, Courtesy of the Lower East Side Ecology Center.  Just in case you’re still looking to move those old computer screens, telephones & what not out of the corner of your home…

The Ecology Center is holding seven electronic waste (“e-waste”) collections to responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics from New York City residents (no business waste).  All you have to do is bring your e-waste to the collection event – rain or shine!

For a list of acceptable materials, click here.  Just remember, no home appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators.

The last one scheduled this month is in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn at PS 29 School Yard (Baltic St btw Henry & Clinton St) on Sunday, April 25, 10am-4pm.

Reduce, reuse, recycle y’all!

At Green in BKLYN, we collect & recycle clean #5 plastics & batteries (

In addition, our blogs include lots of recycling info (just type “recycle” or “recycling” in our Search area for all kinds of info).

And we share info on e-waste recycling events, whenever possible…

This month, in celebration of Earth Day (4/22) there’s a veritable smorgasbord of e-waste recycling options.  Courtesy of the Lower East Side Ecology Center, we offer “The List”.  Reduce, reuse, recycle y’all!

The Ecology Center is holding seven electronic waste (“e-waste”) collections to responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics from New York City residents (no business waste).  All you have to do is bring your e-waste to the collection event – rain or shine!

For a list of acceptable materials, click here.  Just remember, no home appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators.

LOCATIONS & DATES:
Union Square (Union Sq. Park North Plaza btw 17th St & Bway)
Sunday, March 28, 10am-4pm

Roosevelt Island (Good Sheperd Plaza @ 543 Main St)
Saturday, April 03, 10am-4pm

Midtown Manhattan (Tekserve – 119 W 23rd St btw 6 & 7 Ave)
Saturday, April 10, 10am-4pm

Jackson Heights, Queens (Travers Park – 78th St btw N Blvd & 34th Ave)
Sunday, April 11, 10am-4pm

Fort Greene, Brooklyn (Habana Outpost – South Portland Ave & Fulton St)
Saturday, April 17, 10am-4pm

West Harlem (Morningside Park – Morningside Ave btw 113th & 114th St)
Sunday, April 18, 10am-4pm

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (PS 29 School Yard – Baltic St btw Henry & Clinton St)
Sunday, April 25, 10am-4pm

But, one of my favorite resources, the Council on the Environment of New York City, has even more recycling info on their site.  Below is their condensed version…  I suggest you visit their site & sign up for all kinds of great environmental info!  Enjoy & happy recycling…

NYC has an extensive recycling program, and there are many ways to recycle additional materials. Here are just a few resources. Check out www.NYC.gov/nycwasteless for a comprehensive collection of recycling information and resources.

Batteries

Rechargeable batteries are prohibited from household garbage and can be recycled at stores that sell batteries of that type. For more info on this law, visit www.nyc.gov/nycwasteless or call 311. Select Greenmarkets have collection bins for cell phones and rechargeable batteries or you can visit www.RBRC.org to get a bin for your building.

Single-use alkaline batteries can be recycled at Interstate Batteries on Berrian Blvd in Astoria and at the NYC Department of Sanitation’s Special Waste Drop-Off Site in your borough. (Note: Whole Foods and 3RLiving have suspended their in-store battery collections).

For more information on disposing of batteries in NYC visit NYCWasteLe$$.

Business Recycling

All businesses must recycle in NYC. Visit the NYCWasteLe$$ page dedicated to businesses, which provides tips and resources for setting up a recycling program. Looking to get rid of reusable items without loading up a landfill, or trying to save money by acquiring used goods? Check out NY WasteMatch – a free match-making service for used and surplus goods. This commercial materials exchange helps businesses save money on purchases and/or disposal, while also helping the environment.

Bicycles

Tired of your old bicycle? Donate it to Recycle a Bicycle or Time’s UP! and make someone’s day!

Building Materials

Save money on renovations by buying from and donating to NYC’s building materials reuse centers, Build It Green! and Rebuilders Source. Visit their websites to view their inventories of cabinets, doors, appliances, paint and more.

Cell Phones

Any store that sells cell phones in New York State has to take them back. You can also recycle your old phone for a cause through Collective Good, which will refurbish it for reuse if possible.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) save energy and last much longer, but still require disposal eventually. These items, which contain trace amounts of mercury, are permissible in household garbage but can be recycled at several sites in the City. Get more info on light bulb recycling and CENYC’s CFL recycling pilot program at www.cenyc.org/CFL.

Compost

Why let your food scraps go to waste? Many NYC community gardens offer composting to turn your coffee grounds, vegetable trimmings and other organic waste into “black gold” to fertilize flowers, vegetables and trees. Find out where at www.nyccompost.org or drop it off at the Union Square Greenmarket with the Lower East Side Ecology Center or at the Ft. Greene Greenmarket for composting at local community gardens. Check out the Manhattan Compost Map from Green Map for more local compost resources.

Clothing & Textiles

Materials such as old clothing and linens represent 6% of NYC’s waste but are 100% recyclable at our weekly Greenmarket textile recycling collections: Fridays at 97thSt. (8a-2p); Saturdays at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn (8a-4p), Ft Greene (8a-3p), McCarren Park (8a-2p), Inwood (8a-3p); Sundays at Tompkins Sq. (8a-2p) and Jackson Hts (8a-3p)JUL-NOV only; and Mondays & Saturdays at Union Square (8a-6p). Items in wearable condition can also find a new home through Freecycle™ New York City or local charities. Contact Wearable Collections for information on setting up a collection in your very own apartment building!

Computers & Electronics

Although they are a small portion of the waste stream by volume, computers and electronics contribute about 70% of the toxicity to landfills. There are many recycling opportunities for these items. Find upcoming collection days on our Recycling Events page, visit Take It Back NYC for info on manufacturer recycling or click here for info on free computer recycling at local Goodwill stores.

Food

Food that is still edible need not go to waste. Find a soup kitchen or food pantry near you with this handy interactive map from the NYC Coalition Against Hunger. Large volumes of canned food can be donated through the Food Bank for NYC. Contact City Harvest for information on donating large amounts of fresh, perishable and prepared foods.

Furniture

Goodwill Industries, The Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul, Housing Works, Everything Goes, Furnish-a-Future and other non-profit organizations provide good homes for old furniture. You can also look for takers through Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org

Ink Cartridges

Refilling ink cartridges reduces the amount of plastic that goes into the landfill. See Fine Star Imaging, Cartridge World, and Staples. Prepaid return labels or envelopes are available on all brands of toner and ink cartridges so you can return them for free recycling.

Junk Mail

Take your name off of mass mailing lists with the Direct Mail Marketing Association and reduce catalog waste with Catalog Choice. Opt out of offers for credit cards and insurance through the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry. Stop unsolicited telephone books with the new Yellow Pages Opt Out.

Plastic Bags & Plastic Film

They make up 7.5% of our waste, and they never degrade. The key is to reduce your use of plastic bags. If you need to recycle your “stash” you can do so at many stores around the city, thanks to a recent local law that requires recycling of plastic film such as shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags.

Tubs, Cups & Other Plastics

Though not collected for recycling by the city, plastic tubs such as margarine and yogurt cups can be recycled at the Park Slope Food Coop. Bring #5 containers and Brita pitcher filters to most Whole Foods locations, mail to Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Cortland, NY 13045. Click here to find drop-off sites in NYC.  NOTE: You can drop them off at Green in BKLYN, too!

Shoe Repair & Recycling

Don’t throw them out, resole them. An artifact of the past in many cities; the shoe repair business in New York City is thriving. These shops offer great value by extending the life of good shoes. If your running shoes are worn completely, you can recycle them through the Reuse-a-Shoe program, which makes them into athletic surfaces. You can drop off any brand of rubber-soled shoes at Niketown, 6 East 57th Street (212.891.6453) or mail them to the Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-A-Shoe, 26755 SW 95th Ave., Wilsonville, OR 97070.

Swaps & Exchanges

Items that are no longer useful to you can still be helpful to others. Try catch-all resources like Craigslist.org or Freecycle.org or search NYC Stuff Exchange for a wide array of reuse options. And don’t miss CENYC’s Stop N’ Swaps!

Technotrash

Recycle CDs, floppy disks, VHS tapes, etc. by purchasing a Technotrash bin from Green Disk.

Bring computers, monitors, fax machines, printers & copiers, CD/DVD/VCR players, stereo equipment, radios, televisions, cell phones, cameras & other unwanted electronics to Tekserve on Saturday, January 16th (10am-4pm) to be safely recycled.  TekServe is located at 119 West 23rd Street (near 6th Avenue).

Anyone bringing electronics to be recycled can enter for a chance to win an Apple MacBook Air.  Plus, all participants in the event will receive a $25 coupon, good towards any Mac or iPod (excluding iPod shuffle) from Tekserve until February 15th, 2010.

Sponsored collection events like these are one of the easiest ways for you to properly dispose of old electronic gear & gadgets, which contain hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium & mercury.  You know you wanna get that stuff out of the house.  Happy New Year – it’s easy!

Note: The following items will not be collected at this drive… home appliances, microwaves, stoves, refrigerators & air conditioners.

Nowadays, recycling has become second nature to most of us (I mean, you’re reading green tips by an eco-friendly home goods store in Brooklyn).  So, here are some statistics for what recycling programs have done, which will hopefully inspire you to encourage the people around you to recycle too.

Manufacturing using recycled materials often takes less energy that it would take to manufacture using the original raw materials:

• Aluminum from recycled materials saves 95% of the energy used to make it from raw materials
• Steel from recycled steel saves 60% of the energy
• Newspapers from recycled paper save 40%
• Plastics from recycled plastic save 70%
• Glass from recycled glass saves 40%

If that energy were to be used for households, so much would be gained:

• A ton of paper manufactured from recycled paper can save about 4,000 kilowatt hours of energy.
• One glass bottle or jar manufactured from recycled glass saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for four hours.
• One pound of steel manufactured from recycled steel can power a 60-watt light bulb for over a day.
• One year of aluminum production from recycled aluminum saves enough energy to power 18 million households for a year.

Recycling has a very positive effect on the environment:

• Producing cars from recycled aluminum decreases air pollution by 95 percent.
• Producing recycled paper produces 74% less air pollution, 35% less water pollution & uses 64% less energy than making paper from logs.
• A ton of paper made from recycled materials can save a total of over 500 pounds of air pollution.
• A ton of paper made from recycled paper saves 17 trees.
• Recycling all newspapers read in the United States each morning could save 41,000 trees a day.  Recycling these newspapers would also reduce 6 million tons of waste in the landfills.
• Junk mail accounts for the use of 1.5 trees per person per year.  We could save about 75,000 trees for every 50,000 people who stop their junk mail.

Make a difference! Make the world cleaner, safer, sustainable, and good smelling .

Written by Cristina Valentin