The Lower East Side Ecology Center is making responsible disposal of working and non-working electronics easier than ever before by collecting them at their NEW E-waste Warehouse in Gowanus (469 President Street at the corner of Nevins Street).

Any New York resident, small business (max. 50 employees) and non-profit organization can drop-off unwanted electronics for free.  If the equipment works, let folks at the Warehouse know & they’ll try to give it a second life.  They guarantee data security & offer affordable electronic equipment & parts, too.

DROP OFF HOURS:

• Tuesday: 10am – 5pm
• Wednesday: 12pm – 7pm
• Thursday: 10am – 5pm
• Friday: 10am – 5pm
• Saturday: 10am – 4pm
• CLOSED Sunday & Monday

For more info, check out their website by clicking here.

They’ve been at this for years & last January they collected 100 tons of e-waste.  This year’s goal?  110 tons! Help them reach this goal by disposing of your electronics at one of their many dates & locations!

E-Waste Recycling Events:

• January 7, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Bowling Green Park (east side, Broadway at Beaver Street)

• January 7, 2012 / STATEN ISLAND: 10am – 4pm @ Midland Beach Parking Lot 5 (Father Capodanno Blvd & Jefferson Avenue)

• January 8, 2012 / FLUSHING: 10am – 4pm @ Queens Botanical Garden (parking lot entrance on Crommelin Street)
  

• January 8, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Union Square Park (north plaza @ East 16th Street & Union Square West)

• January 14, 2012 / BROOKLYN: 10am – 4pm @ McCarren Park (Bedford Avenue just north of North 12th Street)
  

• January 14, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Carl Schurz Park (East 88th Street & East End Avenue)
  

• January 15, 2012 / BROOKLYN: 10am – 4pm @ Prospect Park West (at 3rd Street)
  

• January 21, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Tekserve (119 West 23rd Street)
  

• January 22, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Central Park (Central Park North & Lenox Avenue)

• January 22, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ West 63rd Street (btw  Broadway & Central Park West)
  

• January 28, 2012 / NYC: 10am – 4pm @ Ring Garden Riverside Drive (btw Dyckman Street & Seaman Avenue)

• January 28, 2012 / BRONX: 10am – 4pm @ Brook Park (btw East 141st & East 140th Streets) 

The Lower East Side Ecology Center accepts electronics from households, not-for-profit organizations & small businesses (less than 50 employees, please call ahead).  A list of acceptable materials can be found here.  Remember: they do not accept home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators or air conditioners.  All events will be held rain, snow (!) or shine.

Tekserve and the Lower East Side Ecology Center have teamed up again to offer free electronics recycling throughout September and October. 

Recyclable items include computers, monitors, fax machines, copiers, DVD or VCR players, radios, telephones, cell phones, televisions, cameras and stereo equipment.  However, they cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators and air conditioners.

Residents, small businesses and not-for-profits can drop off unwanted electronics at the following sites:

• September 17: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Tekserve, 119 West 23rd Street, Manhattan b/w 6th and 7th Avenues

• September 18: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Delancey Street b/w Chrystie and Forsyth Streets, Lower East Side

• September 20: 11am-7pm / Manhattan @ Church of the Heavenly Rest, 5th Avenue and East 90th Street

• September 24: 10am-4pm / Queens @ St. John’s University parking lot, enter at Gate 4, Union Tpke and 175th Street

• September 24: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Habana Outpost, Fulton Street b/w South Portland Avenue and South Oxford Street

• September 25: 10am-4pm / Queens @ NY Hall of Science visitor parking lot, enter at 111th Street and 49th Avenue, Flushing

• September 25: 10am-4pm / Bronx @ Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway b/w Manhattan College Pkwy and Post Road

• October 01: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Smith Street b/w President and Union Streets, Carroll Gardens

• October 01: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ The New New York, N 11th Street b/w Kent and Wythe Avenues, Williamsburg

• October 02: 10am-4pm / Staten Island @ Showplace Entertainment Center, 141 E Service Road and Beresford Ave

• October 02: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1, Furman Street b/w Old Fulton and Doughty St

• October 15: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ 8th Avenue b/w 14th and 15th Streets, Park Slope

• October 16: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ 7th Avenue b/w 4th and 5th Streets, Park Slope

• October 22: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Restoration Plaza, Herkimer St entrance b/w New York and Brooklyn Aves, Bedford Stuyvesant

• October 22: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Amsterdam Avenue b/w West 96th and West 97th Streets

• October 23: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ PS 29 Schoolyard, Baltic Street b/w Henry and Clinton Streets

• October 23: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Stuyvesant Town, 14th Street Loop, at 14th St and Ave A

For more info, check out the LESEC website.

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).

With tons of events on the Avenue, Green in BKLYN has scheduled a month of Sundays full of all kinds of fun.  For the full schedule, check our blog: Move About Myrtle is Back @ Green in BKLYN.  For this week, look below!

Sunday, September 12th:

• 12-2: Tillamook Cheddar, Renowned Dog Artist, Makes Art & Meets the Public
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Kate Hanley, Author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide: 77 Simple Strategies for Serenity, Leads a Lollipop Meditation
• All Day (12-6): Drop Off Electronic Waste for Recycling by the Mac Support Store

And don’t forget:

• Sunday, September 19th: Book Donation Drive for the Ingersoll Community Center
• Sunday, September 26th: Bike Day on the Avenue & the Big Bike Thing @ Green in BKLYN

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!

What (you may ask) is Move About Myrtle?

Every Sunday in September, Myrtle Avenue (between Hall & Claremont) becomes a pedestrian-friendly public space for dance, music, food, art & much more.  There will be kids’ activities & games, sidewalk cafes, yoga classes, performances, cooking demos & a daily raffle to win $100 gift certificates.

Here at Green in BKLYN, we’ve also got an amazing schedule of events with:

• Brooklyn authors signing books
• Composting experts answering questions
• Bags being made from umbrellas
• Local honey being extracted from local hives
• An international dog artist making art
• And electronic waste being collected (& safely disposed of)

Plus, we’ll be collecting books for our local community center & broken umbrellas for making into bags.

Be sure to mark your calendar.  September’s gonna rock the ‘hood!  Here’s the schedule to prove it…

Sunday, September 5th

• 12-2: Himane Designer Makes Bags from Broken Umbrellas
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer Composting Questions & Talk About Embokashi Composting
• 4:30-6: Pierre Thiam Signs Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal
• All Day: Drop Off Broken Umbrellas for Himane’s Umbrellas to Bags Program

Sunday, September 12th

• 12-2: Tillamook Cheddar, Renowned Dog Artist, Makes Art & Meets the Public
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Kate Hanley, Author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide: 77 Simple Strategies for Serenity, Leads a Lollipop Meditation
• All Day: Drop Off Electronic Waste for Recycling by the Mac Support Store

Sunday, September 19th

• 12-6: Ranjit Bhatnagar‘s Installation Tweets Beautiful Birdy Tunes
• 12-2: Vokashi Reps Answer Some More Composting Questions
• 2-4: Honey is Extracted & Labels are Made with the Three Sisters Honey Family
• 4-6: Thomas Chatterton Williams Signs Losing My Cool: How A Father’s Love & 15, 000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture
• All Day: Drop Off Books for Donation to the Ingersoll Cornerstone Community Center Library

Sunday, September 26th

• 12-2: Pangea Organics Beauty Advisor Talks Gorgeous & Gives Away Samples
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer Even More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Cathy Erway Signs The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending & Love the Stove

• All Day: The Big Bike Thing Returns with Magnificent Mia (2 seats, 2 drivers, 9′ tires, all fun)

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!