The new iPod shuffle has arrived: another coup for Apple, another toy for consumers. Personally, I like my original iPod, and until it refuses to boogie anymore, I'm not planning to get rid of it. But now that the new one is being released, many of the older versions may soon find themselves pitched in the trash, fated to end up in landfills across the country.
That’s one of the problems with small electronics that break or get made obsolete: it's very easy to toss them in the garbage and forget them. Let’s face it: it’s a lot harder to toss old TVs and radios than something the size of a credit card.
The answer, of course, is electronic recycling. This option is probably not something a whole lot of people think about, but it’s there and should be taken advantage of.
A lot of brand-name places do this. Best Buy, in particular, has a recycling program that's very easy to use, takes in most types of electronic devices, and doesn't charge a dime to do it. It's advisable to check their website or call them up to find out which types of electronics they will accept, but the list is pretty large.
Other electronics stores will certainly follow suit in the future, but if you don’t live near a Best Buy, there are other ways to recycle electronics.
The first thing to do is call up your local city government or even the Chamber of Commerce. Many communities have specific days set aside to recycle or collect all sorts of things: paints, toxic chemicals, large appliances, tires, automotive waste oils. If your community doesn't have provisions in place for electronics recycling, ask a public servant how that could be worked into the rotation. If you can't get something instituted in your own town, whoever you talk to will probably at least be able to connect you with a person or place that does take all types of electronics for recycling.
It may all take a little digging and running, but the alternative is having toxic chemicals leaching into our landfills and poisoning the surrounding landscape. I've often heard people protest that where they live it's just too expensive to go green. Well, here is a very inexpensive way to be as green as the next person and do your part for the planet.
Source: BecauseAction.com
