Is old electronic junk sitting around your house or office just cluttering up the place? Are you getting or giving new tech stuff for the holidays and already wondering what to do with the old stuff you’ll be left with? We’re partnering with GreenBuyBack.com to show you how to sell your old phones, electronics and other e-waste. Plus, during their holiday special, you’ll earn an extra $5 at check out when you sell old phones, electronics, and other e-gear.

Why GreenBuyBack.com?

GreenBuyBack.com buys old cell phones, tablets, smart watches and other devices, then gets them responsibly recycled. They make it incredibly easy for you to work with them because they not only give you a quote on what they’ll pay, but they also give you a free shipping label so it won’t cost you anything to send them your e-junk.

How easy is that?

Here’s the complete list of what GreenBuyBack.com buys:

There is no downside to checking with GreenBuyBack.com to see what you can sell your e-waste for. But the upsides are terrific.

You’ll get rid of all that e nonsense cluttering up your drawers.

You’ll make a little money.

You won’t throw that stuff in the trash.

E-waste is the fastest growing segment of the waste stream.

That means that all the heavy metals (think cadmium, mercury and lead) and plastic wiring and parts end up in our soil and water, and then you know what happens. Icky pollution. Contaminated groundwater. And just a big waste of all the resources used to produce the electronics in the first place.

Why would you trash the planet and throw away good money when you can sell old phones, electronics, and other devices to a company that will recycle them for you?

Give GreenBuyBack.com a try.

NOTE: We partner with companies like GreenBuyBack.com when they meet our strict standards for delivering quality green products and services. Our partners also help us deliver expert information at no additional cost to you. Our editorial opinions always remain our own. Thanks!

The post How to Sell Old Phones, Electronics? GreenBuyBack.com appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Get rid of clutter and reduce waste by recycling more than paper, plastic, bottles and cans! Here are 13 things you didn’t know you can recycle, with thanks to our sponsors at waste recycling company GD Environmental.

NOTE: Most of the companies listed below either operate collection centers or offer mailing labels you can download from their websites. In some cases, they’ll pay the postage. If they prefer a quantity of items, ask your friends, family and neighbors to contribute their items and box them up together. 

1) Your bra. You may already drop off your old bras to the local thrift store, but why not donate them to a company that will actually get them to women and girls in dire straits? That’s what the Bra Recyclers do. They send cleaned and repaired lingerie to women who suffer from domestic violence, human trafficking and natural disasters. Get more information on their website here.

2) Your pantyhose. NoNonsense recycles pantyhose, tights, and nylon knee-high stockings. Why? “The same Nylon/Spandex blends that make legs look so firm and smooth are also the same materials that, when placed in a landfill, will take 30-40 years to decompose,” they say. Pantyhose is made predominantly from Nylon, which is the first invented synthetic fiber ever created that is a non-biodegradable material. NoNonsense says that it’s important to “eplore alternative solutions, beyond simply throwing our old stockings in the trash.”  NoNonsense accepts all brands, not just theirs. You can download their mailing label here.

3) Your MAC make-up containers. You can receive a free lipstick for every 6 empty make-up containers you return to a MAC store. The “Back to MAC” program forwards the returned packaging to waste management centres across the globe for recycling and reuse through energy recovery.

4) Your running shoes. Established in the early 1990s, Nike’s “Reuse-a-Shoe” program collects old, worn-out athletic shoes for recycling and transforms them into Nike Grind, a material used to create athletic and playground surfaces and more. Since launching the program, more than 28 million pairs of shoes have been collected and recycled. RecycledRunners.com operates an online recycling and donation directory to help people find local and international shoe recycling programs, as well.

5) Your Crocs. If you’ve fallen out of love with your Crocs, give them a second chance, and take them to your local Croc shop. As part of their “Soles 4 Souls” campaign, they’ll spruce them up and ship them to underprivileged countries for those who don’t have the luxury of owning a pair of shoes.

6) Your Kindle. Go to the website of Amazon’s certified recycler for instructions: Amazon Take Back Program. Once there, enter your name and mailing address, which will be used to generate a prepaid UPS shipping label you can print at home or work. Follow the packaging guidelines and drop your Amazon device off at the nearest UPS pickup site. Easy peasy!

Need some facts on the importance of recycling? Don’t miss “Why Recycling is Worth It.”

7) Yoga mats. Most yoga mats are made from PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, which means they contain chemicals like phthalates, lead and cadmium that make them difficult to recycle. Because of the nature of PVC, it will not biodegrade, either. And if you burn it, it will release dioxin, another highly toxic compound. Still, if your yoga mat is worn out, there are all kinds of good ways to still put it to use. Donate it to a homeless shelter or emergency shelter to provide extra padding for people in need. Donate it to an animal shelter, where it can help pad a crate. Cut out small squares to put under the feet of furniture to prevent slipping. Cut in half and use in your own garden as a knee pad. Or, make a seat-sized water-proof pad that you can take to your kids’ soccer games. You get the idea!

8) Throwaway food containers. TerraCycle collects hard-to-recycle packaging waste, like Nespresso coffee capsules, Solo red plastic cups, toothbrushes, and more. There are some collection programs in Whole Foods and similar stores, but you can also download a shipping label and mail your goods directly to Terracycle.

Want to increase plastic bottle recycling? Put a deposit on it! Here’s how.

9) CDs and DVDs. They seem as hard as metal, but they’re actually a plastic that can’t be recycled in most community recycling programs. That’s why the CD Recycling Center collects them, shreds them, captures the useful elements they contain, and turns them back into products like automotive industry parts, office equipment, alarm boxes and panels, street lights and electrical cable insulation.

10) Trophies. Is your house full of plastic bowling trophies from your kids’ various athletic pursuits? Mine is! Or, it was, until I realized I could send them to a recycling center like Lambawards. They either create matching sets of trophies or break them down into parts. They also accept old plaques, sculptures, and medals.

11) Your Patagonia clothes and gear. If you own a Patagonia product that’s well beyond repair, you can return it to the company so they can recycle it into something new, or repurpose what can’t be recycled. Drop it off at your nearest Patagonia retail store or mail it in, getting a mailing label here.

12) Your mattress. About 90% of a mattress can be recycled, including the wood frame, cotton covering, metal springs and foam padding. Organizations like the Salvation Army and Purple Heart may pick them up if you put them on your curb. If you’re getting a new mattress, see if the company you’re buying from will recycle your old mattress when they deliver the new one.

13) Greeting cards. Recycle these yourself at home. Most cards are only written on the right side of the card, below the printed message. You can cut the card in half and use the back half of the printed side for a gift tag, post card, thank you card, or shredded packing material.

You can also simplify your recycling process completely by putting your goods on freecycle.org. Let someone who needs what you have come and get it!

About GD Environmental

Smaller SMEs like Wales’ Leading Waste Management Company, GD Environmental, play a vital role in helping larger companies achieve their green missions by operating an environmentally friendly waste management company which recycles 96% of waste and diverts 100% of waste from landfill to recycling. If you’re based in Wales, and looking to improve the sustainable performance of your business call GD Environmental today on 01633 277755 or visit www.gd-environmental.co.uk

The post 13 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Recycle appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Greenpeace recently released its analysis of electronics manufacturers: Nokia and Sony Ericsson came out way ahead of the pack; Apple didn’t fare nearly as well. This excellent review from Inhabitat details the plusses and minuses of Apple’s overall approach to sustainability.

As for the iPad, we like that it  contains no arsenic, mercury, PVC, or BFR (brominated flame retardant), nasty toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other human health problems.  Jobs also claims the iPad is “highly recyclable” and features an energy-saving battery that can run for 10 hours on a single charge. That’s all good.

On the other hand, the gadget plays into a larger environmental problem: planned obsolescence, one that is not unique to Apple but perhaps best typified by it.  In order to rake in the highest profits possible, electronics companies usually design their products with a lifespan in mind. That’s the amount of time the product will function before it breaks or ceases to be compatible with current systems.  It’s also the amount of time before a new-and-improved incarnation (or “generation” in Apple-speak) is released.   There’s a reason the iPhone has been dubbed “a slam dunk of planned obsolescence” by CrunchGear’s Seth Porges.  Did you purchase one only to have a cheaper, better-equipped version be released not long after you bought the original?

We can already see the iPad’s trajectory. Within a year or two (if not sooner), the components on this geeky darling will no doubt start to wear out. Functionality will suffer. And not long after, Apple will unveil a newer, sleeker, shinier version that will be so irresistible, you’ll feel you just HAVE to have it.

Then what do you do with the “old” iPad? Many people will simply trash theirs. No wonder global e-waste (which also includes televisions, fax machines, computers and copiers) is forecast to reach 53 million metric tonnes by 2012.

Yes, the iPad is cool. It is hip. And for all the “early adopters” out there who are driving Apple’s markets, it’s probably nigh on irresistible.

But that sure doesn’t make it green.

Meanwhile, are you inspired to recycle? Start here.

The post Is the iPad just more e-waste? appeared first on Big Green Purse.