60 Minutes Profiles Wrongful Recycling — Buyer Beware

Following the growing issue of e-waste recycling, this 60 minutes story profiles the problems that intertwine e-waste recycling and how manye-waste processors are not properly handling the waste that they take in (despite what marketing claims might tell you).  It’s unfortunate that they chose a Denver e-cycler to profile, as Denver is the home of GRX, one of the most responsible e-cyclers out there, and they should not be wrongly painted with the same brush.  It’s terribly sad that consumers can’t trust a green message when they hear it, but here’s the main caution — “free” recycling events that take in complex electronics are, in this economic climate, a big red flag.  Recycling televisions in particular is an expensive and time consuming process to get right, as the tube contains multiple harmful toxins including lead, mercury and cadmium.  There’s not an after-market strong enough to make the proper disposal of certain electronics profitable, so consumers are often asked to bear part of the costs involved.  If you want to do it right, and do it green, it often takes more effort and resources than instant-gratification “free” events may provide.  You get what you pay for in most instances.  See this USA Today story for more information on “free” recycling events.

Big Green Help Plays a Mean Green Game

Nickelodeon's BGH gets kids into green.

Nickelodeon’s Big Green Help offers a great and easy-to-understand resource for kids and families looking to be greener in their lives.  In December, they launched a new environmentally-themed online multiplayer game to get kids more interested in green practices.  Using beloved Nickelodeon characters like Avatar’s Aang (my personal favorite), kids have to “green” a metropolis, squaring off against CO2-spewing monsters and the like.  Kids love to help recycle and participate in a greener future, way to get them engaged!

Countdown to Digital Means TV Trash Grows

Come Recycle Your TV in Denver -- responsibly!

By February 2009, there will be a surge of interest in tossing out analog TVs and making sure that television-hungry American households are not deprived once the Digital Transition is behind us.  The date with digital destiny is February 17, 2009, but the “transition” has been a confusing ride with consumers feeling like they need to upgrade their televisions when most do not need to do anything.  Some will need a converter box, sure, but many households eye the transition as an opportunity to get that shiny HD set they’ve had their eye on.  Whether you’re in that space or not, the Digital Transition event itself is predicted to create an e-waste surge that will send techno-trash heaps skyward.   In anticipation, some forward-thinking television interests are pulling responsible recycling programs together, to keep the tons of toxic materials found in televisions from becoming part of the everyday waste stream.  A program called “Screen to Green” was kicked off in Denver in 2008, successfully pairing leading media interests with responsible recyclers to get out-moded or end-of-life electronics out of landfills and into a properly handled process.  If you’re going to recycle a television, please find a responsible recycling program in your area that can handle your TV properly, domestically and responsibly.

Green Like Me

Yes, I admit it.   I like air conditioning, have non-LED Christmas lights, and hate low-flow shower heads.  However, I also try to use long-life lightbulbs, I recycle everything that I’m able, and I want to find realistic, practical ways to be greener without completely changing my lifestyle.

That’s who TerraThread is for.  If you’re looking to properly recycle an old TV set, want to keep up on the general trends towards living more green, and want to do what you can to be more eco-focused in a practical way, then you’re in the right place. 

Welcome to TerraThread — providing eco-info for practical people.  How can I help you today?