GreenItUp

Plastic Grocery Bag Tax, AB 2058

Frank — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:25:27 +0000

I heard a commercial on the radio and visited the website… www.stopthebagtax.com. Check it out.

Basically, there’s a bill to tax consumers $0.25 for each plastic bag they get when they go grocery shopping. The commercial and website urge you to tell your legislator to oppose the bill. Mmmmmm yeah…. so… several things…

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Coffee Grounds

Frank — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:51:53 +0000

Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and are so helpful in the garden, you might even go out of your way to get more.
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Green Computing and Baby Otters

Frank — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:57:34 +0000

I posted an article on my workplace’s blog. It’s about green computing. I tried to find the right balance between not being too technical, plus giving news on the topic while also offering steps readers can take to be green instead of just reading about it.

Check out the article, “Green Computing and Baby Otters”.

Batteries

Frank — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 01:19:38 +0000

Most batteries contain hazardous chemicals and should be recycled. Recycling centers can remove certain chemicals and reprocess them for new batteries.

Includes cell phone batteries, car batteries, camera batteries, laptop batteries, and typical household (AA, AAA, 9V, etc) batteries.
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Cell Phones

Frank — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:36:47 +0000

Also known as mobile phones, includes smartphones (PDA phones, iPhones, Blackberrys, Sidekicks).

According to the EPA, by 2005 (I couldn’t find more recent figures), an estimated 65,000 tons of waste was generated per year from cell phones. That makes sense considering pretty much everyone (and their moms, literally) have a cell phone and replace them every one to two years.

Keep your cell phones out of landfills. The EPA states, “in their circuitry, batteries, and liquid crystal displays, cell phones can contain toxics like arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, and lead. Their plastic casings have also been treated with brominated flame retardants.” And you know how much I hate brominated flame retardants.
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Paper Napkins

Frank — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:16:02 +0000

Paper napkins are meant to be used and disposed of. If you want to lessen the number of napkins entering the waste stream, go for reduce.
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Denim

Frank — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:28:24 +0000

Includes denim jeans.

Since denim clothing is pretty durable, most likely the items still have life in them and can still be used by you or someone else. Otherwise, most reuses are craft ideas (although practical, too) and require sewing skills. Worst case, donating jeans regardless of condition still stands a good chance of them being recycled.

There are many more things you can make besides what is listed here, but many of them are just variations and you can find instructions by doing a simple Google search, or by applying your own creativity if you are artistically inclined.
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Plastic Milk Jugs

Frank — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 03:32:12 +0000

Includes plastic one-gallon and half-gallon milk jugs.

Many families buy milk so often, these containers become an unavoidable regularly accumulating item. Unless we bring back the milkman, the most realistic and practical solution for most people is to just toss these in with the rest of your recyclables.
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Toothbrushes

Frank — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 23:25:27 +0000

Includes manual toothbrushes.

Supposedly around 50 million pounds of toothbrushes end up in landfills every year (magical number commonly found around the internet). This supposedly is based on an estimate that each American replaces their toothbrush twice a year. Among all the wasteful habits and garbage we needlessly generate, I think toothbrushes should be low on the priority list. Pick your battles. Nonetheless…
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Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs

Frank — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:55:18 +0000

CFL bulbs are energy-efficient light bulbs, using up to 75% less energy and lasting 10x longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
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