| |
02 Jun 04 - cell phones; living room; flashlight; Freecycle; Simple Living
** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM **
-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
--------
Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive
---------------------
Excerpted from a column by Don Oldenburg in the 6/1/04 Washington Post:
SOME COMPANIES PAYING FOR OLD CELL PHONES
"With 150 million cell phone subscribers (in the U.S.) and every 18 months
they're getting new phones, there are millions of cell phones every month
that go inactive," says James Mosieur, CEO of RMS Communications Group in
Ocala, Florida. Two years ago, he founded CellForCash.com, one of several
Web-based businesses that buy back used cell phones from consumers.
CellForCash.com (http://www.cellforcash.com )
collects 8,000 to 10,000 used cell phones a month, he says. Eighty-five
percent of them come from consumers who visit their website and find their
used cell phones among the 200 to 250 models listed. They fill out the
online form to receive postage-paid boxes for shipping. When the company
receives the phone, it sends the check. How much depends on the make and
model. Customers get $5 for a Nokia 5165, one of the oldest models that
CellForCash.com accepts. An NEC 523 earns $43. A Panasonic GU87 goes for
$60. "We have phones out there worth three bucks, but we also have phones
valued at over $100," says Mosieur. He resells most of the phones in South
America.
So does Robert Newton, owner and president of Old Cell Phone Co.
(http://www.oldcellphone.com ) in Port St.
Lucie, Florida. He buys back 30,000 used cell phones a month. "The used
cellular phone market down there is huge," says Newton, explaining that cell
phone technology in Third World countries is a step behind technology here.
As U.S. consumers go from digital cell phones to GSM (Global System for
Mobile communications technology), South Americans go from analog to
digital. Newton says most cell phones of the past five years, or "85 percent
of the cell phones out there right now," are resalable. The average price
his company pays is $12.
But reselling old cell phones isn't just about money. Recent studies by the
University of Florida found that millions of old cell phones dumped into
landfills could leach dangerous levels of lead and toxins such as brominates
from flame retardants in the plastic housing and arsenic and nickel from
their circuit boards into soil and ground water, causing an environmental
hazard.
Legislators in several states, including Maryland, Virginia, New York and
California, have proposed or passed electronics disposal bills that make
disposing of old cell phones in landfills illegal or set up cell phone
recycling programs. One California bill would require cell-phone retailers
to accept and recycle used phones. A few retailers, such as AT&T Wireless,
already do. And several charities now offer nationwide drop-off sites.
But, Mosieur says, none of the retailers or charities gives consumers cash.
"People aren't going to get rich for selling their old phone," he says. "But
rather than give your phone to your son or daughter to play with, why not
give them the $5 to put in their piggy bank? There are a lot of better uses
for these old phones."
---------------------
Excerpted from a 5/26/04 Associated Press article, and the California
legislature's website:
CALIFORNIA BILL WOULD REQUIRE RECOVERY OF CELL PHONES
Cell phone retailers would have to establish programs for recycling and
reuse to keep old cell phones out of landfills, under a bill passed by the
California State Assembly May 26. The bill passed with the bare minimum of
votes, 41-31, and was sent to the Senate.
"Cell phones are turning over more quickly than ever," said Assemblywoman
Fran Pavley, the bill's author, adding that cell phone users replace their
phones about every 18 months. Cell phones contain lead, mercury and other
toxins - dangerous chemicals that shouldn't be thrown into landfills, said
Pavley, who is a Democrat from Agoura Hills, near Los Angeles. Her bill
would require retailers to offer to recycle (or reuse) their customers' old
phones. If retailers didn't want to handle the reuse or recycling
themselves, they could contract with companies that pay the stores for the
old phones, and then refurbish them for resale or dispose of them properly,
she said. "My goal is to honor the three R's - reuse, reduce and recycle -
and to protect the health and safety of our constituents," she said.
Republican Assemblyman Tom Harman agreed that the issue should be addressed,
but he said he was concerned about how the state could enforce such a
system. "There are already a number of voluntary measures by cell phone
companies, and several large retailers already offer this," he said.
The full, amended text of the bill is at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_2901-2950/ab_2901_bill_20040520_amended_asm.html
---------------------
Excerpted from a item from Rich McConaghy, City of Vancouver, WA, Solid
Waste Services, in the 5/29/04 "Delete This Newsletter" (forwarded by Amity
Lumper):
REUSED LIVING ROOM
In April, City of Vancouver, WA, Solid Waste Services (Vancouver,
Washington, is located just north of Portland, Oregon) staged a photo
opportunity at the West Van Material Recovery Center & Transfer Station.
Workers at the transfer station pulled out examples of good reusable items
that they found during the prior week and set up a "living room" to
graphically demonstrate the sorts of still-useful items that end up headed
to the landfill because folks don't know about reuse options.
As a result, the Oregonian (the daily newspaper in Portland) ran this photo
on 4/20/04: http://www.earthworksrecycling.com/dtnphoto.htm
(The photo is currently
posted on the website of Earthworks Recycling in Spokane, which publishes
"Delete This Newsletter.")
This photo opportunity was arranged because, for Earth Day, we wanted folks
to be aware of our local "reuse fair" and of the "2good2toss" website
(http://www.2good2toss.com ) in Washington
state, where they can go to post or claim low-cost items of many sorts that
are just "too good to toss." Other communities might be interested in
trying similar "media events," and we'd be interested in hearing of other
ideas that communities are using to encourage folks to "take another look at
REUSE!" If you want more details on the planning behind this fun Earth Day
idea, check with Chery Sullivan at Waste Connections, Inc. at:
cherys [A T] wcnx [D O T] org
--------------------------
Excerpted from an article in the Spring 2004 "Closing the Circle"
newsletter, from the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
(forwarded by Alex Cuyler):
NOAA LIGHTS UP WITH BATTERY-LESS FLASHLIGHTS
Several units of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
have purchased 30 of the NightStar Magnetic Force flashlights from Applied
Innovative Technologies, Inc. This waterproof flashlight weighs less than a
pound, is sealed so it does not produce a spark, and never needs batteries.
According to Applied Innovative Technologies, when the flashlight is gently
shaken, a special high-strength magnet passes smoothly through a wire coil,
efficiently generating electrical energy. Thirty seconds of shaking provide
more than 20 minutes of light. In total darkness, the flashlight will
illuminate a 12-foot diameter area at 50 feet. Since using this flashlight,
NOAA has eliminated the purchase and disposal of up to 180 D-cell batteries
per year, a savings of $120 per year.
Note from Tom: The price I've seen for the NightStar, and for a similar
competing brand of battery-less flashlight, is around $35.
---------------------
Link to the website for the Freecycle online exchange network (following up
on a 10/23/03 posting about this website):
http://www.freecycle.org On the left, click on
a region to find a group in your area. More than 700 cities now have
Freecycle groups, with a total of more than 136,000 participants.
Note from Tom: Freecycle has recently received a huge amount of favorable
publicity, including an article in the 5/10/04 People magazine and an item
in the 5/30/04 Parade magazine.
----------------------
Link to information about "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska," a new
television show about simplicity and sustainability, to be offered
nationally to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations starting this
summer (from a tip from Marcia Rutan):
http://www.simplelivingtv.net/savemoney.aspx?LinkID=881
Information about the host, Wanda Urbanska, is at:
http://www.simplelivingtv.net/simpleliving.aspx?LinkID=879
- end -
|
