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Volumne 25, No. 1
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digest listing.
Selected Articles:
Cell Phone Recycling
Aluminum Can Shipments
Cell Phone Recycling:
Why should we be concerned
about recycling cell phones? Most cell phones contain about
40 percent metals, of which most are considered hazardous
(lead, nickel, zinc, mercury, cadmium and beryllium).
Luckily, these metals and most other cell phone components
can be recovered and reused. The U.S. EPA projects that 130
million cell phones will enter the waste stream in 2005, but
a recent survey indicates that few Americans know that cell
phones can be recycled.
According to the Kentucky
Recycling and Marketing Assistance, Cell phone recycling has
grown in the past few years, but many are collecting dust in
desk drawers and closets. There are several options
available for those who want to recycle their old cell
phones. The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet
Association (CITA) is an organization composed of carriers,
manufacturers and wirele3ss Internet providers of the
wireless telecommunications industry with collection points
for cell phone recycling listed on their Web site. The
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. (RBRC) recently
announced Call2Recycleo, a nationwide cell phone collection
and recycling program, with 30,000 drop off points. To
recycle your old cell phones, check out these resources:
•
The CITA Web site contains links to all of its member
organizations' recycling sites at
www.recyclewirelessphones.org.
•
Call the RBRC toll free at 1‑877‑2‑RECYCLE or visit
www.call2recycle.org
for locations to recycle cell phones.
•
Earth 911 or Cleanup
has information on the importance of recycling cell phones
and other electronics and locations for recycling at
www.cleanup.org
or call I ‑800‑CLEANUP.
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EcoPhones collects cell phones for recycling and reuse.
Groups may use this option as a fundraiser;
visit
www.eco‑phones.org
or call 888‑326‑7466 for more information.
The Wireless Foundation has
several different programs that refurbish and recycle cell
phones. Some of the phones are sold to raise funds for a
variety of charities and to support the educational efforts
of the foundation. Other phones are distributed to victims
of domestic violence (Donate a Phone Call to Protect),
usually with free airtime for emergency calls donated by
wireless service providers. For donation locations and more
information visit their WEB site at
www.wirelessfoundation.org.
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Aluminum
Can Shipments
ALUMINUM CAN SHIPMENTS
rose 4.4 percent
in the first quarter of the year in comparison to the year
earlier period. Shipments in the 2004 period totaled 23.3
billion
Used aluminum can
reclamation in the U.S. through February totaled 212.7
million pounds.
GLASS CONTAINER
production through February grew 0. 1 percent above the 2003
total to 40.47 million gross (a gross unit is 144 bottles).
Container sales in the first two months at 37.74 million
gross rose 4.0 percent.
Steel
continues to be the backbone of recycling in America
The Steel Recycling
Institute announced today that the recycling rates for a
variety of steel products increased slightly in 2003
maintaining steel's preeminence as the most recycled
material in the nation and around the world.
SRI reported that steel
continues to be the backbone of the recycling infrastructure
throughout the United States and that almost 69 million tons
of steel were recycled last year. These millions of tons
which found their way to steel mills for recycling rather
than landfills resulted in an overall recycling rate of 70.7
percent.
Steel dominated consumer
products such as cans, cars, and appliances however, showed
slight increases, which is a result of the increased value
of steel scrap during the second half of 2003. Over 14.2
million tons of steeel from end of life vehicles was
recycled in 2003 resulting in a 102.9 percent rate, up 2.3
percent from the 100.6 percent registered in 2002. When it
comes to those products that typically end up on the curb,
such as steel cans, and steel intensive appliances, more of
these commodities found their way to curbside bins and
recycling centers than in 2002.
Over 2.6 million tons of
appliances and almost 1.6 million tons of steel cans were
recycled last year, resulting in recycling rates of 89.7 and
60.2 percent respectively.
The increased value of steel
scrap last year certainly helped keep America beautiful as
these same people roamed the streets, alleys, embankments
and empty lots looking for recyclables.
In 2003 the trend continued
of increased ferrous recycling in the construction and
demolition arena. Heavy structural beams and plates
recycling was up slightly to 96 percent, from a 5 percent
level in 2002.
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