Which Environmental Damage is the Least?
This entry was posted on 11/16/2007 9:11 AM and is filed under Event,Recycling,Time.
Here is an
article from yesterday's Minneapolis Star Tribune:
It's Green Thursday today at the Mall of America, kicking off a
three-day free electronics recycling event billed as the largest ever
undertaken in the United States.
Trucks will be on hand to accept
everything from toasters and TVs to cell phones and computer monitors.
The organizers say 100 percent of the items will be recycled.
The
Environmental Protection Agency says electronics recycling is critical
because of hazardous materials in many components such as televisions
and monitors. The agency estimates there are as many as 250 million
aging computers that could enter the U.S. waste stream during the next
five years.
Electronics recycler Materials Processing Corp. of Eagan has teamed up with the Mall of America for the event.
Hours: 6 a.m.-7 p.m. today and Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The Mall of America's Met Lot, located just north of the Mall near Ikea.
Cost: Free. Consumers may drop off electronic items for no charge and can also get discounts at the mall.
I received a head's up about this from a Professional Organizer friend of mine. I got really excited - wow! What a great event. I need to tell all my clients, I need to take my own stuff out there! I immediately thought all these things.
Then I went to download the story and came across this video of a news reporter who actually did bring some items to recycle. The narrating is actually very funny, but what he says is very serious - it was a nightmare of a line to drop off. People waiting for hours in their cars. So how about those fuel emissions? How about the waste of a natural resource - and money buying that gas? How about the waste of time?
I guess when an event is held like this the organizers need to weigh the cost of one environmental damage to another.
If you read the comments after the video, people have all sorts of other good ideas for recycling your electronics. Some you may have to pay a fee, but either pay it directly or pay it in gas and time is what I say.
