Recycling, Recycling Everywhere

Wow! Where to begin, let’s see, we know everyone is going ‘green’ today and that, for the most part, is a good thing. However, Kermit had it right years ago when he stated, “It's not easy bein' green (Mander, 2011).” As of January first, the state of Indiana and approximately twenty-seven other states have banned the disposal of electronics in the trash (AP, 2011). These laws have been put into place to encourage recycling of all electronic material (Indiana, 2010). Well, how many of you heard about this on the mainstream news? Is that silence I hear or were you shaking your head no? You are not the only one. Many of my coworkers and the general public that I surveyed did not even know that the law had gone into effect. The only agencies that have been reporting on it or giving it any kind of press have been the local newspapers. So if your New Year resolution was to clean out that closet or organize the family room has not come to pass, it may have been a good thing.

Why is this new law being imposed? For the state of Indiana, it all began back in July 2009 when legislature enacted Indiana Electronic Waste Program (IC 13-20.5) and the second phase was completed January 1, 2011 (Indiana, 2010). It appears our electronics have some fairly deadly chemicals (lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium) in them and when they are thrown into the landfill they can leach into our water supply. I personally don’t want a little mercury to drink with my dinner tonight. Do you? In addition, there is a shortage of some of the metals contained within our electronics, specifically copper, so any and all that we can retain for reuse will help keep the costs down on these metals and ultimately keep the costs down on our electronics (Carpenter, 2010).



eCycle - this is the new term being used for proper disposal of all electronic equipment in the state of Indiana (Indianapolis, 2011). Kind of catchy and fun.

According to the EPA, our household consumption and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has escalated since 1985 (EPA, 2010). In 1985, which was around the same time personal computers were beginning to enter the everyday household, we were only recycling 10.1% of our MSW (EPA, 2010). Fortunately as the years have passed, we have become educated on what of our waste does to the environment and we have learned to recycle more with each year that passes. In 2009, we recycled 33.8% of our MSW (EPA, 2010).

In the Electronic Waste Program Overview, it states in reference to Indiana Households, Public Schools and Small Businesses that the “beginning in 2011, Indiana covered entities are prohibited from disposing of e-waste in with their standard trash collection” (IDEM, 2010). Currently, in the state of Indiana, there is not a fine or a penalty for not recycling your electronics, however many believe that it will eventually come (Lewis, 2010).

So what is an educator to do, you ask? First, let me preface this by saying, I have never considered myself a tree hugger or an eco-freak, but I do suggest we begin by educating your students about the law and begin the discussion there. I took a moment this past week to do just that in my classroom and I received many different responses from shocked to outright cries of idiocy. Yet, no matter what the response may be, we must begin to educate them on their responsibilities as citizens, as consumers, as caretakers of the earth’s resources and as, in my case, young adults. We must help them to understand we need to begin now, begin small and begin with each home doing their part by recycling their electronics properly.

So just like Kermit, it isn't easy being green, but I'm working on it and I'm inviting you to do the same. Below is more information for further exploration on your own, but by no mean is it exhaustive. Hi-Ho!

Agencies:
Indiana Recycling
Indiana Government
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
Sustain Indy

Possible Disposal Sites for eCycling:

Central Indiana
South Belmont Collection Facility
2700 South Belmont
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am-11am

IMPD Training Facility (located near Superior Court 13)
9049 East 10th Street
1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, 9am-2pm

Perry Township Government Center
4925 South Shelby Street
2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, 9am-2pm

Trader's Point Collection Facility
7550 North Lafayette Road
1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, 9am-2pm

Southern Indiana
Recycle Johnson County

C&I Electronics
1700 N. Lafayette Avenue
Evansville, Indiana, 47711
Office: 812-423-9166
Toll Free: 800-547-6188

For an extensive in depth listing of recycling and eCycling sites visit IndyStar.com

References for this Blog Post:
Associated Press (2011, January 5). New laws boost electronics recycling: in 27 states, do not call your old computer ‘trash’. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from http://record-eagle.com/business/x126037448/New-laws-boost-electronics-recycling
Carpenter, Claudia (2010, December 7). Bloomberg: Copper faces two-year shortage, will peak over $10,000, Trafigura says. Retrieved February 1, 2010 from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/copper-faces-2-year-shortage-peak-over-10-000-trafigura-says.html
City of Indianapolis (2011). Sustain Indy: eCycle. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from http://www.sustainindy.org/ecycle.cfm
EPA - United States Environmental Protection Agency (2010, December). Municipal solid waste generation, recycling and disposal in the United States: Facts and figures 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009-fs.pdf
IDEM - Indiana Department of Environmental Management (2010, December 8). Electronic waste program overview: Fact sheet. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from
http://www.in.gov/recycle/files/factsheet_electronic_waste_program_overview.pdf
Indiana General Assembly (2010). Table of contents: 2010 Enrolled acts. Retrieved February 1, 2011 from
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title13/ar20.5/
IndyStar (2010, December 10). Where to recycle in Central Indiana. Retrieved February 1, 2010 from http://www.indystar.com/article/99999999/LIVING08/101210033/Where-recycle-Central-Indiana
Lewis, Brandon (2010, December 29). Gray Television, Inc.: New law bans electronics from trash. Retrieved February 1, 2010 from http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/New_IN_law_to_ban_electronics_from_regular_trash_112601824.html
Mander, Keith (2011, February 1). It isn’t easy being green: Song lyrics & words. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from http://bussongs.com/songs/it_isnt_easy_being_green.php