E-Recycling in Hospitals
Hospitals are a vital part of any community. Houston has the largest medical center in the world with more than 100 hospitals and medical centers in the metro area alone. Have you ever stopped to think about all of the waste that comes from a hospital? There is hazardous medical waste, the day-to-day trash from staff and patients, as well as electronic products that need to be responsibly handled.
According to Health Facilities Management, hospitals may spend as much as $300 to properly dispose of a computer, including the proper removal, transportation, auditing, data destruction and administrative costs. But by using a certified electronics recycler, health care facilities can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by repairing, updating and redeploying outdated computers, instead of buying new ones.
And that’s where we can help.
CompuCycle assists hospitals in recycling unwanted electronic products including computers, printers and diagnostic electronics. We help hospitals reduce their electronic waste by implementing an efficient end-of-life computer asset management program that focuses on reusing and recycling their equipment, which helps cut costs and save money.
As with all commercial recycling, CompuCycle schedules convenient on-site pickups for hospitals, where our friendly, trained staff will safely pack and load the electronic materials into a CompuCycle truck. Once at our facility, we carefully inspect each piece of equipment and implement a tracking system to monitor each item through inventory, recycling and destruction processes, and create a detailed report. Next, we assess the worth of computer assets and ensure you receive the maximum recovery value.
For more information on how we can help your hospital responsibly recycling its unwanted electronics, please visit the CompuCycle website.
The Power of Aluminum
Every person varies in his or her opinion of the importance of recycling. However, facts cannot be denied. The following facts from “The Power of Aluminum” infographic show the impact that recycling can have:
-Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for THREE hours.
-In 1996, aluminum recycling saved enough energy to power the city of Pittsburgh for more than SIX years.
-Every three months, Americans discard enough aluminum to completely rebuild every single commercial airplane in the United States.
-Four six-packs can support the weight of a 4,000 pound aluminum car.
CompuCycle has more than 20 drop-off locations around the Greater Houston area for electronics recycling for commercial and residential recyclers.
E-Cycling After the Holidays
TVs, cell phones, laptops and tablets are common gifts that millions of people receive every holiday season. While getting new gadgets is exciting, have you stopped to think about what happens to your old electronics? Sadly last year, 384,000,000 electronics ended up in landfills, exposing Americans to toxic chemicals. On Sunday morning, CompuCycle’s president, Clive Hess, was on ABC 13’s morning news to discuss how to properly recycle old or unwanted electronics after the holidays.
We may be biased, but we think Clive did a wonderful job during his interview explaining the importance of e-cycling and the dangers of improperly disposing unwanted electronics. He described the services we offer and how our facility responsibly recycles e-waste. Furthermore, he listed the types of electronics we recycle and the steps we must take to correctly dispose each item. Even the interviewer was surprised to hear that our company recycles TVs!
In addition to Clive’s plethora of important information about e-cycling, the segment also featured great coverage of CompuCycle volunteers hard at work processing e-waste. You can watch the full interview from ABC here!
If you received new electronics this holiday season and want to retire your previous models, be sure to do so responsibly with CompuCycle! You can drop off your e-waste at the CompuCycle facility every Friday or head to Discovery Green for Recycling Saturdays! If you’re thinking about recycling with us, read the following tips so you’re prepared to properly part with your e-waste!
-Be sure to erase all data and wipe all hard drives (including on your cell phones) before recycling these items; if you forget to, a certified recycler is required to do this, as well.
-Once you’ve determined which items you’ll no longer be keeping, find a certified electronics recycling facility or GreenSpot Dropoff box to bring your items to. Be sure to find out what items are accepted before dropping anything off.
-Encourage your friends and family members to recycle their unwanted electronic items as well; make sure they know that when electronics are not responsibly recycled they can easily end up in landfills, releasing toxic elements into our air and water streams.
-Learn more about the effects of unsafe electronic disposal in the US, by visiting the EPA or CompuCycle’s websites.
Do you know about everything our city is doing to stay green?
Houston’s a big city with even bigger dreams to be green. To help make this eco-dream a reality, the City of Houston established Green Houston, an initiative to encourage citizens to do their part to help the city become more green. Green Houston has a number of Green City Projects listed on its website that are improving the city and allowing Houstonians to practice living a greener life.
One of the Green City Projects is the Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP), which assists income-qualified Houstonians in receiving weatherization measures in their homes, meaning their energy consumption is reduced by the installation of energy efficiency upgrades. The City has also established the Green Building Resource Center to help contractors achieve LEED for New Construction to the Gold level. Additionally, the City of Houston created the Green Office Challenge, a competition for commercial property managers that acknowledge achievements in turning their operations green. Other projects include the redevelopment of brownfields, a compost bin/rain barrel sale, the Energy Efficiency Incentive Program, the Environmental Coordinating Council, the Houston Bikeways Program, and various sustainable food policy initiatives.
To do its part, the City of Houston has partnered with Reliant Energy to explore new energy conservation technologies, one of which was the conversion of ten City of Houston vehicles to plug-in hybrid electric cars. City of Houston employees are driving these cars to help show how easy it is to be environmentally friendly.
Visit the Green Houston website to learn more about this amazing initiative and what you can do to help!
I’m Dreaming of a [Green] Christmas…
Are you still looking for the perfect gift for your family and friends? Well look no further because we’ve created a green gift guide just for you! Giving a green gift will not only put a smile on a loved one’s face, but it’s also good for the environment.
One of our favorite stores to do our holiday shopping is One Green Street, Houston’s own “organic lifestyle destination.” One Green Street has clothing, accessories, candles, kitchen gadgets, home goods, and much more! Here are some of our favorite items from One Green Street that we’re putting on our holiday shopping lists!
- Sam’s Natural Holiday 2012 Fun Pack is perfect for the man who likes to look and smell good (and green!). The boxed gift set includes slick shave soap, after shave, soap for men, Xtreme lip balm, everyday lotion for men, original deodorant, all which are made with natural, organic ingredients.
- One Green Street has a variety of beautiful, show-stopping jewelry. One of the pieces we love the most is the Raven + Lily Amleset: Macrame Tassel Necklace. The fair-trade statement necklace is made using melted bullet casings and recycled metals. Raven + Lily jewelry proceeds fund healthcare and literacy programs for women and children that are HIV-positive in Ethiopia, whom are also the ones creating the pieces.
- For the beach-loving women who like to tan and glisten, Lucy B’s frangipani bronze shimmer oil will accomplish all of the above! Made with organic coconut, jojoba and sunflower oils, this bronzing oil not only smells divine, but it will give your face, body and hair a beautiful sun-kissed look.
- For a unique gift, try Elvis & Kresse’s handsome wrap around cuff links. Made from genuine British fire-hose, the hand stitched cuff links are available in red, yellow, blue or black.
- The gold chevron print Uzma Travel Journal is sure to please the writers and travelers in your life. This gorgeous journal is handmade with 100 percent recycled cotton paper and textiles by marginalized women in Northern India. The proceeds from the journal collection fund literacy programs for the women and children in this community.
- The stylish Urban Junket Convertible Tote not only looks great, but it’s made using environmentally friendly materials, including recycled bottles. The bag features snaps that allow you to change the shape and style of your tote, making it completely versatile!
- Make the furry friends in your life fashionable with Spike’s Lighted Dog Collar. The collar, which made the “O” list, is a pulsing lighted collar made with recycled materials. The best part about the Spike brand is that 2 percent of all profits go to dog-friendly organizations.
We hope this list has helped to inspire you to shop “green” this holiday season! Happy shopping and happy holidays!
