1/8/14

Did you know that electronic waste like computer monitors, hard drives, digital cameras and smartphones represent just 2 percent of the trash in landfills, but 70 percent of the toxic waste? Electronics need materials like lead to work, but when discarded improperly, these chemicals can end up in waterways or, worse, incinerated, so these toxins end up in the air. Fortunately, e-waste recycling has gotten easier, thanks to retailers like Staples that will take many common items for free recycling, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, e-readers, computer monitors, printers and even small items like broken computer mice, keyboards, modems, routers and speakers. Learn more at your local Staples store or at staples.com.

1/7/14

Thinking ahead when running errands can help you save not just time, but money at the gas pump. When you take a trip to the store and start your car when it’s cold each time, it can use twice as much fuel as if you made several trips doing back-to-back errands when the engine is still warm. Planning multiple errands also reduces the total distance you need to drive, so you save a significant amount of money and time in the long run. While you’re at it, drive the speed limit. For every 5 miles over 50 miles per hour, it reduces your car’s efficiency to the tune of 24 cents per gallon of gas.

1/6/14

More than 1,000 Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada already have front-of-store recycling bins. By 2015, 100 percent of the stores will have the program in place. What can you recycle? Every community is different, since every city, town or even shopping mall handles waste uniquely. Generally, the divided recycling bin handles recycling for paper cups and plastic lids and even diverts food waste to be composted.