How to Properly Recycle When Spring Cleaning

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Spring cleaning is the time of year when you remove all the unwanted materials from your home. It is an annual house cleaning that coincides with the warming temperatures where people open their windows and let the fresh air in. But how can you combine spring cleaning with recycling to get the best of both worlds?

Instead of simply bagging up the trash and letting unwanted items pile up in closets and storage areas, you can employ a recycling system in your home. The result protects the environment and makes cleaning the home during the spring less taxing.

What Can Be Recycled?

There are many items around your home that can be recycled. The first step is locating all nearby recycling centers. Then take the items when ready and earn a little profit when you turn them in. 

  • Aluminum
  • Cardboard
  • Glass
  • Paper 
  • Plastics 
  • Steel & More 

You can rinse out and crush the cans so they can be put into large bags for recycling. Cardboard boxes if strong enough make for good moving boxes. But for those that are torn, thin, or compromised simply fold them up for storage until you take them to the recycling plant. 

Rinse out glass containers. However, you can leave the labels on since they will be removed by the recycling process. Store paper items such as magazines, newspapers, telephone books, and the like in smaller boxes or bags so they are easy to carry. 

Rinsing and crushing plastic bottles for storage saves space and doesn’t attract insects. Certain metals such as steel, copper, and those used in electronic items can be recycled as well. Find recycling centers that accept metal and electric devices after your home cleaning session. 

How Can You Employ Reusable Items?

You can cut down on waste and make your next spring cleaning far less taxing by relying more on reusable items. 

Rags, Sponges, & Towels: Instead of using paper towels, rely more on reusable items such as rags, sponges, and towels for cleanup. You can use a simple homemade cleaner such as one-part vinegar to seven parts water for quick cleaning while not filling up the trash with paper towels. 

Reusable Batteries: Disposable batteries can become quite expensive. Instead, purchase reusable batteries with a charger to save money over the long run. It also means less to throw out during spring cleaning. 

Reusable Bags: Instead of collecting or throwing away plastic bags, rely on reusable bags when you shop. They will hold up more, last far longer, and are washable so they can be reused repeatedly. 

Compost: For both food and yard waste, you can instead put more nutrients into the ground for your lawn or garden by learning to compost. This form of recycling can do wonders for your landscape or garden when properly employed. 

When you plan for your next spring cleaning, be sure to make a quick note of what recycling opportunities are available. Your next house cleaning can include recycling unwanted materials and purchasing goods that can be recycled or have a long life in your home.


Contact Brickley Environmental Today 

With numerous dangers facing your home or business, calling the professionals at Brickley Environmental is a good place to start. We offer our knowledge and experience along with the tools to detect and remove infestations of various types. The services provided by Brickley Environmental include the following. 

  • Asbestos Abatement
  • Mold Remediation
  • Lead-Based Paint Removal 
  • Demolition 
  • Hazardous Waste Removal

If you are facing any of these issues, call Brickley Environmental today. Our friendly, courteous staff will take your call and answer your questions, so you can make the best-informed decision about what to do next. At Brickley Environmental, we are here to help you. 

Clean and Effective E-Waste Recycling

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The rise of electronic devices, from televisions and radios to computers, laptops, mobile devices, and so much more, has created an electronic waste, or e-waste, issue. With over 50 million tons of e-waste being generated every year, only about 10 million tons are being recycled. The rest piles up in landfills where the toxic materials are starting to cause concern.

The natural solution is recycling, but e-waste is different from most items that undergo the recycling process. There is the added expense of stripping away the materials from devices which cannot be recycled. Plus, some e-waste has toxic elements that must be carefully handled, which also adds to the overhead in terms of recycling.

Pulse Power

Traditional recycling methods use chemical baths or mechanical crushers to start the transformation process of the material. However, they can be complicated, expensive, and cause health issues when not performed properly.

A chemical bath produces harmful effects in the atmosphere, in which those who work inside are particularly vulnerable. Mechanical crushers break apart items in a manner that may have unexpected results, especially if toxic materials are found inside. Plus, such devices may not be well-suited for separating certain materials, which in the end causes even more waste to be produced.

In Japan, researchers have developed a new recycling method that uses pulsed electric discharges or pulse power to process all types of materials into something that can be recycled. From e-waste to concrete and to water that needs to be treated, pulse power is providing a solution that more companies and organizations are investigating.

How Pulse Power Works

Electrical charges are used to break apart materials in a clean, efficient manner. For e-waste, which often combines both recyclable and non-recyclable materials, this is a simple way to separate the components so they can be handled properly.

For example, CD-ROMs are a common form of e-waste consisting of plastic and metal components. Such components can be separated with an average of 30 electronic pulses. Because the pulses use electricity only, there are no additional materials to purchase, such as the ingredients used for chemical baths. Nor is the equipment used in pulse power devices likely to breakdown as with mechanical recycling machines, which need constant maintenance and monitoring.

In addition, the electricity used is cheap and works on many different types of items that used materials from different sources. Once the materials are separated, they can either be recycled or disposed of properly with less contamination.

Solving Your Waste Recycling Needs

If your company is seeking solutions to its e-waste issues, Brickley Environmental can help. Offering services that help companies identify, remove, and recycle electronic waste, Brickley Environmental has the trained experience and personnel along with the right equipment to get the job done.

Recycling Programs Initiated for Unwanted Electronic Equipment and Styrofoam Products

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Recently, the residents of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, gained access to a new, free recycling center for unwanted electronic devices and some forms of Styrofoam. Thanks to a grant by the Environmental Commission, this new program promises to be more convenient for residents to dispose of unwanted waste materials.

Electronic Devices

The devices that qualify for proper recycling in the new facility include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Monitors, televisions, and computers
  • Tablets, laptops, and e-readers
  • Printers, copy machines, and fax machines

Before dropping off your electronic items for recycling, you may want to consider selling or donating the ones that are still in working condition. There are several places that accept donations where people can use electronic devices for their needs. In some cases, you may want to remove all your information from the drive itself.

Given the amount of electronic waste in the US, having a place to recycle such devices provides the citizens of Berkeley Heights a way to get rid of the unwanted materials with a clear conscious. It also provides a means to recycle parts, wiring, and components into new products. This approach will help save money over the long run by reusing old materials.

Styrofoam

A new recycling program for products made from Styrofoam has also been launched in Berkeley Heights. The products that may be recycled should have all adhesives, stickers, and tape removed before disposing of. Some of the products that qualify include the following:

  • Packaging foam for furniture and appliances
  • Block form foam
  • White clean foam

Be advised that there are several products made from Styrofoam that cannot be included for recycling purposes, such as foodservice foam, dark-colored foam, egg cartons, peanut foam, cardboard foam, and foam that is dirty or wet.

This may be of concern to residents who have considerable amounts of Styrofoam products but cannot have them recycled because of the additional inks and coloring that is present. This is why egg cartons are not allowed even though they are mostly made from Styrofoam.

Brickley Environmental Offers Answers

If you have questions about what to do with the waste generated by Styrofoam or old electronic devices in your residence, office, or facility, call Brickley Environmental today and get the answers you need.