recycle

How to best recycle electronics is a problem I've had to deal with more than a few times at CNET. I have to be honest, during busy work cycles, the garbage bin has looked very appealing as an easy out when an obsolete laptop or graphics card needs discarding.

Luckily for me, and my relatively weak will, more companies are starting to provide support for consumers that want to dispose of their old electronics with a clear conscience. On Thursday, Panasonic announced that it is creating a nationwide program designed to provide consumers "convenient and easy" recycling … Read more

You click OK on a message while surfing the Internet and suddenly your computer is full of malicious software and viruses. That's bad. What could be worse worse, however, is when your brand new computer comes preloaded with malicious software.

Tuesday, according to ChinaTechNews.com, Asus announced a recall of it's Asus Eee Box PCs that it had sold in Japan because it was shipped with a virus.

The computers had a file called recycled.exe, residing on the D drive. Once executed, the file would copy itself to other drives, including USB drives, and install malicious software … Read more

Nokia has introduced automated kiosks across the central Klang Valley of Malaysia in a bid to encourage people to recycle their mobile phones.

In a recent study conducted by the mobile-phone maker, only 3 percent of respondents recycled their cell phones, and 50 percent were unaware that their devices could be reused.

Nokia is hoping to improve the statistics with the introduction of kiosks specially designed to ease the recycling process.

"We've been at the forefront of driving environmental initiatives in the mobile industry for over a decade, and Nokia Malaysia is the first to launch this automated … Read more

Starting October 1, Samsung will commence with a new recycling program for its consumer electronics products.

Anyone in any U.S. state will be able to take their old, used, or unwanted Samsung-brand electronics bought in the U.S. to a collection site--either a permanent drop-off point or a local recycling event--at no cost to the owner. You can also bring electronics not made by Samsung, but they'll charge you for it.

Samsung says it is partnering with recycling programs "that do not incinerate, landfill, or export toxic waste to developing countries." The only things it will … Read more

How's this for a tantalizing possibility: rather than install solar panels on your roof, the lost heat from your furnace could power your home.

That's not yet a product, but a growing number of scientists and clean-tech companies are trying to coax usable energy from smokestacks and other waste-heat sources.

A global push toward energy efficiency is prodding more industrial outfits to reuse heat from their operations that would otherwise be lost to the skies.

Meanwhile, improving thermoelectric technology that converts heat into electricity is being fitted onto everything from car exhaust pipes to furnace flues.

It's … Read more

ReCellular has raised $15 million from Investor Growth Capital. The Dexter, Mich.-based cell phone-recycling service aims to open new offices, hire more people, and expand collection facilities.

ReCellular is among a handful of services that pays people for sending in retired cell phones and PDAs.

Competitor Gazelle of Waltham, Mass., formerly called Second Rotation, in July relaunched its Web service. Other growing services for buying back used electronics include TechForward of Los Angeles and BuyMyTronics of Denver.

By the end of the year, ReCellular aims to collect more than 6 million phones, distributing some for reuse among 40 countries … Read more

As people buy more electronic stuff, there's growing concern over hazardous electronic waste. A number of new companies are trying to keep that gear from fouling up landfills--and make a buck while doing it.

TechForward's spin on electronic recycling is getting consumers to think ahead and plan on returning their gadgets for resale.

The business model of the 3-year-old company, based in Los Angeles, is to sell consumers a buy-back deal at the point of sale. So when you buy a shiny new iPod or digital camera, you can plan on selling it back in two years.

TechForward … Read more

Since your laptop is spewing hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere every year, why not help make up for that by toting it around in a bag made of recycled materials?

Fortunately, in the case of these stylish totes, "recycled" doesn't mean reusing a burlap sack. There's a lot of creativity out there when it comes to materials from which to make laptop carriers.

The penguin/rooster bag from Uncommon Goods above for instance, is made completely from recycled water bottles. Each yard of polyester material for the bags is made from … Read more