A Little Lesson About Loans
April 19, 2013
Short Guide for Smart People: Getting a Pawn Shop Loan
September 18, 2013
Going Green
There’s a lot of talk about going green, and we are all doing our part. Sure, you recycle cans and plastics and glass, you shop for products made from post-consumer recyclables, you try to be energy efficient around the house and where you work, you’ve swapped out all those old bulbs with energy efficient CFL bulbs, maybe you even drive a hybrid or you’ve been thinking about those all-electric cars…but have you given any thought to one of the easiest and most cost-efficient ways to help recycle?
Buying pre-owned. Let’s take a look at some benefits…
It’s estimated by the US Environment Protection Agency that 80-85% of electronics and electronic devices are disposed of into landfills and incinerators which can release toxins into the air and ground. All of that ‘E-waste’ represents only 2 percent of America’s trash in landfills, yet it equals 70 percent of the overall toxic waste, and between 20-50 million metric tons are disposed of in landfills world wide each year, yet most of this ‘E-waste’ is not actually waste at all, but whole, useable goods readily marketable for reuse or sold as parts to recycle.Cell phones in particular are items that have a relatively short consumer life (there’s always a new one coming out with more features!), but for every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,273 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
Laptops are another device that consumers tend to trade up rather quickly, but recycling 1 million laptops save the energy equivalent to the electricity used to power 3,657 US homes in a year. In fact, it takes 539 pounds of fossil fuel, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to produce one computer and monitor! Just think about those numbers for a moment…and that is just for one computer and monitor.
It’s estimated that only 12.5% of ‘E-waste’ is currently recycled. So what can we do? There are actually a few easy solutions that everyone can follow. First, buy pre-owned when you can! This makes sense not only from an environmental standpoint, but also financially…and TB Goods is the place to go for quality pre-owned items (and with our Product Protection Plans, you can buy with confidence in the quality of your purchase!). Next, don’t throw just toss it if it’s still working, bring it in to TB Goods! We can go over options with you on what to do with your item…you may even get some cash for it! Lastly, if it’s not working or too obsolete, make sure you dispose of things properly! Check locally for the proper way to dispose of items that may be toxic.
TB Goods has always been proud of the role it serves in our community, and we invite you to help us in the global community by going green!
