Category Archives: Recycling

HP is offering to buy back your used computer, PDA, printer, camera, or smartphone—anything with residual value, irrespective of manufacturer, reports Gina Trapani and Candace Lombardi. You can get an online quote to find out whether that old laptop is worth something. And even better, HP will take back any HP or Compaq equipment in these categories, no matter how old it is.

Robert Siegel surveys the state of recycling programs in three suburban D.C. counties. He makes a good point about the “stickiness” of programs and what waste they accept—one that should be obvious, I suppose.

County Executive Isiah Leggett announced that Montgomery was going to begin accepting a wider range of plastics at the curb, including tubs and lids. Until recently, the county only accepted plastic bottles.

Montgomery County’s recycling center manager, Tom Kusterer, told me that until a few months ago, there was no market for those types of recycled plastics, but they’ve recently found clients who will buy the plastic to turn it into plastic lumber, plastic pallets and plastic flower pots.

Here’s a catch with recycling: Once a county or a city decides to accept, say, plastic tubs and lids, it’s pretty hard to tell people two years later—sorry there’s no more market for that stuff. So these decisions tend to be for keeps.

Yemm & Hart of Marquand, Mo. have established a prototype program to recycle wine corks into building materials. At present, they’re accepting contributions, freight prepaid, of any amount; shipments of 10 pounds or more are purchased at the rate of $1.63 per pound (to non-profit organizations).