The conversation has started about the MN E-Waste Law. Feel free to join here with your opinion. More information about the current law, what needs to be fixed, and links can be found on the bottom right of the E-Waste page of this web site.
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The holiday season has ended. What do we do with that still-green (do they PAINT them?), needle-sharp (ouch!!), dry-but-too-sticky-to-touch (yuck!) Christmas tree? Looking around the neighborhoods, we see that many people just toss it to the curb and hope that it will disappear. (Just put a “free” sign on it, right?)
Some trash haulers will pick up the trees from their customers. Or you can haul it to a facility yourself. Either way, get rid of it before the end of January, or keep it until spring. Do we really want our trees going to the landfills? About 30 million real Christmas trees are sold each year in the United States. This means about a million trees (all biodegradable unless you left tinsel or your stand on the tree) every January in Minnesota are sent to landfills. We could stick the trees in our back yards and wait for the yard waste sites to open in April. Get a tree with roots, water them and plant them in the spring. Don't have a tree inside (imagine how much money we'd save!). Find an interesting and helpful use in nature for these trees (no, not burning it). For a good laugh and great ideas, click here Adam Cole’s Tree-Incarnation: Christmas Trees Return to Nature from NPR News in 2014. Have you been storing old electronics? Hiding them away because…
So where do we get rid of our electronics?
When we buy a new electronic device, can we get rid of the old one free? Nope, not always. Retail and manufacturer take-back programs (such as Best Buy(R), Apple or Samsung) are too few in number - and not very convenient if you’re not in a metropolitan area. So, a large share of the burden to collect our electronics still falls to cities and counties across Minnesota. For more information about where to take your electronics for safe recycling and disposal, contact your city or county. |
MN Product Stewardship CouncilA forum for the exchange of information and ideas to promote producer responsibility programs, and develop and recommend practical local and statewide product stewardship strategy, education, and leadership. Archives
February 2016
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