Cut 6 pack plastic rings

Do you know where your plastic goes? To the ocean. Let's put two and two together. You know those plastic "rings" that hold a 6 pack together? When they are thrown away (even though they should be recycled), they go out to the ocean and when fish / dolphins are swimming around, the "rings" get caught around their noses. The dolphins cannot break free, cannot open their mouths to eat, or if the "rings" get to tight, can stop their breathing and they die.

After taking off the "rings" from the 6 pack of soda, beer, ginger ale, etc make sure you cut them apart. Cut the "rings" even if you are going to recycle. Don't take chances.

I know it's cliche, but "Save The Dolphins".

Thanks for listening!

Sheryl

Reduce unwanted catalogs

Control your mail preferences and simplify your life. Catalog Choice is a free service that lets you choose which catalogs you no longer wish to receive. Reduce the amount of unsolicited mail in your mailbox. You decide what gets in! Reduce your mailbox clutter, while helping save natural resources.

www.catalogchoice.org

Cell Phone Recycling

CELL PHONE RECYCLING: DONATE YOUR OLD MOBILE PHONE

by Michelle Sawyer

Discarded cell phones account for nearly 65,000 tons of toxic waste each year.Cell phone recycling is critical because each cell phone can pollute up to 132,000 liters of water.

More than 500 million unwanted cell phones are either awaiting disposal in the home, or seeping hazardous lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants, and arsenic into the environment. And with new features available every year, a cell phone's average life is now less than 18 months, adding more than 125 million cell phones (and their batteries) to our landfills each year — or 2 million toxic mobile phones dumped each week. Because the United States has yet to establish federal regulations requiring mobile phone recycling, donating or recycling cell phones is at less than 1 percent.

The good news is that mobile phone manufacturers have recognized the need for cell phone recycling, stepping up their efforts to stop this enormous threat to the environment. All five national mobile phone carriers have instigated a mobile phone recycling take-back plan, accepting unwanted cell phones at any of their retail locations nationwide.

Even without a wireless service plan, donated cell phones are reusable, because any working mobile phone can dial a 911 call center (an FCC requirement). As a result, recycled cell phones can be used as emergency lifelines for:

• senior centers
• senior citizens living alone, who are especially vulnerable to accidents
• senior citizens with disabilities and limited incomes, who are especially vulnerable to elder abuse (physical abuse, assault, exploitation, or neglect.)

Recycled cell phones are also an important emergency link for women's shelters. Donated cell phones could save a life by enabling victims of domestic violence with instant access to emergency services.

Before donating your mobile phone, erase any stored information, including your contact list, text messages, and listings of incoming/outgoing numbers. Most cell phones use a "master reset" to delete information quickly and easily. Also, verify that your account has been cancelled with your service provider.

Cell Phone Recycling

Cell phones that are too old to be refurbished or reused should go to a recycling center to keep poisonous mercury, lead and other dangerous toxins from harming the environment. Batteries, plastics, and other components will be disposed of according to EPA guidelines.

Stores such as Radio Shack, Best Buy, Office Depot and Staples offer mobile phone recycling centers, where you can simply toss your unwanted mobile phone into their in-store "recycling bin."

Exchanging your old cell phone when you upgrade is the easiest way to recycle, but if you have a mobile phone or two in a drawer at home, Call 2 Recycle can give you the location of your nearest cell phone recycling center.

Cell Phone Donation

Using a padded envelope, you can mail your unwanted cell phone to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which collects and distributes working cell phones to victims of domestic violence so that they may call 911 for help in emergencies.

Phones For Life gives seniors a lifeline by providing them with a 911-capable working mobile phone, enabling them to call for emergency help should they suffer an accident or emergency. Their drop-off locations are in a number of states, or you can donate your mobile phone by mail.

Donate A Phone and Call to Collect have partnered to accept cell phones at convenient locations throughout your state; refurbishing and distributing the cell phones to domestic violence shelters in need.

More information about cell phone recycling and donation is available from The Recycling Alliance, Charitable Recycling, Collective Good and Wireless Recycling.

Stop Junk Mail

REMOVE YOURSELF FROM JUNK MAIL LISTS

by Deborah Mitchell — Senior Editor, Environmental Protection

Junk mail is more than a nuisance: unsolicited mail has a tremendous negative impact on the environment. At least 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail, and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce the paper. All of these resources are wasted to produce items many people don't even look at: about half of all junk mail is thrown out unopened or unread, and the rate of response to junk mail is less than 2 percent. The result is that more than 4 million tons of paper is wasted every year, according to the Native Forest Network (now known as the WildWest Institute).

Junk mail also has a direct negative economic impact as well. An estimated $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of junk mail annually, and transportation of junk mail costs about $550 million per year, not to mention the air pollution generated during transport.

You can fight back. Read on to learn about effective ways to reduce and even eliminate junk mail in 15 minutes or less!

• Register to have your name removed from mailing lists. There are two main resources you can access to accomplish this. One is a free service called the National Do Not Mail List, offered by DirectMail.com, which makes the list available to mailing list owners and users for one reason only: so they can remove (or add) your name to their lists based on your stated preferences. When you complete the online National Do Not Mail List form, you can indicate if there are any types of mailings you would like to receive (a list is provided). You can choose as many or as few—or none—as you want. DirectMail.com will contact you every six months via e-mail so you can review and update your preferences. The second service is the Mail Preference Service, which historically was free but which now charges $1. You can register online or by regular mail. Your request is good for five years, and you cannot state preferences. (Note: Neither DirectMail.com nor the Mail Preference Service can guarantee that your name will be removed from ALL mailing lists on which you appear. Therefore you may want to try some of the suggestions stated below as well.)
• When you order something from a catalog, your name and address is likely given to Abacus, an alliance of mostly catalog and publishing companies. To have your information removed from Abacus, contact them with your name (including any middle initial), current address, and previous address if you moved recently. Abacus can be reached either via e-mail (optout@abacus-us.com) or by mail: Abacus, Inc., PO Box 1478, Broomfield CO 80038.
• To stop sexually oriented advertising, contact your local post office and ask for Form 2150 to stop mail from a particular company, or Form 1500.
• Whenever you subscribe to a magazine, join a group, or make a donation and supply them with your name and address, ask that they not rent your name to other companies. Your request may be ignored, so it is best to contact them a few weeks later and make the request again.
• To be removed from the mailing list of major sweepstakes mailers, contact the following: Publishers Clearinghouse, by phone: (800-645-9242) or by mail: Consumer & Privacy Affairs, Publishers Clearinghouse, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington NY 11050; or by e-mail:privacychoices@pchmail.com. And Readers Digest Sweepstakes, phone (800-310-6261) or by mail: Reader's Digest, PO Box 50005, Prescott AZ 86301-5005.
• Contact your banks and credit card companies and tell them not to release your name, address, social security number, e-mail address, or phone number to anyone for any type of marketing or promotional reasons.
• If you move, do not fill out the permanent change of address (COA) form supplied by the post office. Permanent COA information is provided to third parties. Instead, complete the temporary (10 month) form and notify companies and others on your own. Address changes can be done easily by completing the change of address form found on the back of bills.
• Don't mark your junk mail "return to sender" or return it in the postage-paid envelop and request to be removed from their mailing list. The fact that you responded, even in a negative way (and expect your request to be ignored), usually means your name and address will be used again by the company that purchased it. Instead, contact the company that mailed the items to you and ask to be removed from their list. If there is no phone number on the junk mail, you may find the company on the Internet. If no phone number is supplied, make your request via e-mail.
• To eliminate handbills from being left in your door, put up a "no handbills" or "no soliciting" sign on your door.
• To eliminate extra or redundant telephone books, contact the producer of the book (should be listed inside the front of the book) and ask to be removed from their list.
• For catalogs that "slip through" and continue to be delivered even after you have contacted MPS and Abacus, here's an easy plan:

Choose a convenient place to collect your catalogs, such as in a basket next to the phone .

Whenever you have a spare few moments, select one or more catalogs, call the toll-free customer service number listed (usually on or near the order form), and ask to be removed from their mailing list.

Place the catalog in your recycle bin!

An optional fourth step is to help an elderly friend or neighbor reduce his or her junk mail by offering to do the same service for them.

For more information on how to eliminate junk mail and similar unwanted printed materials, visit thePrivacy Rights Clearninghouse.