— The latest eNewsletter from eWaste Recycling had a couple of items which included the computer maker just to the north of us.

First the nicer news. “Computer giant Dell has recycled more than 484 million pounds of computer equipment since 2006, according to the company's recently released sustainability report. More than 153 million pounds were collected by Dell in the past year alone. These numbers place Dell well on its way to successfully reaching its cumulative take-back goal of one billion pounds of electronics by 2014. The company currently offers takeback services in 71 countries.”

The article also stated: “On the operations side, the company says it now recycles or reuses 96 percent of all non-hazardous waste, placing it within striking distance of its goal of recycling 99 percent by 2012.  

As of September 2009, Dell says that all [their] U.S. offices use 100 percent recycled content paper, and the company has increased the percentage of Forest Stewardship Council-certified fiber in its product catalogs to 68 percent.”

But another item in the eNewsletter reported non-so-good news on recycled computers which also included Dell.

“Approximately 70 percent of refurbishers reported persistent issues with the power supplies on HP units, with Dell and Apple units also having intermittent problems.  Also seeming to validate earlier claims related to defects in the manufacturing of its Optiplex line of desktops, 89 percent of refurbishers reported problems with bad capacitors on Dell-branded units.”

But we still think it’s a wonderful idea to recycle all your unneeded, unused, somewhat outdated computers.

Switching subjects to another recycled item in the news, especially since Austin is trying to ban them, an item from the latest eNewsletter from Plastics Recycling.

“ As measured purely by column inches and volume of editorials: It's the plastic bags' world, we just live in it. The battle over California's Assembly Bill 1998 is growing ever more heated — the measure comes up for a vote in the state Senate soon — and its prospects look good, as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged to sign the bill if it crosses his desk.”

This bill: “... bans the distribution of plastic bags at grocery stores and other retail establishments in the Golden State, allowing only reusable bags or paper bags to be made available for sale, for a nickel a piece.”

A place that has already banned the bags, with serious consequences if you don’t, is just to the south.

“Mexico City's ban on plastic bags — which threatens up to $90,000 in fines and a 36-hour jail sentence to those who flout it — went into effect this week.”

We find that “Retail establishments must, instead, offer biodegradable plastic bags for sale to those who don't bring their own reusable shopping sack.”

And talking about the ‘reusable shopping sack,” we find the use of the cloth bags has several advantages. They don’t slide all over in your vehicle, don’t spill the contents as easily, don’t cut into your fingers when carrying, etc. Of course we also use paper bags because they are better for holding newspapers and office paper – such as the drafts of these recycling columns – for recycling. Thanks HEB for still having paper bags... Wish Wal-Mart still did.

Till next week, do have a great one...



Gloria and Ollie are local citizens concerned with the environment and helping others. Ollie is a graduate of Leadership San Marcos and they both received higher education at TxState University and worked on staff before retiring. For questions or comments, call 353-7432 or e-mail omaier@TxState.edu.