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21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle

| Tuesday, 11 September 2007

from CoopAmerica.org

Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less.

Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.

That’s why our editors have spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together information for you, our Co-op America members, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling. Supporting members of Co-op America can expect to receive this issue of the Co-op America Quarterly this fall. If you’re not already a supporting member, join us now to get this special issue mailed to you.

1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they Box can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

New Practical Fuel Cells for Laptops

| Thursday, 06 September 2007

from TreeHugger.com

A new fuel cell design that would convert methanol into hydrogen could provide 50 hours' worth of juice to laptops and other portable electronics. The compact device — unveiled by Ronald Besser, a professor of chemical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, at a recent American Chemical Society meeting — could be instantly recharged by swapping in a fuel pack.

The model he proposed assembles the various processing steps into concentric tubes that would create a cylindrical design in which heat from a central combustor could spread in all directions — greatly facilitating the required reactions. Aerogels incorporated into each layer would keep the tubes at the optimal temperature, and the use of advanced plastics to make them would help reduce costs. The fuel processor would be 4.8 cm in diameter and 10 cm long. Although the fuel cell and fuel storage could add on an extra 20 cm of length, Besser thinks the processor would still be small enough to fit in a laptop.

In such a configuration, the fuel cell system could pack as much as 1,000 watt-hours per kg — more than 3 times the amount of energy the very best batteries can muster and much more than a conventional laptop battery can supply. Great news for those of us who live and die by our laptop's battery lives.

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