Technotrash

Before I purchased an iPod, my mobile media player was my car.  Inside, it more resembled an amateur, college radio station than an automobile.  There must have been 5 or 6 multi-hundred CD binders containing all of my music, in alphabetical order by genre, of course (me OCD?  No...).  Since I never put a CD directly back in the case after a listen, they were prone to excessive scratches and would eventually become unplayable.  That is why I would burn copies from original CDs.  Rather than addressing and changing my over the shoulder CD toss behavior, I would just burn more copies from the originals. [iPod endorsement Axiom #'s 1 and 2:  iPods contribute much less to landfills compared to the aformentioned method and will pay for themselves in a timely manner, compared to purchasing blank CDs, regularly.]

Floundering through multiple CD binders while driving was starting to become a serious safety concern (Axiom #3), not to mention cumbersome, hence my decision to buy the ever popular and chic iPod.  But now that I'm the cruising king of convenient consonance, what ever shall I do with over 600 CD-R's (the majority of which are unplayable)?    A co-worker here at North Cascades just happened to forward an email on the subject matter, this morning (Thanks Lise!).

Like cell phones, and other electronics, blank and used portable data storage (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, "Floppy" Disks, 3 1/2 in Disks, etc) are all recyclable.  Here in Skagit County, the issue is crude.  Waste Management does not currently accept these items, for recycling, that is.  Here, look for yourself. There are numerous "Technotrash" recycling companies located around the country and one right here in Washington, GreenDisk.  The company not only offers technotrash pickup and recycling but also the products from recycled technotrash, completing the cycle.  To see a full listing of the materials Greendisk will and will not accept, click here.

Right now, as with most green services, there is a premium for recycling technotrash.  In an effort to make future NOCA operations run smoother, procedures streamlined and the process svelt, I will be accepting all unwanted used and abused "technotrash" at the Sedro-Woolley and Marblemount offices (conveniently in the same bins for Cell Phones) for future bulk recycling.  I will start the pile with a contribution of a few hundred albums and musical collections ranging from Beethoven's 5th to "50 Irish Pub Songs".

My hope is that the local Waste Management facility will soon become capable of handling these materials so NOCA, as well as local folks, need not pay extra for the service and moreoever, special trips need not be made on the technotrash's behalf!  Please don't misunderstand, this is not a boycott statement for companies such as GreenDisk but rather support for expanding capabilities of larger private and municipal recycling facilities, nationwide. 

An ongoing topic, this shall be, hmmm?