What would you do with an empty box?

I'm passionate about recycling to the point of tearing off the paper tag from my tea bag so it can be recycled. When we deploy hundreds of Chromebooks I work hard to find homes for hundreds of empty boxes. The first person I try to get ahold of is the art teacher. Art teachers understand how to take junk and turn it into something beautiful.

If I can't find an art teacher I look for kindergarteners.  Just give a kid a box and they'll know how to turn it into something magical. Who wouldn't want such a cute little box with a cute little handle?

But what if I'm in a middle or high school? No problem, I find a language arts or English teacher and show them my haiku box (see below) made from the trays inside the many rescued boxes. How about one of those projects where you have to decide what 10 things you'll need to survive on a deserted island? Start thinking and you'll come up with lots of things to do with an empty box...and the stuff inside it.

What would you do with an empty box?

Spring cleaning: e-waste

The cable drawer. Do you you have one? I have two:

It's vacation week and I've been in the mood for spring cleaning.The result? I'm down to just one cable drawer.

Where'd the stuff go?

The other day I discovered the Best Buy recycling kiosk where you can get rid of old CDs/DVDs, rechargeable batteries, plastic bags and...cables!

Read the fine print

Can I trust Best Buy with my junk? You're probably wondering what this could possibly mean. It means: do they do the right thing with my e-waste and the answer is yes, they do. If you visit bestbuy.com/recycling and look for Best Buy Recycling Standards you can read all about the recycling process and the Recycling Partners . There are three listed on the site:

• Electronic Recyclers International, Fresno, CA
• E Structors, Baltimore, MD
• Regency Technologies, Cleveland, OH

Of course I was compelled to do my due diligence and review each of the partners guidelines and policies. The findings: all three partners are R2 (Responsible Recycling) certified and then some. In a nutshell this means that e-waste will be broken down in a manner that complies with health and safety standards with minimal environmental impact. If you love factory tours check out this live stream video of the electronics breakdown process.

More stuff

In addition to the recycling kiosk that can be found at the store entrance, Best Buy also accepts larger items in the store. Check out the recycling FAQ for more information specific to each state. Here in NH e-waste recycling at Best Buy  is free, but there is a limit of up to three items per day.

I love the spring and fall  Small Dog Electronics e-waste events, but now I've found the perfect solution for all of those in-between cleaning binges.