Hasta La Gadget!

We know that Apple has always been a very environmentally-conscious company. Greenpeace has given Apple their approval regarding how green their data centers are, but it seems Apple is not stopping there. They have recently taken steps to ensure their data centers will be even more green than ever, and have recently announced a new program that will allow Apple customers to send back old products to any Apple Store for recycling.

The stores will accept both functioning and non-functioning products. For products that are no longer working, the customer will not be receiving anything for it, but for those who are sending in old but still usable products, they will be given a gift card which presumably can be used towards newer purchases (we’re not sure if the gift cards can be used on iTunes or just the Apple Store).

The goal is to help reduce the amount of toxins from seeping into the soil or groundwater, which is what might happen if old products were just tossed aside on the landfills or left outside in public areas. The program will see assistance from PowerON and in a statement made by Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environmental Initiatives, “What the company wants to do is use all our innovation and all of our expertise to make the planet more secure and make the environment better.”

In the meantime if you’d like to learn more about Apple’s recycling efforts, you can head on over to Apple’s website where you will be able to watch a video narrated by Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.

Apple Brings Recycling Effort To All Its Stores , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Computers, Green, recycle,

Recycling e-waste is kind of important. Our devices are full of heavy metals and toxins that probably shouldn’t just chill in landfills. But iPhone repair company Twice Used is designing housewares that put a new spin on old handsets.

Read more…

You’re already gone green in most aspects of your life. But one thing most people have difficulty greening up is food storage, because what can you use to replace plastic cling wrap? It took a while to find an answer to that question, but now that we have, it’s time to spread the word about Abeego.

Abeego is a hemp and cotton fabric that’s supposed to help make food and leftover storage easy as pie. It’s infused with beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil so food is kept fresh when it’s wrapped in the Abeego. The fabric is malleable and slightly adhesive when it’s at room temperature, although it stiffens considerably and holds its form when it’s cooled down.

When you’re done using the Abeego, don’t throw it out. Just handwash it in cold water and it’ll be ready for you to use again once it’s dry. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, which you can check out here.

[via BLTD]

You know that table top and dresser you’ve been meaning to throw out for the past couple of years now? Someone could actually use that. And those old clocks and broken chairs? Someone out there is willing to take them off your hands and fix it or salvage it for parts.

Helping you connect with that someone is Trashswag.

Trashswag is an web-based app that turns collecting and recycling trash into a social activity. The Toronto-based app lets users report stuff that they’re throwing out or have seen in the streets that have been thrown out by their neighbors. Users can snap pictures of the stuff they’ve seen so that others can gauge if they’re worth picking up or recycling.

There are also a bunch of categories on the app like like furniture, wood/lumber/timber, building materials, architectural salvage or garage/yard sale to make browsing easier.

There’s no word on if or when Trashswag will come to other cities, but if you’re looking for junk on the streets of Toronto, check it out here.

[via Pop Up City]

If there’s one thing that people tend to toss around a lot, it’s USB flash drives. Since they are getting so small, they can easily be lost. In order to cut down on all that electronic waste, why not get a green USB flash drive, one made out of paper?

The Intellipaper USB drive isn’t completely made out of paper, but the memory chip is printed on paper, allowing you to mail it, modify it, and cutting down on weight. It also allows for easier recycling. The memory is between 8MB and 32MB, so its aimed at sending around small batches of files, or for things like business or greeting cards, brochures and ads with data embedded into them.

Intellipaper’s USB drive was launched as an Indiegogo project to raise funds for ramping up production. Unfortunately, they’ve only raised about $300 out of a goal of $300,000, so it’s unlikely that this project will ever be made, though I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them. You’ll need to pledge at least $30 to get a box of 10 disposable thumb drives.