In recognition that yesterday was America Recycles Day, it’s worth noting that we everyday consumers create a shocking amount of e-waste. According to the EPA’s stats for 2005, “between 1.5 million and 1.9 million tons of used or unwanted electronics were discarded in US landfills, including as many as 130 million cell phones {{our italics}}. Only a little more than 350,000 tons were recycled.”

The good news is that this trend is changing, albeit slowly. Industry giants like Dell and Nokia are pioneering recycling efforts aimed at minimizing our footprint on the planet…

• For just $25, Dell will pickup your old Dell equipment and dispose of it safely, recovering all reusable materials and destroying all your personal files. (Dell's recyling program)
• Nokia allows you to send your phone back to them—for free—where they’ll recycle it on their dime. (Nokia's recyling program)

In fact, Nokia has launched the “I’m an unplugger” campaign to encourage users to save energy by unplugging their cell phone chargers when not in use. Nokia estimates that if just 10% of their 1 billion customers did that, we could save enough energy to power 85,000 homes. For a year.

Who says we can’t make a difference?