Maybe you got a holiday tech upgrade with a new phone or laptop. But what you do with old devices matters. Your best bet on making sure you properly wipe a device is finding a YouTube instructional video specific to that brand and model.

Maybe you got a holiday tech upgrade with a new phone or laptop. But what you do with old devices matters.   A United Nations report in 2017 sounded the alarm on the waste associated with technology, with 45 million tons of e-waste tossed in 2016 — and only about 20% was recycled.   If all the valuable metals were collected from those electronics, it would be worth $55 billion.   “This problem is burgeoning, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” says Steven Dege with TerraCycle, a company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. “And as our population grows, it’s continuing to get bigger and bigger, and if we don’t tackle it or start to develop means or ways to recycle these items, it’s going to become a massive, massive issue later on.”   Dege recommends you find a local electronics recycle location.   Consumer Reports says you can also donate your old device to a charity or nonprofit.   Dell and Goodwill have a partnership that allows you to drop off your old technology at some Goodwill locations.   Apple and Amazon may give you a credit or gift card for old electronics.   Sprint buys phones from any carrier.   Best Buy also has a number of recycling options.   But before you do any of that, make sure you protect your data first.   “The No. 1 thing that everybody should do is wipe your information off the phone, off your computers, laptops, things of that nature,” Dege says. “You don’t want that information to get anywhere, to go anywhere, other than yourself.”   Your best bet on making sure you properly wipe a device is finding a YouTube instructional video specific to that brand and model.

Santa and his reindeer are back at the North Pole, the treats are all gone, and gifts are unwrapped. The mess can be overwhelming.   While you’re working on cleaning everything up the next few days, set aside the wrapping paper and tissue paper for recycling.   Mark Miller Subaru and TerraCycle are making it easy.   Just bring your wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper, and party supplies like garlands and confetti to Mark Miller Subaru in Midtown or South Towne now through January 4th.   The Midtown location is at 3535 State Street and the South Towne location is 10920 South State.   TerraCycle is a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept.   Check with your city for a complete list of items accepted in your recycling receptacle.

  SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — In an effort to keep wrapping paper, bows, garland, and more out of Utah's landfills, a local car dealership has teamed up with a recycling company to give you the chance to recycle your Christmas waste.   Mark Miller Subaru is teaming up with Terracycle to help you get rid of hard-to-recycle items that often go in the trash bin.   From December 25 - January 4, you can bring any type of wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper or party supplies such as garlands, and confetti for proper recycling at two Mark Miller Subaru locations: Midtown and South Towne.   According to a news release, Terracycle is "a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept."  

Maybe you got a holiday tech upgrade with a new phone or laptop. But what you do with old devices matters.   A United Nations report in 2017 sounded the alarm on the waste associated with technology, with 45 million tons of e-waste tossed in 2016 — and only about 20% was recycled.   If all the valuable metals were collected from those electronics, it would be worth $55 billion.   “This problem is burgeoning, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” says Steven Dege with TerraCycle, a company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. “And as our population grows, it’s continuing to get bigger and bigger, and if we don’t tackle it or start to develop means or ways to recycle these items, it’s going to become a massive, massive issue later on.”   Dege recommends you find a local electronics recycle location.   Consumer Reports says you can also donate your old device to a charity or nonprofit.   Dell and Goodwill have a partnership that allows you to drop off your old technology at some Goodwill locations.   Apple and Amazon may give you a credit or gift card for old electronics.   Sprint buys phones from any carrier.   Best Buy also has a number of recycling options.   But before you do any of that, make sure you protect your data first.   “The No. 1 thing that everybody should do is wipe your information off the phone, off your computers, laptops, things of that nature,” Dege says. “You don’t want that information to get anywhere, to go anywhere, other than yourself.”   Your best bet on making sure you properly wipe a device is finding a YouTube instructional video specific to that brand and model.

Maybe you got a holiday tech upgrade with a new phone or laptop. But what you do with old devices matters.   A United Nations report in 2017 sounded the alarm on the waste associated with technology, with 45 million tons of e-waste tossed in 2016 — and only about 20% was recycled.   If all the valuable metals were collected from those electronics, it would be worth $55 billion.   “This problem is burgeoning, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” says Steven Dege with TerraCycle, a company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. “And as our population grows, it’s continuing to get bigger and bigger, and if we don’t tackle it or start to develop means or ways to recycle these items, it’s going to become a massive, massive issue later on.”   Dege recommends you find a local electronics recycle location.   Consumer Reports says you can also donate your old device to a charity or nonprofit.   Dell and Goodwill have a partnership that allows you to drop off your old technology at some Goodwill locations.   Apple and Amazon may give you a credit or gift card for old electronics.   Sprint buys phones from any carrier.   Best Buy also has a number of recycling options.   But before you do any of that, make sure you protect your data first.   “The No. 1 thing that everybody should do is wipe your information off the phone, off your computers, laptops, things of that nature,” Dege says. “You don’t want that information to get anywhere, to go anywhere, other than yourself.”   Your best bet on making sure you properly wipe a device is finding a YouTube instructional video specific to that brand and model.

Maybe you got a holiday tech upgrade with a new phone or laptop. But what you do with old devices matters.   A United Nations report in 2017 sounded the alarm on the waste associated with technology, with 45 million tons of e-waste tossed in 2016 — and only about 20% was recycled.   If all the valuable metals were collected from those electronics, it would be worth $55 billion.   “This problem is burgeoning, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” says Steven Dege with TerraCycle, a company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. “And as our population grows, it’s continuing to get bigger and bigger, and if we don’t tackle it or start to develop means or ways to recycle these items, it’s going to become a massive, massive issue later on.”   Dege recommends you find a local electronics recycle location.   Consumer Reports says you can also donate your old device to a charity or nonprofit.   Dell and Goodwill have a partnership that allows you to drop off your old technology at some Goodwill locations.   Apple and Amazon may give you a credit or gift card for old electronics.   Sprint buys phones from any carrier.   Best Buy also has a number of recycling options.   But before you do any of that, make sure you protect your data first.   “The No. 1 thing that everybody should do is wipe your information off the phone, off your computers, laptops, things of that nature,” Dege says. “You don’t want that information to get anywhere, to go anywhere, other than yourself.”   Your best bet on making sure you properly wipe a device is finding a YouTube instructional video specific to that brand and model.

It’s been quite the year for circularity, one defined by ambitious goals, promising pilots, dynamic tensions and a growing sense of community. The momentum is palpable, and I can’t wait for the year ahead. Before we dive into a new decade, let’s revisit five of the most-read circular economy stories on GreenBiz from 2019, and the implications for circularity in 2020: 1. Loop’s launch brings reusable packaging to the world’s biggest brands: The 2019 poster child of the circular economy brought together the largest brands to pilot new delivery models at scale. With Terracycle CEO Tom Szaky at its helm, Loop’s launch has been a go-to talking point for many on circularity’s potential. How is it going? It’s a story we’ll be tracking in 2020, with a particular focus on retail partnerships and consumer behavior change. 2. The five things you need to know about chemical recycling: Spurred by the growing number of commitments by brands, retailers and other stakeholders to close the loop on plastics, the demand for recycled plastics is quickly increasing (PDF). Enter a class of technologies that purify, decompose or convert waste plastics into like-new molecules that could help meet the growing demand for plastics and petrochemicals, and unlock potential revenue opportunities of $120 billion just in the United States and Canada, according to a report by Closed Loop Partners. However, the technologies, terminology and applications can be confusing and are not widely understood by all. How, and how quickly, will that change? We’ll be looking into that, and paying close attention to the growing number of investments and offtake agreements in this arena. Enter a class of technologies that purify, decompose or convert waste plastics into like-new molecules that could help meet the growing demand for plastics and petrochemicals. 3. The rise of plant-based plastic packaging: In the race to produce plastic packaging alternatives, bioplastics represent one approach that has gotten a lot of attention. They’re a type of plastic made from renewable biological sources, as opposed to traditional plastics, made from fossil fuels. The "bio" in bioplastics can run the gamut from vegetable oils and corn starches to food waste and agricultural leftovers, and these materials raise questions about scalability, end-of-life management and carbon footprint. Will they make a dent in the new plastics economy? We’ll follow their progress, and weighing the benefits against other systemic implications. 4. The circular economy giant you've never heard of is planning a major expansion: Providing crates, pallets and boxes to companies around the world to ship their stuff, CHEP, the supply-chain management arm of Australian logistics giant Brambles, specializes in reusable-packaging equipment. An example of circularity at a massive scale, the company rents pallets and other tertiary packaging to customers and then collects almost every unit back after use to inspect, repair and send back out into the supply chain again. Will CHEP own the market or will others follow? We’ll be watching. 5. It's time to trash recycling: Does recycling cycle materials back into supply chains, or enable companies to evade responsibility for unsustainable consumption patterns? Does it truly reduce waste streams? Even though this article ran just this week, it's already become one of our topic circularity stories of the year. Whether and how to reinvent recycling and will be key circular economy stories in 2020, along with approaches to creating end-markets for under-valued commodities. Whether and how to reinvent recycling and will be key circular economy stories in 2020, along with approaches to creating end-markets for under-valued commodities. It will surprise few that most of the top-read circular stories of 2019 by and large focused on tackling the plastics and packaging problem. As a self-appointed steward of the circular economy narrative, I worry about over-emphasizing one piece of a new economic model, however vexing it may be. Circularity is about innovative business models and modes of consumption, new design strategies, product life extension, food waste and so much more. But for many, plastics and packaging is a gateway into the circularity conversation. It’s an accessible entry point into an aspirational model. But my hope is that once readers pass through this intellectual threshold, they will find dozens of other stories helping to define the circular economy. And we look forward to bringing them to you. Thanks for reading in 2019. Circular Weekly is taking a break for the holidays, but it will return to your inbox Jan. 10 to kick off a new year of stories, news, analysis and opinions about the circular economy. As yet another year circles back to a new beginning, I look forward to continuing to guide you through the ever-evolving and rapidly expanding circular economy landscape, and to helping its many stories unfold.