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	Other Recycling Efforts
	Thanks to your generosity and cooperation, Cans For Charity has been able to divert tons of plastic and aluminum cans into the recycling process and mitigate the effects that un-recycled products have on the environment. As you know, we use the money we raise to fund local charities while connecting to the greater business community. It’s our goal this year to divert 20 metric tons by the end of 2008. Now we have identified another environmentally-friendly opportunity that also helps us offset our operating expenses so we can continue to fund charitable causes. We have received a number of requests from our constituents to recycle cell phones, toner, ink jet cartridges, and personal computers. As you know, Cans For Charity receives no outside funding, so launching this new recycling fund-raiser will help us continue to provide and enhance free services as well as launch new tools and programs to educate and engage local business and civilian communities. All you need to do is donate your used and no longer needed cell phones, inkjet cartridges, digital cameras, DVD movies, portable DVD players, laptop or notebook computers, MP3 players, and portable navigation/GPS devices and notebooks or laptop computers.  Because of the metals and chemicals found in these devices, they have a much more damaging effect on the environment than beverage containers do, so you really will be doing a lot to support our Green efforts. Your help in recycling these products will also enable Cans For Charity to broaden its services, play a greater role in overall recycling efforts, offset some of our operating costs (representing the most difficult challenges), and help enhance services to make it easier for the business community to recycle, while allocating more money for charities. Thank you in advance for your continued support, and for your continuing interest in making our community a better place by recycling. Please contact us if you wish to make special arrangements, or need assistance on how best to collect these items: 617-983-1489 or info@cansforcharity.org
	Cell Phones Impact on the Environment
	On average, Americans replace their cell phones every 12 months. Over 65 million cellular phones are stockpiled in U.S. households creating 30,000 tons of potentially hazardous waste. By 2008, an estimated 130 million cellular phones will be discarded annually in the U.S. alone. Cell phones contain toxic substances including Arsenic, Antimony, Beryllium, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc which leach into soil and groundwater from landfills and form highly toxic dioxins & furans during incineration. These toxins have been associated with cancer and a range of reproductive, neurological and developmental disorders. The cadmium from a single phone is capable of polluting 158,200 gallons of water. (That’s 2.4 million 8-ounce sodas!)
	Electronics Impact on the Environment It takes about six hundred pounds of fossil fuels and chemicals to create the chips for one personal computer. Seventy pounds of water are used to rinse out impurities in a single chip. The amount of waste generated to produce one laptop is close to 4,000 times its weight. When you throw away a 5 pound laptop you are throwing away roughly 20,000 pounds of waste. Approximately 300 million ink cartridges are thrown away each year! The production of a single ink jet cartridge requires 2 and 1/2 ounces of oil. That's more than 6 million gallons of oil wasted each year. Over 6 million DVDs go into landfills and incinerators each year. DVDs have a shelf life of over 100 years.

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