Green box (container)

Last updated
Green Box Electronic Recyclers, Inc.
Industry Electronic waste/Carbon neutrality
Founded2011
Headquarters Santa Ana, CA, United States
Area served
California
Key people
Matt Miller, Inventor of the Green Box, Founder/CEO of Green Box E.R.I.
Scott Lukash, Vice President of Green Box E.R.I.
Website greenboxecycling.com

The Green Box (GB) is a large metal container, designed and utilized for free public disposal and recycling of electronic waste. It is produced and sold by an eponymous California company.

Contents

Company history

Matt Miller of Huntington Beach, California created The Green Box in 2011. It is a 7-by-5-by-5-foot (2.1 m × 1.5 m × 1.5 m) box that is placed on private or public property within cities wherein businesses and residents unload their old and broken electronics 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Green Boxes were first released to the public for beta-testing in January 2012, using bins manufactured and operated by Orange County-based Green Box Electronic Recyclers, Inc. (Green Box E.R.I.), in their Huntington Beach and other test markets. In March 2012, Green Box E.R.I. began expanding Green Box numbers into many cities throughout southern California including Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Westminster, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Tustin, Seal Beach and Sunset Beach. [1]

A Green Box at a Circle K in Westminster, CA Green Box at Circle K Westminster.jpg
A Green Box at a Circle K in Westminster, CA
A Green Box at a Lamborghini dealership in Costa Mesa, CA Green Box at Lamborghini Newport.jpg
A Green Box at a Lamborghini dealership in Costa Mesa, CA

The bins are highly recognizable in part because of their trademarked name and electric green coloration. [2] Located in high traffic areas within multiple city regions of southern California, Green Boxes are exclusively serviced and managed by Green Box Electronic Recyclers, Inc. a California Corporation. [3]

Design and function

The shade of green chosen for Green Boxes is similar to that of a green highlighter marker. CEO Miller named the custom color ‘electric green’ and says his is the first company in the United States to apply this color to an unattended collection box. Green Box E.R.I. possesses a U.S. trademark related to the green coloration.

Close-up shot of a Green Box deposit slot Electronics go in the Green Box.jpg
Close-up shot of a Green Box deposit slot

The deposit opening on a Green Box is large enough to fit most electronic waste including computers, DVD players, flat-screen computer monitors, LCDs, copiers, laptops, cell phones, musical devices such as iPods, household printers, fax machines, mice, image scanners, servers, digital cameras, calculators, electronic boards, cords and cables, CPUs, routers, stereo equipment, medical equipment, video cameras, VCRs, disc players and keyboards. Deposits are made by placing electronic waste on a large platform, and lifting up on the handle. Items fall downward into the box. [4]

The graphics on a Green Box include the company’s phone number, website, logo, a data destruction statement, a warning against dumping, a ‘No CRT’ label, a list of items accepted, the company’s Facebook and Twitter handles, the words ‘RECYCLE OLD ELECTRONICS’, and ‘FREE TO THE PUBLIC’, and icons of various electronic gadgets.

Related Research Articles

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Consumer electronics Electronic products for everyday use

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Litter Waste products disposed of incorrectly, without consent, at an inappropriate location

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Computer recycling

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Recycling bin

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Electronic waste Discarded electronic devices

Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse human health effects and environmental pollution.

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Kerbside collection

Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built vehicles to pick up household waste in containers that are acceptable to, or prescribed by, the municipality and are placed on the kerb.

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This article outlines the position and trends of recycling in Canada. Since the 1980s, most mid to large municipalities in most provinces have recycling programs. As of 2012, Canada has a recycling rate around 26.8%

There is no national law in the United States that mandates recycling, and state and local governments often introduce their own recycling requirements. In 2014, the recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in the US was 34.6%. A number of U.S. states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers while other jurisdictions rely on recycling goals or landfill bans of recyclable materials.

MyGreenElectronics

myGreenElectronics is a public service online portal for consumers to recycle or reuse their electronics products once they have reached end-of-life. It was designed by The Consumer Electronics Association to empower consumers to make what some people consider "responsible choices" throughout their products’ life cycle, but does not specifically endorse any one company or business practice, and is meant to be an objective resource.

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Recycling in the United Kingdom

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Californians Against Waste is an environmental advocacy organization that advocates for stronger environmental laws and more recycling at the state and local level. The organization was founded in 1977 and has sponsored numerous successful citizen initiatives. It is headquartered two blocks from California's state capitol in Sacramento.

Electronic waste in the United States

Electronic waste or e-waste in the United States refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the United States is beginning to address its waste problems with regulations at a state and federal level. Used electronics are the quickest-growing source of waste and can have serious health impacts. The United States is the world leader in producing the most e-waste, followed closely by China; both countries domestically recycle and export e-waste. Only recently has the United States begun to make an effort to start regulating where e-waste goes and how it is disposed of. There is also an economic factor that has an effect on where and how e-waste is disposed of. Electronics are the primary users of precious and special metals, retrieving those metals from electronics can be viewed as important as raw metals may become more scarce

Electronic waste by country

Electronic waste is a significant part of today's global, post-consumer waste stream. Efforts are being made to recycle and reduce this waste.

This is an index of recycling topics.

Mobile phone recycling

Mobile phones can be recycled at the end of their life.

Green box may refer to:

Waste management in South Korea

Waste management in South Korea involves waste generation reduction and ensuring maximum recycling of the waste. This includes the appropriate treatment, transport, and disposal of the collected waste. South Korea's Waste Management Law was established in 1986, replacing the Environmental Protection Law (1963) and the Filth and Cleaning Law (1973). This new law aimed to reduce general waste under the waste hierarchy in South Korea. This Waste Management Law imposed a volume-based waste fee system, effective for waste produced by both household and industrial activities.

References

  1. Norman, Jan. "How do you get rid of an old computer?". OC Register. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  2. U.S. Trademark office. "Trademark" . Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. "Green Box Website" . Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  4. MCMAHAN, ELYSIA. "Green Box Electronic Recyclers is making an impact New startup seeks to reduce the disposal of e-waste in landfills". OC Metro Magazine. Retrieved 20 Jan 2012.

See also