Sight is a promiscuous sense.
The avid gaze always wants more.
Susan Sontag
Photography by Denise Blasor

RECYCLING ELECTRONICS

Starting Jan. 1, 2015,  a new law makes it illegal for New York State residents to dispose of electronics 

Electronic waste contributes 70% of toxins found in landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's because they contain such toxic materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, phosphors and flame-retardants. How to dispose of unwanted electronics?

If you live in New York city, you're in luck thanks to the Lower East Side Ecology Center which runs a program for the disposal of working and non-working electronic equipment. Items you can drop off at the organization's Brooklyn-based permanent e-waste collection center include: computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes); monitors; printers, scanners, fax-machines & copiers; peripherals (keyboards, mice,cables, cords, chargers, etc.); tablets and E-readers; components (hard drives, DC-ROMS, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.); TVs, VCRs. DVRs. & DVD players; digital Converter Boxes, Cable/ Satellite Receivers; portable music players; audio-visual equipment; video-games; cell phones, pagers, PDAs; telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.). All donations of equipment are tax-deductible.

The Ecology Center center also accepts batteries but requires that you separate alkaline and rechargeable batteries; also, you must either tape the terminals of rechargeable batteries, or pack them individually in plastic bags (another option for disposing batteries is to bring them to any New York City Department of Sanitation Self-Help Special Waste Drop-Off Site.) 

Not accepted: Home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators and air conditioners; nor media such as floppies, cd's, zips, VHS tapes which can be recycled through Green Disk. 

The Ecology Center holds regular e-waste collection events in neighborhoods throughout the city, a service it has been providing since 2003. Upcoming events: Sept. 29, at the Bellamy Loop North in front of 140 Benchley Place, Coop City, Bronx; Sept. 30, Delancey St. (north side) between Chrystie and Forsyth Street, Manhattan; Oct. 2, Church of the Heavenly Rest, 5th Ave. and East 90th St., Manhattan. For more events check the organization's website.

Computer equipment dropped off during events is transported by WeRecycle! (an e-steward certified recycler) to its recycling facility in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. where it is processed "responsibly," according to the Center.

The Ecology Center only accepts materials from households, not-for-profits, schools, and small businesses with no more than 50 employees. There is no limit to how much equipment you can drop off but if it's a large amount make sure to contact the center so it can plan accordingly. Founded in 1987, the Ecology Center also offers free public compost collection, stewardship of public open spaces, and environmental education, including classes on composting, fishing, green and street tree care.

Lower East Side Ecology Center Permanent E-Waste Collection Center
469 President Street (at Nevins Street), Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215
718.858.8777
Check website for drop-off hours

www.lesecologycenter.org    212.477.4022

Photography by Juliette Blasor

For her, at her age, sleep was perpetual and natural;
it ended only at unusual moments.
And, before long, it would never end.
Philip K. Dick

       "ONE SHOT ISTANBUL"
     

                                            Portrait of Reyhan Ozdilek by Alexander Berg


The unparalleled landscape of the human face has long fascinated photographers.  Alexander Berg is among them and his show of "One Shot" portraits can now be seen at the Conde Nast Building in New York.

Taken in Istanbul, the portraits are part of an ongoing project in which Berg invites the public to sit for a picture. Each person chooses how he or she wants to be portrayed: serious or smiling, alone or with another person, in motion or still, in color or black & white.  Berg takes one shot, but only one, since the essence of the endeavor is to be able to grasp the evanescent truth of each individual face in a single take.

In a short statement about his show, Berg explained the origin of this concept: "In a portrait session several years ago, breaking to look over images, the subject and I were struck by the first shot of the day: It was simply "it." We couldn't surpass its heightened state." To date, Berg has taken portraits of more than 1,700 people in New York, Beijing, and now Istanbul. "I found we all have a need to be seen, identified, exist, wherever we live.  In front of the camera, on the verge of a reflection of ourselves, we are all equal."

The show will be up until Nov. 8. To see pictures from the "One Shot" series, go to www.alexberg.com and click on projects.

Conde Nast Building 4 Times Square

© 2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved☆

SPRING RECYCLING

 IN THE SPRING a young man's, or woman's, fancy turns to thoughts of love. Or maybe, recycling. Springtime is as good a time as any to do a little housecleaning but rather than throw everything away consider donating cast offs that are still usable and in good condition to a charitable organization like the Salvation Army, with more than 2,300 donation drop-off locations throughout the U.S., or to a charity-run thrift store in your city or community. For large items like furnishings and appliances, you can arrange a free pick up by calling the Salvation Army at 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).

AND WHAT ABOUT electronics, whose toxic components make them a hazardous waste? One reliable recycling option is Best Buy, the specialty retailer of consumer electronics which in addition to recycling also allows trade-ins for some items. With more than 1,000 stores nationwide, the company has a broad reach. The Best Buy store in San Juan is located at 230 Calle Federico Costa, practically around the corner from Plaza Las Americas shopping center (787.764.4900). Business hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

PRODUCTS accepted by most Best Buy stores span nearly everything electronic, including TVs (as long as they don't exceed 32"), DVD players, monitors and mobile phones, desktop and laptop computers with the hard drive removed.  Consumers may drop off two items per day for free with the exception of small TVs, monitors and laptops, for which the company charges a $10 fee. In return, however, you get a $10 Best Buy gift card.

BEST BUY'S trade-in program, according to the company's website, lets you trade in "gently used electronics for Best Buy gift cards," either in-store or online. For in-store trade ins, bring Apple laptop, Apple iPod, mobile phones and PC laptops purchased at Best Buy and get a Best Buy gift card instantly.  There are three requirements: be at least 18 years old, have a valid Best Buy receipt, and bring along a government-issued photo ID. Online trade-ins cover a wider range of articles. For more information on Best Buy's recycling program, including a full list of all items accepted, go to the company website and look up the recycling section under product support. 

RECYCLING gives new life to materials otherwise headed to the local dump. The idea that something unwanted can be turned into something valuable is awesome, particularly in view of the fact that landfills are a limited resource. To find out more about recycling and to locate recycling centers in your area consult Earth911.com for its comprehensive recycling directory covering over 300 materials, plus news and tips. The company also runs a toll-free, bilingual environmental hot line at 1-800 CLEANUP®.

EQUALLY HELPFUL is 1800recycling.com,  a recycling location search engine. The site includes a blog with very interesting stories. One recent piece under the headline of "Holiday E-Waste? Beware Fake Recyclers!" highlighted the growing problem of unscrupulous e-recyclers selling their toxic scrap to brokers who, in turn, dump these materials in Asia and Africa where this waste is broken down in a dangerous way, creating dangerous toxic areas.

©2009 Basel Action Network (BAN)

Accra, Ghana, among the 
 most toxic places on Earth

How to differentiate between good and 

bad e-cyclers? The answer is the e-Stewards® 

Recycler Certification Program that certifies

 responsible e-recyclers and was developed

 by a leading environmental watchdog, the 

Basel Action Network (BAN). "Only

 Certified e-Stewards Recyclers ensure your 

e-waste will not be exported to developing

 countries but rather recycled by the most

 secure practices in the world," said the story.

Best Buy, by the way, is a good recycler. 

The company, according to e-Stewards, 

uses legitimate recyclers.           

                                    

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

TEA TIME: Everything about tea is perfect. It is soothing, relaxing and drinking it makes you feel like the heroine, or hero, of a British novel (in Barbara Pym's novels, everyone seems to be drinking tea all the time!). One especially delightful brand is Rishi Organic Green Tea Mint, a harmonious blend of full-bodied, roasted loose leaf green tea and aromatic peppermint. At vitamin shoppe.com, the 1.94 oz tin sells for $9.99. 

Photograph by Denise Blasor
Artwork outside shuttered business in San Juan, P.R.

"I can't go on. 
 I'll go on."  

     -- Samuel Beckett

Copyright©2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved