Spring Cleaning? Find Cash in Your Closet? Maybe a Stash in Your Junk Drawer?

If you’re like most Americans, you have a couple old, unused cellphones stashed in your home. You may even have a handful of used ink cartridges.

Did you know it takes about a gallon of oil to make an ink cartridge? Or, that 12 are thrown away every second, along with four cellphones. That’s cash—and resources—just going in the trash! That’s a shame, because some of these items can be reused, most contain parts that can be recycled, and many are made of metals that can be harmful to the environment.

To help you come clean, the J.C. Booth Middle School Science Team is collecting old, unused electronics. In return, you will be pumping cash into their classroom programs.

You can drop off these items year round in the school’s office, or send them with a student:

· ink and toner cartridges from printers and postage machines

· cellphones and PDAs

· graphing and scientific calculators

· iPods and digital cameras

· laptops and GPS devices

· game consoles and handheld units

· video games and DVDs (in their original cases)

Collected items are sent to Cartridges for Kids®, a reputable electronics recycler that rewards the school’s PTO with cash. Even better, CFK is EPA registered and offers Department of Defense approved data wiping. When possible, items are refurbished for reuse. Otherwise, they are broken down for recycling in CFK’s Loveland, Colo., plant. It’s good to know, that instead of heading to the landfill like 500 million other cellphones and ink cartridges each year, your items will be sent to CFK for rewards that support education.If you have many items to donate, or would like to start a collection at your workplace, please contact Terri Borden at (770) 573-9937 or PTCrecycles@gmail.com. To learn more today, visit www.jcbooth.org/recycling.html. J.C. Booth Middle School is located at 250 Peachtree Pkwy S.