Tens' of millions of consumer electronics, such as computers, CRTs, and televisions are purchased each year in USA. Recent studies found that over 70% of such products are currently disposed of in landfills. It is estimated that in 2006 over 75% of the electronics not disposed of, will begin to hit the waste stream of record numbers. The average television contains approximately 8 pounds of lead. The average computer contains 2.5 pounds of lead.

Not every electronics collector is a socially responsible recycler. Many collectors simply broker functional electronics and dump the un-saleable remains. We all pay the price for this practice - our country’s landfills contain millions of tons of e-waste. Sadly, the remaining 50 percent of the electronics collected in the United States for recycling is shipped overseas. At California Recycles we are committed to environmentally sounds best practices and certification from all those we do business with.

We believe the better people understand the issues surrounding electronics recycling, the more committed they will become to helping solve the problem. We hope you’ll see why it’s so important that each of us step up to this responsibility to continue to recycle.

EATware is made from bamboo fibers and starches. It is all natural. EATware will decompose in a landfill in 90 days and just 2 days in a compost pile. EATware will decompose in a lake or river in only 14 days and is safe enough to be eaten by animals.

Lactic acid comes from corn and the compound is converted to lactide, the lactide molecules are linked into long chains or polymers to make polylactic acid or PLA.

Bagasse is sugar cane fiber pulp, left after the juice has been extracted from the sugar cane stalk. Bagasse is normally seen as a waste product and often burned causing air pollution. Making products out of sugar cane pulp solves the problem of waste and creates a value added product from a material that was considered waste.

No. The corn used to make PLA is low-grade animal feed not intended for human use.

No, there are no traces of allergens in the finished products.

Bagasse will handle hot food and beverages up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. It is both microwave and freezer safe. PLA cups are for cold drinks and not for use with hot items. The PLA utensils will handle temperatures up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bagasse is 100% compostable and it biodegrades in 30-90 days. Bagasses will biodegrade at the same rate as garden waste in home composting systems. PLA is compostable in 45-60 days in commercial composting.

Paper disposable products are made from virgin wood fibers, depleting our natural forests and echo services forest provide. In comparison both sugarcane and corn are readily renewable resources taking 9-12 months for harvesting verses 30 years for trees.

Yes, the number 7 is designated for bioplastics.

Bagasse products will degrade at the same rate as a piece of fruit when thrown in a commercial landfill still averaging 45-90 days.

PLA is designed to return to the soil through composting. If thrown into the trash it will be collected and end up in a landfill. Landfills are sealed which means little biodegradation occurs below the surface, so what is thrown away may not degrade for a longer period. However it is still environmentally better than plastics, as eventually the bioplastics will biodegrade, while petroleum based plastic will stay around for hundreds of years.

The value of renewable, sustainable and compostable packaging is not diminished if it is not composted. As waste it degrades much more quickly than non-degradable plastics. The amount of carbon released from products made from natural sources during biodegradation is equal to the carbon absorbed by the plant as it grew. As a result, greenhouse emissions will be reduced as more packaging is made from biomass and less from oil.

Producing PLA uses 65 percent less energy than producing conventional plastics. It also generates 68 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and contains no toxins.