Recycling Apps You Should Try

Along with the fast paced progress of the world in terms of technology, people are also becoming more and more aware of the importance of recycling and reusing all kinds of products. A recent study has proven that people have managed to recycle more today than in the previous decades. In fact, back in 1960, we were only able to recycle 6% of the waste produced in that year. Fast forward to 2012 and we are now able to recycle almost 30% of the waste we produced throughout the year. The said study attributed the huge leap in recycling progress to the amount of technology available today for people who want to recycle things. Simply put, because of technology, we have become very aware of the importance and how-to’s of recycling and we just have to take action! 

So what kinds of technologies are we talking about here? Aside from the easy access to curbside recycling bins, newspaper recycling and pickup programs, the amount of mobile apps that teaches recycling and reusing also helps in motivating people to recycle! From recycling newspapers to disposing of used iPhones in an eco-friendly manner, people like us are actually starting to make a difference in this world. If you are one of us who loves the idea of recycling, here are a few apps to help you achieve your personal recycling goals! 

Bahrain’s Recycle Map

Another great Android app for recycling is Bahrain’s Recycle App. If you’re living in or travelling to Bahrain and you want to know where the nearest recycling center is, you can easily use your GPS to find out where to take your recyclables. It even gives you a route on the map!

Eco-App

If you’re a very proactive person who likes volunteering and being proactive, you’ll need an app that not only works for your recycling needs but also serves as a great reference. AT&T’s very own Eco-App does exactly this. In a nutshell, the app functions as a recycling center GPS-enabled map for you so that you can find the nearest recycling center in your community. The app is also a great resource for recycling tips, news and events as well as information on AT&T’s paperless billing campaign.

Aluminate

Another profitable product to recycle is aluminum. Recycling aluminum is a cost effective recycling program that not only minimizes the amount of waste we throw away every day, it also cuts costs for landfill maintenance. The great advantage of recycling aluminum is that it can actually be converted to cheap electricity! If you’re all for aluminum recycling, an app called Aluminate can help you manage your aluminum recycling activities, learn new things about recycling and even allow you to share the progress you’re making in the world through social media!

My Recycle List

Another easy way to manage your recycling activities is by trying out My Recycle List. It’s like a grocery list or a to-do list for busy recyclers. Through this app, you can make a list of the things you want to recycle in your house and even categorize them by type. You can place common materials in the house on lists like Electronics (especially if you’re planning on selling your old iPhone), Plastics, Metal, Paper and Glass! It also allows you to find nearby recycling centers along with their contact numbers!

RecyclePix

Lastly, if you are a social media geek and recycling advocate at the same time, the perfect app for you is RecyclePix. It’s a lot like Instagram. The only difference is that instead of taking photos of your food, you have to take pictures of you and your recyclables and then share them with the world. The app has Facebook and Twitter integration and even rewards its members for sharing their recycling photos with points and discounts!

**About the Author**

Twila B. is a blogger for Cash for iPhones. Check out her other writings at Cash for iPhones’ news site.

Holiday Gift Ideas for iPhone Addicts

If there’s one thing more fun about the holidays than having the excuse to party hard and eat a lot, it’s definitely the holiday shopping and gift giving that tops our list. Holidays give us a very good reason to go out and look for things that will show our friends and families how important they are in our lives. And since greeting cards and colored sweaters are just so old now for gift giving. It’s about time that you put some thought into your gifts. 

Now if the person you’re exchanging gifts with is an iPhone owner too, today’s your lucky day. There are millions of gift ideas to give an iPhone owner that does not require you to break the bank or sell your iPhone! Here are some of them:

Creative iPhone 5 Docks

                     Image Credit: www.cultofmac.com

What’s so unfortunate about buying an iPhone 5 after you decided to sell your iPhone 4 here is that most of the iPhone docks and accessories you have are now worthless. With Apple’s new proprietary cable called Lightning, your iPhone 5 owning friends would appreciate an iPhone 5 dock for Christmas. It’s too bad the tech giant announced in September that they will not be releasing a Lightning dock for the iPhone.

The said connector also isn’t open to third part accessory vendors. The best solution is to make your own iPhone 5 dock or buy handmade iPhone 5 docks on Etsy or eBay. If your friend is a geek, you may also buy him/her a Lego iPhone 5 dock worth $20! However, you need to buy your own iPhone 5 cable which would be inserted in the Lego dock.

Small Tripods for iPhone

             Image Credit: www.geeky-gadgets.com

If your friend loves taking pictures but has sloppy hands or short arms (for self-photography), the best gift you could give him/her is a portable tripod. Aside from Etsy and Apple’s online store, you can also try finding cool portable iPhone tripods on KickStarter. There’s Twig, an iPhone cable and tripod in one and ClearShot, an iPhone tripod that’s as big as a credit card. You can also try Tiltpod Mobile which is a keychain that turns into an iPhone stand or tripod! It’s handy and very functional all at the same time (not to mention it only costs $15)!

Personalized iPhone Case

                 Image Credit: www.sheknows.com

Want a gift that’s so memorable, your friend would never want to sell their iPhone because of it? You can give him/her a customized iPhone case with his/her picture on it! Some of the best makers of personalized iPhone cases are Casetagram (where they use your Instagram photos to make a cool collage for an iPhone case) and Kodak (where you get to upload your friend’s photo on your Kodak account and they’ll make the iPhone 4 and 4S case for you).

Case Mate and skinit also have custom iPhone cases and skins that feature photos of your loved ones. But if you want a cheaper and more memorable gift, just but some transparent iPhone cases on eBay and decorate them with your friend’s pretty photos!

5 Tech People and Inventors to Copy on Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching and everyone is busy searching for great but easy-to-do costumes for trick or treating and partying. And while we know it is very exciting to ogle sexy nurse costumes or Dracula fangs on Target and eBay, not every one of us has the money (and the body, LOL) to dress up in fancy costumes from malls and catalogs.

                   Image Credit: www.photointopainting.com

So if you’re finding yourself in a money rut, you don’t have to sell 3GS iPhone. Instead, you can do what most of the people on Pinterest plan on doing this Halloween: Make a DIY costume inspired by your favorite tech moguls, scientists or inventors! 

If you’re not as patient in Halloween costume making like Sheldon is (imagine dressing up as Stephen Hawking, the Flash and the Doppler Effect), you could try these five geeks whose signature looks are not so hard to copy!

1. The Hackers – If you don’t want to spend too much on your costume then be Anonymous. No, not the “I want to sell my iPhone and stay in the dark” kind of person. We mean you should try dressing up as the Anonymous hacking group with the V for Vendetta masks looming on the Internet. To copy this just cover yourself with jeans, hoodies and a Guy Fawkes mask!

2. Ben Silbermann – Known for being one of the most successful tech CEOs without a background in engineering or web development, Ben Silbermann is one of the easiest tech guys to copy simply because he’s a simple guy. Just find a plaid grey long sleeved shirt, some jeans, cool shoes, a mini-microphone hanging from your ear and a big bright smile!

3. Charles Darwin – When he’s not busy listing the similarities between humans and monkeys, he’s probably growing his Santa beard and pulling out all the plaid stuff he can get out of the attic. You don’t need to have an original copy of On the Origin of Species to look like him. Just find your old plaid pants, a plaid shirt, old wooly vest and top it off with a coat and fake beard! (You should also prepare the line: “I’m Charles Darwin… you know, the one who fathered the theory of natural selec—oh never mind where’s my candy?”)

4. Marissa Mayer – The geeky girl would not be left out of this list of course! To look stylish on Halloween without begetting the spirit of tech geek dressing, try Marissa Mayer’s sleek blond bob and pair it with hot red stilettos and a red modest but sexy dress. If anyone asks you who you’re copying, you could either tell her it’s the woman CEO of Yahoo or Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada novel. (Trust me they’ll never know the difference LOL!)

5. Jonathan Ive/Steve Jobs – These two Apple brainiacs are possibly the easiest to copy on the list. So easy you won’t need to sell 3GS afterwards. All you have to do is to find good faded jeans and cool grey sneakers! Of course, if you’re pining for Steve Jobs, you need a black turtleneck. If you want to look like Jonny Ive you need a V-neck Grey shirt and some British hotness to top that!