Paradise Trashed: Collecting copper can be costly to environment

By Tim Sakahara - bio | email

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - People will go to great lengths to try to get their hands on a few dollars worth of copper, but they could be costing themselves and the environment much more.

There's a spot at the entrance of Kailua that has become a dumping ground for old TV's. The guys that hang out at the park nearby there say at one point there was a pile of 50 television sets and it's all just steps away from the main road.  Dumpers will take off the small amount of copper from the back of TV's and trash the rest.

People can place their TV's curbside for the scheduled bulky waste pickup but it goes to the landfill.  If consumers would rather recycle they can take it to stores like Best Buy which ships them off to California.  People pay $10 for the service but they do get it back in a store gift card.

My AC service contractor wants to sell me a new unit with ...

It is both good news and no news on this issue.

The good news "is that your air conditioning service company recognizes the intrinsic improvement of R-410A refrigerant which must be installed with your air conditioning unit New / system. The new refrigerant (Freon as many people call it) has no ozone depleting CFCs or HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons). What is good for you and the environment.

The "no news" is that you and your contractor has almost no choice of systems.HVAC manufacturers, by law, have not been allowed to make systems using HCFCs since early 2010.

SNAP: Hydrocarbon refrigerants rule explained

1. The jump has led some area service companies to hold off buying any more cylinders of R-22, sold under brand names including Freon, to see whether prices settle. Even so, companies are limited as to how much they can buy. That's not good news for Texas
2. Also, the rule enables supermarkets to buy new refrigerators and freezers using propane. The EPA recommends to train service technicians in proper handling of flammable refrigeration and to check with the local fire marshal before buying equipment with
3. For an SME in the retail sector, carbon hotspots might include transport used to deliver goods, electricity used to run stores (in particular for refrigeration and heating and cooling), as well as refrigerant emissions, and pass-through costs from
4. Marty Robbins brazes a refrigerant supply line for a cooler at the Riverside Marketplace store, under construction in Ludlow. Holding the line in place is Wayne Kimla. They work for RSI Refrigeration. It will be Ludlow's first full-service,
5. The salt water used as a refrigerant in Youngstown Thermal's Boardman Street cooling plant is environmentally “benign compared to the traditional way of chilling” with Freons, Avers said. If it's economically feasible, YSU will buy Youngstown Thermal