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Consumers are increasingly demanding better environmental attributes in their digital gadgets, but the consumer electronics industry can go a lot further to make gadgets "green." Environmental watchdog Greenpeace held a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday to announce results of its second annual survey called "Green Electronics: the Search Continues." Consumers are increasingly demanding better environmental attributes in their digital gadgets, but the consumer electronics industry can go a lot further to make gadgets "green." Environmental watchdog Greenpeace held a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday to announce results of its second annual survey called "Green Electronics: the Search Continues."

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition provides several excellent Consumer Guides that walk you through just how you go about finding a recycling facility for your old electronics. It can be worrisome, since you have to be careful your device is going to a responsible recycler and not someone who will ship it overseas to an unregulated and often highly toxic facility.

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Have you converted? If you haven't, you might want to start hustling. The USA becomes an all-digital TV market on Feb. 17. When it happens at midnight more than 70 million analog TVs that use antennas to receive over-the-air signals will need help...

It's Christmas morning, and there beneath the tree was your new television, sleek and digital. Or maybe it was a new computer. Or the newest electronic gee-whiz gadget. All well and good, but what are you going to do with the old equipment it replaces? Most people - about 88 percent according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - simply toss so-called e-waste into the trash. Given the heavy metals and other toxic substances such equipment contains, that's obviously a bad idea, says the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national consortium of environmental and consumer groups. But, in some cases, doing the seemingly responsible thing - hauling outmoded equipment to a recycler - is as bad as junking it, warned Barbara Kyle, the group's national coordinator. Often, she said, "recycled" electronics are shipped to processors in developing countries, who use primitive techniques to extract valuable metals.

All those new gizmos and gadgets gleefully pulled from beneath the Christmas tree are about to spur a high tide of household waste as piles of old gizmos and gadgets are discarded. By the time you dump in the usual remains of the holidays -- the packaging, wrapping paper, ribbons, stale fruitcakes and turkey carcasses -- daily household waste increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, state pollution control officials say. Comment: Washington state has a new law effective January 1 which requires manufacturers of electronic items to accept and pay for recyling. Most large cities have a couple of designated sites where consumers can drop off tv's, phones, DVD players, etc at no charge. The law, passed a few years ago makes the manufacturers financially responsible. I'm sure that they have used this lead-in time to adjust the price of their products to cover the cost of recycling. Only time will tell if this method is successful. Whichever method is chosen for an area, the final cost will ultimately be borne by the consumer.Washington state has a new law effective January 1 which requires manufacturers of electronic items to accept and pay for recyling. Most large cities have a couple of designated sites where consumers can drop off tv's, phones, DVD players, etc at no charge. The law, passed a few years ago makes the manufacturers financially responsible. I'm sure that they have used this lead-in time to adjust the price of their products to cover the cost of recycling. Only time will tell if this method is successful. Whichever method is chosen for an area, the final cost will ultimately be borne by the consumer.

Notebook computer sales outpaced desktop PC sales for the first time last quarter, according to research firm iSuppli. Worldwide, PC companies shipped 38.6 million notebook computers in Q3, up almost 40% year-over-year. Desktop PC shipments grew 1.3% year-over-year to 38.5 million units.

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Time to buy new electronics? Don't just leave your old electronics stashed in the back of your closet or garage. Waiting and storing them for a long time would depreciate their value. So, the best and safest way is to resell them to an authentic recycling center. This action would not only help save the environment from pollution and hazardous chemicals from e-waste but can also put some extra money in your pocket. To be sure you are getting a good deal, it is better to follow some smart solutions listed here. A little know how can fund your next smart upgrade!