Why Wall-E Would Approve of E-Fax

The impending widespread transfer from analog to digital television next year spells doom for the e-waste recycling efforts that have recently been gaining momentum. But the fact that people are even talking about the impact of the switch on the environment reflects a growing trend of combating electronic waste.

(Austin, TX) August 1, 2008 – The ubiquitous recognition of the problem of e-waste recently culminated in the successful Disney-Pixar film Wall-E. But if the film’s main character were replaced with a young Indian or Chinese boy living, not in the distant future, but here in 2008, then perhaps the movie would have hit a bit closer to home.

Though Wall-E calls attention to the problem of e-waste, it leaves many unanswered questions about e-waste and what ought to be done about it.

What does a child do with a broken Nintendo DS, and more importantly, do his parents know what to do with it? A nationally (or sometimes even locally) systematized means of collecting e-waste does not exist. One hardly ever sees e-waste recycling bins around residential areas. However, some local volunteer e-waste recycling programs have sprung up around the nation. These programs are rare and speak of a general avoidance of recycling efforts.

According to G. Jeffery MacDonald in a special report for USA Today, Best Buy, Dell and Sony are among the few companies willing to take back non-functional products from customers for free. It is clear that as more people learn about the hazardous effects of e-waste, recycling efforts will continue to increase. But what should people do in the meantime?

A quite important action is to attempt to send electronics back the company or to resellers for possible refurbishment. Also, pundits have argued that checks and certification requirements should be imposed on e-waste recycling efforts to ensure ethical practices.

“The easiest, most cost-effective thing to do is to stop buying new electronics when possible, advises Gaines Kilpatrick, co-founder of online fax comparison website FaxCompare.com. “Telecommunications is a good place to start: Don’t buy new fax machines or phones, and use Internet fax and virtual private branch exchange (PBX) services. From a business standpoint, it’s cheaper; from an environmental standpoint, it’s the right thing to do.”

With websites, such as FaxCompare.com and PBXCompare.com, a website for hosted PBX services, Zilker Ventures has attempted to promote the virtual office over the office that is inundated with obsolescence-prone hardware..

Though e-waste has gone without lasting remedies, it is something that has inspired businesses to encourage alternatives. “Logically, if there are less unnecessary electronics floating around, there will be less waste for both the office and the environment,” says Zilker Ventures co-founder Leo Welder. “That’s not a simple solution, but it’s a simple start. That’s what we try to provide.”

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For additional information regarding the virtual office or Zilker Ventures, please visit our online fax website.

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Zilker Ventures, LLC is a web publisher that consolidates information and reviews various business and financial products.

Contact:

Jennifer Silva
Zilker Ventures, LLC
(512) 448-9031