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Indian Wells, California residents now have a new location to dispose of their plastic bags: a bin at City Hall, located at 44-950 Eldorado Drive.

There are currently no facilities to recycle the bags, so the city will be reusing them in food banks. Indian Wells grocery stores have also been stocking the bins.

Nearby Palm Springs is considering an outright ban on plastic bags, citing that 19 billion are produced annually in California and their light weight makes them difficult to contain in a landfill.

Check to see where plastic bag recycling takes place in your community using Earth911.

A recycling plant soon to be constructed in Richland, Wash. will recover uranium from the ashes of radioactive waste to be recycled back into nuclear fuel, reports Science Daily.

The technology is environmentally friendly and was inspired, oddly enough, by decaffeinated coffee.

Chien Wai, a University of Idaho chemistry professor, has been developing the process for more than 20 years. His technology uses a supercritical carbon dioxide to dissolve toxic metals. No solvents or acids are used, and no organic waste is left behind, only the extracted metals. A similar process is used to dissolve the caffeine from whole coffee beans.

The facility will combine Wai’s technology with a purifying process developed by AREVA, a leading company in nuclear industry. The two processes will allow for the recovery of enriched uranium from the ashes of contaminated materials.

Last month, representatives from the company and the university signed an agreement to share the technologies and make possible the new recycling plant. The new technology may hold the key to recycling the most dangerous forms of radioactive waste in the future, according to Science Daily.

You probably don’t have nuclear waste in your house waiting to be recycled, but what about common electronics that contain dangerous toxins and also require special handling? Find a location to recycle your e-waste with Earth911.

The new HP Pavilion dv6929 notebook has ditched the Styrofoam and cardboard boxes that traditionally protect computers in favor of a 100 percent recyclable messenger bag that reduces packaging by 97 percent.

The computers will still be shipped to stores in a cardboard box that will fit multiple machines. However, consumers who purchase the new notebooks will take home just a messenger bag with the computer and its components, meaning less packaging to dispose of.

The new computers are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, which is also offering free electronics recycling when the HP notebook is purchased.

HP is just the latest tech company to incorporate environmental initiatives into manufacturing. There’s no word yet on whether HP plans to reduce packaging on all computer models.

No matter what your preference is for computer brands, you can find a place to recycle electronics in your area using Earth911.

Greenopolis, a site developed by Waste Management promoting environmental issues through social networking, will host an online chat with Nike’s Lorrie Vogel on Tuesday, September 9.

The chat is called “The Business of Sustainable Fashion: A Conversation with Nike.” It will feature Lorrie Vogel, the General Manager of Nike’s Considered line.

Non-Greenopolis members can still participate in the chat, as well as submit questions. The chat will take place at 1:00 EST.

No matter what brand of shoes you own, you can find a shoe recycling location using Earth911.

The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy is researching the benefits and drawbacks of a potential state program that would redistribute unused medications to low-income individuals.

Some of the issues involved with this plan include potential contamination and access to unused medications, since many West Virginia hospitals currently ship off expired drugs to the manufacturer.

The state already has the program West Virginia Rx to provide free medications to low-income individuals, but these drugs are donated from pharmaceutical companies and not recycled.

A 2008 BlueCross BlueShield report cited West Virginia as the most medicated state in the U.S., with an average of 17.4 prescriptions per person. While 36 states currently have drug recycling programs, West Virginia is not one of them.

Regardless of where you live, use Earth911 to find an event or program to properly dispose of outdated medications in your area.

Following Maui’s lead, the Hawaii County Council voted August 27 to ban all Big Island businesses from offering plastic checkout bags to customers at the point of sale, reports the Star Bulletin.

The bill, which would go into effect one year after passage, would prohibit stores from using both compostable and non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Violators would pay up to $1,000 per day. The money would be used to preserve open space and natural resources.

The bill awaits approval of Mayor Harry Kim. Maui’s bill has already been signed into law and will go into effect Jan. 11, 2011.

The laws represent a growing U.S. and international trend to ban plastic bags. Proponents say bans will cut down on litter and protect the environment, while opponents say they will drive up already elevated food costs.

Trying to rid your kitchen of plastic bags? Find a recycling location using Earth911.

It has been two years since Vermilion County residents were last able to recycle old tires in the county. But the county has partnered with Keep Vermilion Beautiful and the Illinois EPA to provide a free tire recycling event on September 3.

The event will take place at the Vermilion County Fairgrounds from 8 a.m-3 p.m. The last collection recycled over 16,000 tires.

Different types of tires that will be accepted include car tires, truck tires and farm tires. Industrial tires will not be accepted. Residents are allowed to bring up to 200 tires, but should be prepared to unload and stack them.

Tires aren’t the only part of your car that can be recycled. Check out Earth911’s automotive section to learn about other car parts that are recyclable.

A new paper recycling program at the Chesterfield Christian Church in Chesterfield, Ind. offers various benefits to the community: it’s the only drop-off in town, and revenues will help families in need during the holidays, reports the Star Press.

Citizens can take newspapers, magazines, junk mail and old greeting cards to a collection bin at the church any time of the day. The bin is filling up faster than expected, according to church members.

The paper is collected by AbitibiBowater, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in North America. Through the Paper Retriever Program, non-profit organizations such as schools and churches are able to earn extra money for playground maintenance, beautification efforts, library enhancements, scholarships and team uniforms. In Chesterfield, the earnings will go to financially-strapped families.

In 2006, AbitiBowater paid more than $5 million to partner organizations in North America and the United Kingdom. Participants include 21 American cities across the country, according to the company’s site.

Find locations to recycle your paper using Earth911.

Unless you work in retail, you probably get Labor Day as a paid holiday. Days off may be few and far between, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be green. Here’s eight ways to help out the environment on Labor Day or any of your other days off.

1. Recycle Obsolete Electronics

Many recycling centers will not be open on national holidays, so you may be wondering how this is possible. Well, many electronics retailers now accept products for recycling, and you can also take advantage of holiday sales while you’re there. Use Earth911 to see what electronics are accepted by retailers in your area, but they could include:

• Cell phones
• Rechargeable batteries
• Ink cartridges
• Computers and monitors
• Televisions

2. Mow the Lawn

How can killing grass help the environment? Well, it does if you leave the clippings on the ground instead of bagging them. These grass clippings become mulch, which provides valuable nutrients to your lawn when they decompose. Mulch also helps retain water in soil, so you can save water in your yard.

The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.

For many, the shift from floppy disks, cassettes and VHS tapes to CDs and DVDs seemed like a huge boon. It meant better quality and easy storage. Yet within 20 years, the digital age has moved the storage and playback of media away from even those products.

David Beschen, former Manager of Corporate Communications at Microsoft, understood how important it was to offer corporations and individuals an alternative to dumping disks, cartridges and other small electronics. As a result, he started GreenDisk; we recently spoke with Beschen to learn more about the company.

Company Overview

GreenDisk accepts much of your electronic media for recycling, including diskettes, CDs, DVDs, video tapes and audio tapes. The company also accepts cell phones, ink/toner cartridges and even your computer and all its parts.

The company provides secure, audited technotrash recycling so data is wiped clean prior to recycling, and both consumers and businesses can ship these items directly or order “technotrash cans” to collect them in the first place.

GreenDisk also offers a variety of recycled products including: