How To Recycle Old Electronic Items Ensure that all the batteries you use for your flashlights, cell phones and toys are sent to recycling centers, because throwing these in the garbage bin may harm the environment. Any broken electronic appliances or items may also be repaired and reused at home too. This includes household liquid waste from baths, showers, toilets, kitchen sinks, which are disposed through the sewer system. In a waste water recycling process, dirty water goes through a maze of extensive cleaning and treatments. The treatment methods may include the use of chemicals and other methods which eliminate bacteria and other harmful matter, as well as to return water back to its safe-to-use state. The total number though does not include data from hazardous, industrial and construction waste. The level of composting, or the process of recycling leave, grass and other organic items, rose from 3,227 in 2003, to 3,470 in 2005 alone. From 2005 alone, 50 percent of all paper products in the country was recycled, which amounted to 42 million tons of recycled paper. According to lighting experts, the average lifespan of a CFL unit is from 8 to 15 times that of an incandescent lamp. Incandescent lighting units generally have life spans of around 750 to 1,000 hours. CFL units however, use less power and have longer shelf lives. While CFL s have a quite higher purchase price, it can save as much as 30 dollars in electricity costs over the lighting unit s life span. The Dow Chemical Corporation owns the trademark for the product, and this is used for a wide range of applications. Among these include insulated sheathing, pipe insulation, packaging and craft applications. Styrofoam is also placed under roads and other structures to prevent freezing, thawing and other soil disturbances. The Environmental Protection Agency of the US estimates that there are 30 to 40 million surplus PC's in the US alone, and that 63 million PC's were either traded for replacements, or simply throw away last year. The Rise in The Numbers Of Surplus PC's Is Posing A Serious Environment Threat The EPA further adds that most of today's electronic waste often ends up in landfills, or gets incinerated.