How much are the bags? I hope they’re free…

You mean pledge bags, right? These things?

Yeah, ok. So here’s our most frequently asked pledge bag questions and the answers:

“How do I get some of them?”
Click here. Simple as that. Well, simple as telling us who you are and where to send them, but clicking there will start you off.

What do I do with these things?”
Good question. EXCELLENT question. If we gave out prizes for the best question, that question would win because it’s SO GOOD. The idea behind pledge bags is to use them as a kick-off, a motivator, a get-up-and-get-moving-maker-er. We want you to pick a time that your recycling collection could use an extra boost, pass out the bags, and ask your school/organization to pledge to recycle. The participants should take a bag home and bring it back with a recyclable item inside, signing the back with their parents and pledging to recycle all year long. It’s the pledge part that makes these bags so great.

“It says right on the bag that the student has a chance to WIN and help the environment. Win what?”
Well, that’s up to you! The idea is to collect all the bags that are returned, and use them sorta like raffle tickets. Draw a bag every day, every week, every month, at the end of the semester, you decide. Give the winner whatever you want!  Some people give out extra recess time, lunch with the principal, a homework pass, and others splurge for an ice cream sandwich or pizza coupon. The number and caliber of prizes you give out is up to you, the point is to incentivize recycling even more.

“I’ve always used the pledge bags during my contests. Is that how you do it?”
Well….we’d like you to do them separately. They work a little differently. Ideally, you’d do the pledge bags at one point during the school year, and a contest or collection drive at another point. The more times you do things to boost your collection, the better your overall results will be.

“Uh, it says return a laptop in this bag…call me crazy, but my laptop just won’t fit.”
Ok, first of all, that’s not technically a question (bad example on our part), and second of all, you’re not crazy. The bags are 6” by 9”. Your laptop won’t fit. You can go right ahead and tape that silly bag right to the laptop.

“Do I have to take everything out of the bags before I send in the items? Because I really don’t have time for that.”
Of course you don’t! Hey, most days I’m lucky if I get a shower, and I don’t even have kids or a job. Seriously. TMI? Come one readers, we’re close enough by now. Spend your time with more important things and just send in the box, bags and all. Unless of course you want to know who brought items in.

“I just ran out of bags, can I get 500 more?”
Well, that depends. Theoretically, if you follow our trusty dusty pledge bag instructions, you should just need one bag per member of your group. Maybe some extras because if you can count as well as me…well….you’ll need a couple extras. If you legitimately need 500 more, we’ll send ‘em, we just want you to know how to use ‘em.

“Do you have an email template I can send out to parents, explaining what these pledge bags are all about?”
Why yes, yes we do. Click here to get it.

Can I get fliers and labels?

YES! Of course you can. And they’re all free.

Just go to our website and click on “free program materials.” All of our fliers and packets are available for download. Or, tell us what you want, and we’ll send it to you. You can get fliers (for parents, businesses, and Spanish speakers), posters, collection boxes, pledge bags, contest and collection drive info, and more! You can even download our art so you can create your own fliers or posters!

What about shipping labels?

You can order them here.
Or call us (800.420.0235).
Or email us.
Or send us a snail mail (451 W. 69th St. Loveland, CO 80538).

We can either snail mail labels to you, or our new favorite, email them to you!
Then we save a stamp and you save time by not having to wait for them to arrive. Print them and tape them right to your box.

How’s all this for free and easy?

Is there a place I can access my account info?

Funny you should ask. Because there totally is.

Here’s what you should know:

• We’ve got a “My Account” link on our website. See, here it is, circled in red:

From this page, you can login to update your account information, check on the status of shipments, see an itemized list of items you’ve sent, and look at check amounts.

• Your vendor number is what you need to log in to your account. You can find it on your check stub or contact us to find out what it is. See, here it is, circled in red:

Your vendor number is both your username and your password, and will need to be typed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Your username and password will never change, so write it down or save it somewhere.

• To see your shipment info, click on “View Invoice Information.” See, here it is, circled in red:

Once you click this link, check every box but “Save Inquiry Settings,” to get a list of all shipments you’ve made. By clicking on invoice numbers (those funky things we told you about last time that look like this: C5EAK93883), you will be able to see a detailed list of every item in that shipment, the tracking numbers from each box, and the total amounts.

Here’s a couple more things to know:

• You won’t be able to login to your account until you send (and we receive) your first shipment.
• You must completely close out of your internet browser to log out of your account.
• Shipments are listed by invoice number, not date. We know, it makes it a little tricky to find invoices, but scroll through the pages and you’ll get there. Look for the “Next Page” link at the bottom of the window.

That’s about it. So login today! It’s a great way for you to check your account information when YOU want to. And we’re always here to help. Call us (800.420.0235) or email us with any questions you’ve got.

How do I get paid?

Ok, so you’ve collected your items, packed them carefully, and sent them off to us. Now you wanna know how you get paid, right?

1. We cut checks at the beginning of every month. We’ll pay you for all shipments we receive the previous month.
2. Unless otherwise specified, the check will be made out and sent to the name and address on your account.
3. Your check has valuable information! You’ll find your vendor number here:

(stay tuned for more info on how to use your vendor number)

You’ll also find all the shipments that are included on your specific check.
You know those funky lines that read something like this:  4/20/10  C4EAK8733  $43.00  ?
Those tell you  that on April 20th, we received 4 boxes from you, worth $43.00 total. (The 4 in C4EAK8733 tells you how many boxes we got.)

And you know what else is cool?

• Unlike other programs, CFK never penalizes you, ever. We don’t subtract from the value of your items for any reason–not for sending in stuff we don’t take (but still, please don’t do this), or for not including a list of items in your box (save the paper for a letter to your grandma). You can trust that we will pay you the market value for the items you send–always. (Remember, broken items and stuff not on our price list are always zero value…so check your stuff and pack it well.)
• You tell us who to pay. Let’s say you want us to send the check to your local animal shelter, or to your church’s new building fund, or to your cousin’s friend’s mom’s non-profit in Lebanon, Kansas that works to provide underprivileged kids with school supplies…either way, we can do it!  We work with all kinds of organizations that have all kinds of special requests, so chances are, we can take care of yours. Just let one of our lovely CFK staff know what you need.
• You can choose to use your payments to fulfill a Digital Wish. Don’t know what that is? Click here. You’ll get to use your recycling money to buy new electronics for a school/class of your choice. They’ll even match your earnings up to 10%. Pretty good.
• We give out free money all the time. Yeah, on top of what you’re already making. Stay tuned for more info on that.

Remember, if you still have questions on how to start making your monies, call (800.420.0235) or email us.

How do I pack and send items?

Don’t let your shipments to CFK look like this…

Follow these easy steps to pack and ship the PERFECT box:

1. Find a box. 17-24 inches on all sides is the best size. Can’t find one? Click here for ideas on where to nab one.
2. Pack up that box. Make sure to include enough packing material (newspaper, paper from the recycling bin, bubble wrap, anything really) so that your items don’t break. Broken items don’t have value. Remember, “if it shakes, it breaks.”
3. Put your prepaid FedEx shipping label on the box, and write down the tracking number for your records.
4. Call FedEx (888. 777. 6040) toll-free for a pick-up.

Also, remember these VERY IMPORTANT points when packing:

• We don’t need (or want) any of the original packaging (except DVDs which must be in their original case). So leave the ink cartridge boxes and cell phone manuals out.
• Send your laptop, video game console, and digital camera cords when possible, but make sure they’re in boxes with items of value. Since chargers don’t have value, we don’t want you to send a whole box full of only them.
• Pack inkjets in a grocery bag so that if they leak, they won’t ruin your other items.
• If you’re sending lots of smaller items (not laser cartridges or laptops), you can use a smaller box.
• If you’re only sending laser cartridges, make sure to include 10 or more per box.
• Reinforce all box seams with packing tape.
• Pack heavier items at the bottom of your box.
• Write down your tracking number for each box. The tracking number is the middle set of numbers on your label under the barcode. The only way we can find boxes that go missing is to use the tracking number, so write them down!
• Don’t send items that we don’t accept. See yesterday’s blog post, or click here for a complete list.

Remember, we’re here to help, so email us or call (800.420.0235) if you have any questions!

What do I send?

VHS Tapes?
NO!

Landline Phones?
NO!

Toner Tubes and Bottles?
NO!

You SHOULD send the following:

Cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, laptops, video games and consoles, DVD movies, GPS devices, calculators, and ink and laser cartridges are all SENDABLE! Click on an item to see which specific brands/models we take and their values. Make sure to check our price lists periodically, as we are constantly updating them to include more items and higher values. We have just recently increased the values of over 200 items!

If you check our price lists and still have questions on what to send, feel free to send us an email or call (800.420.0235).

You could be anybody…

We’re often asked, “Can our group participate with CFK?” and the answer is always YES!

We’ll take any group that wants to recycle, earn some extra money, or just wants to get rid of their old electronics.
Give you some examples, you say? Alright, you asked for it:

• Schools…public, private, large, small, parochial, magnet, charter, boarding, elementary, middle, junior & senior high, college & adult, you name it.
• Places of Worship…churches, synagogues, youth groups, Sunday Schools.
• Scouting Troops…Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, we support ‘em all.
• Sports Teams…your daughter’s soccer team, your neighbor’s baseball league, your own intramural kickball team.
• Clubs…Moose Int’l, Lion’s, even your local Book Club that wants to raise some dough.
• Businesses… From accountants to zoos, we work with businesses of all sizes and shapes.
• Government Buildings…libraries, city offices, parks departments, chambers of commerce.
• Individuals…Yep. That’s right.
• Non-Profits…here’s where it gets interesting–animal shelters, safe houses, refugee advocacy groups, food banks, soldier support groups, environmental organizations, cancer research foundations, the list goes on and on. We even offer specialized fliers if your group fits one of the following categories: Pets/Animals, Clean Water, Soldier Support, Refugee Advocacy, Hunger Relief, Global Warming Awareness, Domestic Violence Prevention.

Does your organization fit one of the above categories? Perfect. Sign up here.
Is your group completely unique and different, not fitting any of the above? Perfect. Sign up here.
Contact us here if you have any questions.

Everything you always wanted to know…

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be tackling the most talked about CFK questions; the inquiries that are burning in the hearts and minds of participants and wanna-be participants.

Ok, so it’s not that dramatic. We just want you to be informed.
If you have a question that isn’t answered here or here, drop us a line.
Contact info is at the bottom of this post.

1. We Were Green Before Green Was In

CFK‘s parent company, Access Computer Products, has been recycling electronics for over 20 years. It’s a tradition that’s important to us. CFK has been plugging along since 1999, and we’re proud to have such a strong background in recycling. Both CFK and Access’s recycling programs recycle in strict compliance with environmental regulations, destroy data in accordance with Department of Defense standards, and refuse to export electronic scrap. Your organization can feel confident that when recycling with CFK, you’re recycling with an established, reputable company that cares about helping you GREEN your world!

CFK
www.cfktoday.com
contact@cfktoday.com
800.420.0235

Ask a question here.