We all love technology.  Check out these free and easy ways to utilize the web to make your earnings GROW!

Earth911.com is an online directory of recyclers, and you can add your location to the list!

1.  Go to their website.  Type in Earth911.com in your browser, or click here.

2. Click the “contact us” link at the bottom of the page, then the Submit/Update a Recycling Location link at the bottom of that page.  Or, click here.

3. Add your school or organization’s info to be listed as a recycler in your area.  When people near you search for recyclers and find you, your collection can grow!

Craigslist is a well-known site where you can list ads for anything, recycling included!

1. Go to the Craigslist site.  Click here to go right away.

2. Click your location, then the “Post to Classifieds” link on the top left.

3. Post an ad under “Service Offered” or “Item Wanted”.

4. Watch your collection grow!

**DON’T FORGET…MENTION ALL THE ITEMS YOU ARE COLLECTING AND THE PLACE TO DROP THEM OFF**

Put the internet to work for you, and let us know how it goes! Write to us at contact@cartridgesforkids.com.

Let’s talk pledging.  CFK wants you to pledge to recycle, and we’ve made it easy.

How?   Pledge bags!

• Pledge bags are 6 by 9 inch plastic bags that we provide your group for free (click here for a picture).
• We send them to you, you pass them out to your participants.
• Participants place a recyclable item in the bag, sign the back and return it.

Now the fun part.  Hold a drawing every week, month, day, whatever you want, and give out a prize to the participant whose pledge bag you drew.  Award a homework pass, extra recess, chocolate bar, bookmark, whatever prize your group will go crazy for.

Pledge bags have increased participation and earnings for schools across the country, so try it at yours and let us know how it works.  Need an email to send out to parents to let them know about pledge bags?  Click HERE.  Want to order pledge bags?  Click HERE.

Time for a recycling question….

Did you know that 955 million personal computers are expected to go out of commission between 2005 and 2010?

955 million!

That’s 3 computers for every person living in the United States!
Where are they ending up?

Sources: ecyclingtools.com, census.gov

Here on the CFK blog, we talk about Recycling Trees ALL THE TIME!  In fact, the T, R, E, and S button on my computer are all but worn off completely.  But we just can’t stop ourselves.

Recycling Trees can boost your earnings,

increase participation,

and give your school a lovely new decor…

(Thanks Foothills!)

Recycling Trees are easy to do at your school or organization.  Here’s how…

1. Click here to print off a template for the tree trunk and leaves.  Post the trunk somewhere everyone can see it.

2. Give a leaf to everyone who brings in a recyclable item.  They can decorate the leaf, write their name on it, etc., and place it on the tree.

3. The more items you recycle, the fuller your tree is!

Recycling Trees can be adapted to fit your school or the season!  Try a Field of Flowers, Winter Scene, or Holiday Scene, where each participant can receive a petal, snowflake, shamrock, or heart to place on a paper mural.

Recycling Trees can earn lots of money.  Read all our other Recycling Tree success stories here and here and here and here and here and here and here.

Once you start your Recycling Tree, send us pictures and stories so we can share your success!

America Recycles Day is just around the corner–November 15th!  Join us in celebrating the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle.

Visiting the America Recycles Day website will let you find out about events in your area, calculate your recycling’s impact, and pledge to amp up your recycling efforts in the next year.  You can even get fun facts about recycling, see videos, and find useful recycling links.

Most importantly, this year, make a commitment to recycle and let us know about it.  We’ll keep you posted with more ideas on what other people are doing to celebrate.

Our best money-maker over the last 10 years has been contests and collection drives.  They’re easy to do, they get people involved, and they earn a lot of cash.  Plus, we’re giving out bonus money, and everyone’s eligible to get it.  Whether it be having groups compete to see who can bring in the most items, or working together to achieve a recycling goal, contests and drives are the way to grow this fall.

Here’s how to run a collection drive or  contest at your location…

1. Decide on a 6-week time period to amp up your collection and hold a contest or collection drive.  Also, decide if you are going to have classrooms or grade levels compete to recycle the most, or if your group is going to work together to achieve a recycling goal.

2.  Let CFK know when you’ll be holding the drive, and GET THE WORD OUT!  Announce to parents, teachers, and your community.  Tell people what to bring and where to bring it to, and remind them of the bonus money you could earn! Click here to get a sample email you can send to participants.

3. When you’re done with the contest or drive, let CFK know how when and how much you’ll be sending in.  This way, we can make sure to tally all your boxes.

4. IF YOU COLLECT $200 WORTH OF ITEMS, OR 100 CELL PHONES, CFK WILL GIVE YOU A $50 BONUS CHECK!

So, why not schedule your contest or drive today? You’ve got nothing to lose.  You can hold as many contests and drives as you want, and CFK will give you a $50 bonus check once a school year when you collect 100 phones or $200 worth of items.

Check out success stories from schools who did contests here and here and here.

2009 is the year of the “10″ around here at CFK.

• CFK’s 10th birthday is this year (if you’re sending cake, send chocolate)
• We’ll give you 10% if you tell someone about CFK and they sign up (it’s easier than you think)
• We’re about to tell you our top 10 list of Ways to Grow (if top tens work for David Letterman, they can work for all of us)

Stay tuned throughout the next few weeks as we give you the best ideas for growing your program.  Want a sneak peek?  Check out our full list of green-growng, program-boosting, participant-enhancing ideas here.

The Christian Academy of Indiana is using theirs to help out in the library! Marilyn Hock, the school’s librarian and CFK coordinator, encourages recycling with CFK to help purchase books for the library,  Accelerated Reader quizzes, and prizes for the kids.  Marilyn passes out fliers, hangs posters, and is currently considering holding a collection drive to increase their fundraising potential at the school.

How do you use your CFK funds? Write to us and let us know! contact@cartridgesforkids.com

Unemployment this year hit 10%, tipping your waitress 10% will get your soup spit in, and maybe we only use 10% of our brain.

But at CFK 10% can get you a long way.  Refer someone you know to recycle with CFK, and we’ll give you 10% of whatever they make.  They earn $500 in the school year, we’ll send you $50.  It’s our way to say thanks.

All you need to do is tell your referral to mention you when they sign up.  We’ll set it up in the system, and you get free money.

When has 10% looked better?

Click here for more info.

Yes, yes you can.

Having a central location for people to drop off their items helps your program stay visible.  Why not create your own special station?

Get everyone involved!  Each class can decorate their own collection box, or come together as a group to make your container represent everyone.  You can use a cardboard box, laundry basket, plastic bin, anything that will hold piles of items.

Print an item poster here, or download graphics from our website here.  Use our fliers if you want.Once your box is made, announce its location, and keep recycling!