Ecycler.com has introduced new features that will make connecting with discarders and collectors easier.

A new collector directory allows people with recyclables to discard to find collectors in their state. Likewise, a new discarder directory allows collectors to see which discarders are nearby. It also enables discarders to see which other discarders are joining the ecycler revolution.

In addition, the site has a new recycling exchange feature that allows people to see what kind of recyclables are available in their state. For example, a collector could click on “ Florida ” and see that someone in a particular zip code has a trash bag of aluminum cans to give away. If that discarder resides in the collector’s area, the collector can then contact that discarder directly through ecycler.com to arrange for a pick-up.

Come check it out!

We recently ran an article on the decision process of using either paper or plastic while in the checkout line (check it out here: Which is Better… Paper or Plastic?). Our conclusion? Best to use a re-usable bag. So, we thought it would be a great idea to give away a pile of our bags to one lucky winner. What’s a pile? How about five bags!

As always, the ecycler bags are available at shop.ecycler.com for $5.99 each.

WIN:

We have a pile of FIVE of these fun ecycler Eco-Friendly Bags to giveaway!

How to Enter:

To enter, make a comment telling us how you are trying to be more GREEN.

Extra Entries:

For extra entries you may do the following, make sure you indicate your extras in a separate comment.

• Register on ecycler.com
• Twitter (tweet us at @ecycler)
• Blog about the giveaway
• Add our WordPress widget to your blog

Available in the US only, this giveaway will end on March 1, 2010 – See the official Rules here

Living without curbside recycling? Don’t fret … a new website called ecycler aims to connect recyclable discarders and collectors in your community.

Want to start 2010 off on the right, green foot? For those living in areas sans a curbside recycling pick-up service or a convenient recyclables drop-off station, a recently launched website called ecycler is looking to make things a whole easier via a virtual “Collect, connect, recycle” system.

Using ecycler is easy breezy — it’s essentially an online classifieds community for folks looking to get recyclables off of their hands or “discarders,” and those who are willing to pick them up and take/sell them to recycling centers or “collectors.” Not only do desperately seeking “discarders” benefit from using ecycler, but “collectors” can find the site beneficial as well with opportunities to turn green do-goodery into a small but thriving eco-enterprise (read: money-making).

Of course, ecycler won’t work without a committed network of  collectors, so if you’re interested in taking a few hours a week to play the role of “friendly local recyclable man or woman” take a gander at the site’s homepage — and blog and community forum — to see how you can become involved. And for more info on recycling facilities near you, check out the indispensable Earth911.

Folks without a convenient way to dispose of recyclables: would you sign up to become a member of a site like ecycler? And dedicated recyclers: is taking on the role of an entrepreneurial ecycler collector something that would interest you?

Click to see original Mother Nature Network feature

Want to help the environment as well as people in need of additional income by giving them your recyclables?

Take the Pledge

Facebook Users: Pledge your recyclables!

Our website, ecycler.com, can make that happen, but we need your help.

Some facts:
Unemployment is at 10 percent. In a bottle bill state like California, a trash bag full of 200 cans is worth $10.00 In other states it is worth about $2.50, so this could really help out someone.

These could have been recycled:
• 38 billion water bottles in the U.S. were sent to landfills last year — in excess of $1 billion worth of plastic
• About 50 billion aluminum cans sold in the U.S. last year were sent to landfills or incinerated.
• 42 million trees in the U.S. in the form of newspapers were sent to the landfills last year

This is how long these items will stay in landfills:
• Plastic Beverage Bottles– 500+ years
• Aluminum Cans–Eighty to 200 Years
• Glass Bottles—4,000 to One Million Years
• Newspapers–Two to Four Weeks or Longer (15 years is possible)

If you currently recycle, we ask you to go to ecycler.com and pledge to give your recyclables to someone on the site.

We are in the process of trying to find people who will pick up your recyclables and take them to a recycling center (anyone with Internet access can be a collector). When you choose to give away recyclables on the site, you will see the following choice: “I don’t have recyclables right now but am willing to save them to give away, please contact me.” By choosing this, prospective ecycler collectors will see your posting and contact you via the site to pick up the recyclables. This way, you can continue to recycle the way you currently do and possibly switch to an ecycler collector when someone contacts you.

We are trying to get as many people as we can to register and pledge to give away their recyclables. In coming months we hope to get the word out to people who will contact you to pick up your recyclables.

If you want to read more about ecycler check out the article about us on treehugger.com:

Come check out the write-up on TrendHunter.com and give us a “Hot” rating. TrendHunter.com is the world’s largest, most popular trend community. Fueled by a global network of 30,000 members. Sounds good to us!

Some neighborhoods don’t have free recycling pickup services but now, with the Ecycler site, there is no excuse not to recycle. The Ecycler site fulfills everyone’s green aspirations by connecting people who need a recycling service with those who want to do the recycling.

Basically, using the Ecycler site, eco-conscious consumers can find people in their communities who are ‘recycling entrepreneurs.’ These entrepreneurs get a customizable URL, downloadable personalized business cards and posters for publicity, while consumers with recyclables can simply choose from the list of entrepreneurs and arrange a pickup. Check out Ecycler.com to learn more.

Showcase here: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ecycler-site

Come learn more about a Sustainable Future for the Community of Missoula, November 4, 2009 in Missoula, Montana.

This educational event features presentations, information and networking opportunities, all designed to advance the community’s understanding of “going green”. Local businesses, non-profits and community members will provide practical advice on how to recycle, be environmentally friendly consumers and create a sustainable future.

The event will take place Wednesday November 4, 2009 at the University of Montana. The event will open its doors at 4 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. Raffle drawings will take place every hour. Admission is free and the public is welcome to interact with several sustainable businesses, non-profits and local recycling resources (including ecycler.com).

Come participate in an event aimed at helping us sustain the community, create recycling awareness and learn how to make lifestyle changes that will make a difference. In an effort to sustain our community for generations to come, the community is invited to join local leaders who are like minded and able to assist and educate them on ways to go green.

LOCATION
University of Montana
University Center – South Ballroom
32 Campus Drive
Missoula, MT 59812

If you are in the neighborhood on Wednesday, come check us out!

Download the event flyer: Missoula-Sustainable-Future

UPDATE

The event was a big success with over 75 participants (more than expected). ecycler received several comments including:

ecycler.com was very interesting, I would be interested in using this service when I begin to live in an apartment or house. I may recommend it to my family members.

and

ecycler…I’ve always said Missoula should have curb side recycling.

Come check out our profile on Ziipa.com and give us five stars. Ziipa’s goal is to showcase the best Web 2.0 websites, start-ups and applications. Sounds good to us!

Showcase here: http://www.ziipa.com/view/ecycler

Environment Social networking Web 2.0 Site: Collect. Connect. Recycle.
http://ecycler.com/

According to Feedmyapp: Ecycler creates a new way to recycle by connecting people discarding cans, bottles and newspapers with those wishing to collect them.

Ecycler provides an alternative to the many U.S. households that are not offered curb-side recycling. It’s also an option for people who have to pay for curb-side recycling or who want to have their recyclables picked up when and where they desire.

For the individual (or group) collecting recyclables, ecycler provides an entrepreneurship opportunity. Ecycler is driven by these collectors who establish an ecycler recycling program in their community. Collectors can download personalized business cards and posters generated by ecycler.com and then post them in public places. Collector accounts also include a customizable ecycler URL, i.e., their profile page. Anyone who has access to the Internet can become an ecycler collector.

Discarders can do their part for the environment while at the same time helping collectors in need of additional income. The discarders’ recyclables are “collected” by these individuals or groups and redeemed for cash at a local recycling center. Ecycler supports this community building for groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Church groups, social clubs, etc. by making available the same marketing materials used by individual collectors on ecycler.com.

Ecycler encourages people to discard their recyclables for free; however, discarders can request a portion of the proceeds from the collector. Discarders can track their carbon credits on the site. In addition to the automated calculation of materials recycled though ecycler.com, discarders have the option of listing how many recyclables they’ve given away on their own to be included in their total.

Ecycler provides an accountability tool by allowing collectors and discarders to rate their experiences with one another.

Click to see original Feedmyapp feature

We were featured on killerstartups.com today.

Bringing together those who want to give away recyclables and the ones who want to collect them is the service this site renders, and it is a valuable service any way you look at it. Through the site, any person who is interested in recycling can market himself and let others within his community know that he is willing to collect recyclables.

The team responsible for it cites the job creation aspect of eCycler as one of its main assets. That is, eCycler provides a mean for individuals or groups to become self-organized and collect recyclables from those that are willing to give them away. That means that Boy Scout Troops and Church groups among others could advertise themselves using the provided marketing materials, and let the community know they are recycling. People would then look for them as a viable alternative to curbside pickup. The group would raise money for its cause by collecting the recyclables, and every party is benefited by such an approach.

Right now, the site is accepting submissions by collectors who want to market their own recycling programs. If you are one, and the basic premise described above appealed to you, then dropping by the site is certainly worth considering.

Check out the feature here: killerstartups.com

Hello Everyone! To get ecycler going, we need collectors to sign up on the site and start marketing their own ecycler recycling programs. If you have recyclables to give away, please be patient as our base of collectors grows — and be sure to point potential collectors you know to the site.