Mike's NBC-TV stories

Apps to help you recycle

Most people enjoy doing their part for the benefit of the environment, from recycling to cleaning up litter.

It makes sense, then, that there are apps to help with the process, as PC Mike Wendland points out in his report this week.

The iRecycle app finds local, convenient recycling opportunities whether on the go or at home. How many opportunities? The developers claim more than 1.6 million ways to recycle at least 350 materials in the U.S. Input your current location, or enter a ZIP code, address or city, and you’ll get all the info you need. The app is free for iOS and Android.

RecycleNation searches for recycling locations and places that let you mail in items for recycling. The app boasts the world’s largest single recycling database with details about local recycling centers, such as directions and hours. The app is free for iOS.

Litterati is about cleaning up other people’s mess. It uses your phone’s camera to document what you pick up and throw away. Photos are downloaded into the app’s so-called “virtual landfill,” which creates a big picture of the most common thngs thrown away in various locations. The idea is that the info will be shared with companies and they can figure out ways to create more sustainable packaging. The app is free for iOS and Android.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.