Digital Dinosaurs: What Should
You Do with Your Old Computer?
By Lisa Cannon
Lisa Cannon is a Marketing Copywriter for Extensis Products
Group as well as a columnist for eTechNotes. You can reach her
at lcannon@creativepro.net.
Your computer. Five years ago it was the pinnacle of digital
technology. Today it is gathering dust in your closet. Back then,
it was everything you ever wanted in a PC. Now, it is the laughingstock
of the Obsolete
Computer Museum. You want to get rid of it, but you don’t
want to just throw it away. But what can you do with obsolete
computers? They’re big, they’re bulky, and they’re
full of chemicals that could be hazardous to the environment
if they were introduced into a landfill.
A Toxic Problem
The best-case scenario is to prevent computers from hitting the
landfills at all. That’s where a lot of obsolete technology
has been ending up, and it’s a problem that’s already
reaching critical mass. According to a report from the National
Safety Council, 70% of all major appliances manufactured
each year are recycled, but only 6% of the annual production
of desktop computers are recycled. The problem is not just the
tremendous volume in landfills. It’s also the components
of computers that release toxic substances, which leach into
soils and threaten ground water.
Computers are cornucopias of potentially hazardous chemicals.
Most computer components contain nickel, lithium, cadmium, chromium,
and mercury. Not only that, but there is more and more plastic
being used in computers, and less precious metals. Plastics,
unlike metals, aren’t worth much to recyclers. And some
of the plastic is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is perhaps
the least environmentally friendly plastic when composed of virgin
materials, since it is viewed as a contaminant to the PET
recycling stream.
Computer monitors are the worst offenders of all. There’s
a reason why they’re so heavy—they contain lead to
protect users from radiation. A standard glass cathode ray tube,
or CRT, contains up to eight pounds of lead. Because lead-coated
glass particles can contaminate ground water, a standard monitor
can be classified as hazardous waste. This year, Massachusetts
became the first state to ban CRTs from landfills, and other
states are following suit.
The problem is compounded by the fact that recycling facilities
haven’t caught up with technology. The electronics recycling
industry lacks the capacity to handle the large amounts of computers
being discarded every year. Glass recyclers aren’t equipped
to handle glass from computer monitors. Because the amount of
plastic being used in computers is increasing, computers are
more difficult to recycle, since plastic has little value and
requires separation through an expensive process. Other computer
components, such as keyboards, mice, and storage drives, are
equally difficult to break down into recyclable components.
Recycling electronics means determining which parts can be
sold intact and which must be scrapped. For example, monitor
manufacturers can use cathode ray tube guns, and service companies
(businesses that contract with computer makers to manage warranty
programs) can use parts from old product lines. After salvageable
materials have been taken from old computer systems, the leftovers—electronic
scrap and mixed plastics—are hard to find a home for.
Newer Is Better, Right?
The rush to own the latest, greatest computer—one that matches
the tangerine furniture or graphite walls—is also to blame
for the glut of obsolete computers. Our convenience-minded society
treats these large, expensive appliances like they’re easily
disposable. Buying a refrigerator to match the avocado wallpaper
seems like a wasteful extravagance. But an iMac?
Sure, why not? Why add RAM to that G3 when you can go buy something
cute and colorful? Why fix that old Buick when you can get a
Turbo Beetle?
One reason is that it’s not so easy to get rid of last
year’s model anymore. Once upon a time, your nephews and
nieces would have scrambled to get that old 486 from you. Now
they’ve got their own laptops. While schools and charities
will often take old computers, not all computers and peripherals
are donation-worthy. Shelters, churches, and other charities
will often take computers that work, but what should you do with
ones that don’t?
Many companies and organizations are springing up around the
Web and around the world to deal with the dead-PC-burial issue.
So whether you’ve got an Apple IIe or a Pentium II PC, there
are many options available to reduce, reuse, and recycle your
old computer. Here are just a few ways to eliminate your computer
clutter and reduce the volume in the landfills.
Put It on the Market
While it’s probably not a hot commodity on eBay, you might
be surprised at what your little Amiga might be worth to collectors.
You can try selling used computer equipment through online classifieds.
Yahoo has computer classifieds
organized by major metropolitan areas, and many other collections
of used-computer classifieds are available on the Web. Back Thru
the Future Microcomputers
Inc. is a state and federal EPA-approved "large volume
computer recycling depot."
Give It Away
If your computer is still functioning, there’s a chance
you can donate it to a local school, a neighborhood kid, or one
of many charities that accept computers in variable states of
repair (a few are listed at the end of this article). Goodwill
Industries is using donated PCs to teach inner-city kids how
to fix computers. Most Goodwill centers accept functioning electronics
with all parts included. To find a donation center near you,
contact Goodwill Industries.
The National
Safety Council provides a list of organizations that recycle
or refurbish old desktop computers, grouped by state. A National
Safety Council guide to recycling, donating, or reusing your
PC links to three other lists of involved organizations. A directory
of national resources is also included below. More organizations
can be found through the PEP
National Directory of Computer Recycling Programs.
Think First
The bottom line is that if you really must replace your system,
think before you act. Tossing your old system into the garbage
may be the easiest way to get rid of it, but remember that doing
so could have a lasting impact on the environment. Selling, donating,
or at least recycling your old computer equipment is the smart
way to go, and it may even make you feel better about splurging
on that new system.
National Directory of Computer Recycling Centers
Alameda County Computer Resource Center is a nonprofit computer
recycling organization that provides computers to those in the
community who would not otherwise have access to them. The computers
that are placed with recipients are refurbished through the Computer
Repair Internship Program. In the process, the Center ensures
that obsolete, nonworking, or no longer usable electronic equipment
does not end up in a landfill.
- Alameda County Computer Resource Center
5725 International Boulevard., Building D
Oakland, CA 94621
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 150759
San Rafael, CA 94915
Phone: 510-434-1325
Fax: 510-434-1327
Web site: http://www.accrc.org
Email: accrc@accrc.org
Computers for Learning streamlines the transfer of
excess federal computer equipment to schools and educational
nonprofit organizations, giving special consideration to those
with the greatest need. Equipment is shipped for free via commercial
transportation systems acting in partnership with Computers for
Learning.
The Computers for Schools Association is a nonprofit
organization founded in September 1991 by John, Carolyn, and
Diana Detwiler. Now completing its tenth year, the Computers
for Schools Program is active nationwide and, in some states,
is the largest source of computer equipment for K–12 schools.
The East-West Education Development Foundation accepts
computer donations from companies and individual donors and provides
a receipt for these tax-deductible contributions. Usable equipment
is remanufactured into technology that will ultimately reach
a nonprofit organization or a school. Unusable equipment is recycled
in accordance with EPA guidelines.
The Floppies for Kiddies Recycled Diskette Project
collects used and promotional diskettes for redistribution to
schools and nonprofit organizations across the country. You can
donate one, ten or hundreds of disks. There is no minimum or
maximum number that it will accept.
Gifts In Kind International, the leading charity in
the field of product philanthropy, encourages and manages product
donation from companies to nonprofits addressing critical needs,
including housing, health care, education, and youth development.
The National Christina Foundation (NCF) provides computer
technology and solutions to give people with disabilities, students
at risk, and the economically disadvantaged the opportunity,
through training, to lead more independent and productive lives.
The agency matches companies and individuals interested in donating
computers and related equipment with nonprofit organizations
and schools that serve people with disabilities in the U S. and
abroad. Donors send equipment directly to the beneficiary.
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