My wife bought a new computer for Christmas and I have the old Gateway, plus a Toshiba that was in storage. I know we are never going to use these computers again. What do you do to dispose of old computers? Everyone says, destroy the hard drive and just throw the rest in the dumpster. Seems like a shame. But I suppose it is the world of consumable disposalbe items. The monitors too, they are the old fashioned types, I could probably give them away on Craigslist. The computers though, I am curious, what does everyone do with them?
Disposal of old computers?
- Thread starter Panzerman
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recycle them. In many municipalities, you cannot dispose of them due to heavy metals in the electronic components.
Where to recylce? Check with your municipal disposal. Also put up free listing on craigslist. Why "destroy" the hard drive. Just run one of those zero fill secure delete programs on it. That's what I do. You can get them for free.
Where to recylce? Check with your municipal disposal. Also put up free listing on craigslist. Why "destroy" the hard drive. Just run one of those zero fill secure delete programs on it. That's what I do. You can get them for free.
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wouldnt a true BITOGer open up the hard drive, collect the magnets, then go put them on his oil filter?
the local government recycles them. I took an old ibm pc, two sony vaio pcs to the dump. no problem as long as your a resident of the county. you might have to recycle one computer a month, my county has one computer recycling a month per resident.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Remove the hard drive and take it to Best Buy along with the monitor.
+1! Best Buy recycles most electronics free of charge.
Remove the hard drive and take it to Best Buy along with the monitor.
+1! Best Buy recycles most electronics free of charge.
OT; "recycle" means sending them to a Chinese landfill where children recover the heavy metals, rather than having them put in your local landfill.
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132204954/after-dump-what-happens-to-electronic-waste
Quote:
"A recycler can be a recycler in name only," he says. "These so-called recyclers have found that that they can make a lot more money just exporting this material, because the U.S. laws completely allow it to happen. And they're able to externalize the real costs of doing things in an environmentally responsible way."
80% is handled this way.
There are very few US based recyclers doing it the "right way".
In answer to your ?, mine are just piling up in my house...
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132204954/after-dump-what-happens-to-electronic-waste
Quote:
"A recycler can be a recycler in name only," he says. "These so-called recyclers have found that that they can make a lot more money just exporting this material, because the U.S. laws completely allow it to happen. And they're able to externalize the real costs of doing things in an environmentally responsible way."
80% is handled this way.
There are very few US based recyclers doing it the "right way".
In answer to your ?, mine are just piling up in my house...
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Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Remove the hard drive and take it to Best Buy along with the monitor.
+1! Best Buy recycles most electronics free of charge.
+1, though some BestBuys say they'll only take one computer system from a customer per day, so they might only take one box and monitor, and then make you come back the next day with the other system. I don't know if they'll actually enforce it if you show up with two computers, but depending on how bulky and heavy the computers and monitors are you might want to call ahead to ask.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Remove the hard drive and take it to Best Buy along with the monitor.
+1! Best Buy recycles most electronics free of charge.
+1, though some BestBuys say they'll only take one computer system from a customer per day, so they might only take one box and monitor, and then make you come back the next day with the other system. I don't know if they'll actually enforce it if you show up with two computers, but depending on how bulky and heavy the computers and monitors are you might want to call ahead to ask.
The HD does have good magnets.
Around my part, the local morning news channels will have periodic runs for electronic waste turn-in days, and locations. But I usually wipe the hard drive, reload a OS, add a few things (free anti-virus, firewall, Open-Office etc.) and give it to a neighbor kid who may want it. Otherwise if it's useless, off to electronic waste turn-in it goes.
I noticed a couple weeks ago, a laptop I gave to a neighbor kid some time ago is still being used. I'm sure she plays games on it, but since it's the only computer she has at home to use, maybe she does some school work with it also. If nothing else, it builds her knowledge just using a computer. It keeps her from coming over to use my computer too. She also uses wireless access routers for internet from a couple of other neighbors who leave their access unsecured. I didn't care for that laptop and Windows Vista myself. I gave a Epson color inkjet away last month to another kid I now hear is being used.
Oh well - if someone can get use from it, then I'm all for that. Otherwise off to electronic waste turn-in.
Around my part, the local morning news channels will have periodic runs for electronic waste turn-in days, and locations. But I usually wipe the hard drive, reload a OS, add a few things (free anti-virus, firewall, Open-Office etc.) and give it to a neighbor kid who may want it. Otherwise if it's useless, off to electronic waste turn-in it goes.
I noticed a couple weeks ago, a laptop I gave to a neighbor kid some time ago is still being used. I'm sure she plays games on it, but since it's the only computer she has at home to use, maybe she does some school work with it also. If nothing else, it builds her knowledge just using a computer. It keeps her from coming over to use my computer too. She also uses wireless access routers for internet from a couple of other neighbors who leave their access unsecured. I didn't care for that laptop and Windows Vista myself. I gave a Epson color inkjet away last month to another kid I now hear is being used.
Oh well - if someone can get use from it, then I'm all for that. Otherwise off to electronic waste turn-in.
On my old Windows 98 system, I removed the hard drive and tossed the tower in the trash.
I don't remove anything. I just take it to the dump.....
I'm fortunate to have a dedicated band of scavengers in my neighborhood. When my Sony CRT died last month, I hauled it out to the end of the driveway and it was gone before I could walk back into the house and take off my coat. When the microwave oven croaked earlier this month, it was gone within an hour. Got rid of an old gas grill and an old water heater within a day. Tried to get rid of an old dump cart and would've too, but some guy came along and decided he was willing to pay me $30 to hold it for him until the next day.
Thats awesome GrtArtiste!
Yup. Take the harddrive out, take it to best buy. The computer will be free, the monitor will be $10, but you get a $10 gift card back. Something to do with because we have to pay to recycle anything with a screen. The reason usually we can only take 3 things (Depending on the store) is that our warehouses aren't very big, we don't have enough room to take everything people want to bring in sometimes.
Kestas
Staff member
Try: http://earth911.com/
It can be used for disposal of computers, oil, antifreeze, christmas trees, etc.
Just type in your zip code.
It can be used for disposal of computers, oil, antifreeze, christmas trees, etc.
Just type in your zip code.
Just hit me -my aunt when she wanted to get rid of old appliances and whatever, she would put things down by the end of her driveway with a for sale sign on it at a stupid high price. Go in the house, and usually sooner or later it would be gone - stolen.
Nobody would bother her because the price was so high, it would usually be gone if not that day, that night. I guess she did that allot. She once told me she kept putting things out daily to get gone when she did some garage cleaning, little by little it all went. Well she thinks someone was liking what she was putting out and at the end of week they stole her garbage cans probably in hopes something was in the cans usable. The cans were completely gone, but all the neighbors were still out at the curb on pickup day.
Then one day she was out and started to cut the front lawn. Some kid came up and offered to do the cut for some money. When the kid was getting just done, my aunt went in to get the money and a drink for the kid. She went out and the kid with her lawn mower was gone, already down around the street curve out of site.
She told me there is a reason why there are no holiday decorations out in the neighborhood - I'm like "Hummm I wonder why, and why nobody has stopped all this". They're afraid of what will happen I guess from what I got. Stupid I told her.
Nobody would bother her because the price was so high, it would usually be gone if not that day, that night. I guess she did that allot. She once told me she kept putting things out daily to get gone when she did some garage cleaning, little by little it all went. Well she thinks someone was liking what she was putting out and at the end of week they stole her garbage cans probably in hopes something was in the cans usable. The cans were completely gone, but all the neighbors were still out at the curb on pickup day.
Then one day she was out and started to cut the front lawn. Some kid came up and offered to do the cut for some money. When the kid was getting just done, my aunt went in to get the money and a drink for the kid. She went out and the kid with her lawn mower was gone, already down around the street curve out of site.
She told me there is a reason why there are no holiday decorations out in the neighborhood - I'm like "Hummm I wonder why, and why nobody has stopped all this". They're afraid of what will happen I guess from what I got. Stupid I told her.
I have a small computer shop locally that accepts all of my old computer stuff that I can't sell. He recycles it or uses components to build budget computers.
EMP, then DUMP
Depends on what you have on it, if your concerned, then there may be need... if no private info, I'd toss it out or recycle the drive... you may be able to give to a charity... there are many sorts... everything from a womans shelter, a Church, etc.
I was tossing out some of my old stuff the other day and asked a neighbor, they needed a start up one for their grandson... ask around, post an ad on craigslist free pickup of working pc... may alternatives if you think about it.
Depends on what you have on it, if your concerned, then there may be need... if no private info, I'd toss it out or recycle the drive... you may be able to give to a charity... there are many sorts... everything from a womans shelter, a Church, etc.
I was tossing out some of my old stuff the other day and asked a neighbor, they needed a start up one for their grandson... ask around, post an ad on craigslist free pickup of working pc... may alternatives if you think about it.
Heck, I got $100 about a year ago for a Dell Dimension 2300 and and old monitor I had lying around. The legitimate license for Windows XP was worth most of that.
I put in on Craigslist. I wiped the drives and reloaded the factory image, put a second hard drive in it and listed it. It was gone in a week. I got rid of some old hardware and got a Benji for my time. I gave him the factory documentation the media that came with it as well.
A guy who lost everything in a fire bought it to get on the net again. I also gave him an extra SoundBlaster card to put in it as he said he played around with music.
So you might get something for it if you spend some time on it. I'm sure I didn't get anywhere near the value of my time working on it, but I think I made a solid machine available to someone who needed it and I got some mad money for my trouble.
I put in on Craigslist. I wiped the drives and reloaded the factory image, put a second hard drive in it and listed it. It was gone in a week. I got rid of some old hardware and got a Benji for my time. I gave him the factory documentation the media that came with it as well.
A guy who lost everything in a fire bought it to get on the net again. I also gave him an extra SoundBlaster card to put in it as he said he played around with music.
So you might get something for it if you spend some time on it. I'm sure I didn't get anywhere near the value of my time working on it, but I think I made a solid machine available to someone who needed it and I got some mad money for my trouble.
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