How to recycle your old computer

Discussion in 'hardware' started by ronjor, Nov 24, 2012.

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  1. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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    http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-recycle-your-old-computer/
     
  2. safeguy

    safeguy Registered Member

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    Question is...how many does it? I'm tempted to say it's easier to throw it away :p
     
  3. zfactor

    zfactor Registered Member

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    i take in old pc's at our shop and i try to salvage what i can and all systems built with salvaged parts get donated to families and children in the area who either can not afford one or are affected by some sort of hardship etc. we take in on average more than a dozen a week and usually can build at the very least 2-4 from those and they go to everywhere from local libraries and churches to families who come in and they can request them. all we ask is to see an account balance of at least the previous month to verify we are not giving them to people who do not actually need them which is a huge problem and we had this issue and had to stop it. we found out that some of the people taking advantage of the kindness of others were making (yes the god's honest truth here) close to 100k$ a year they were just to stinking cheap to buy one themselves. so we try to do what we can within legal limits to make sure the system is actually needed where its going since we dont charge anything for them at all including the labor to rebuild them. they may not be the fastest things on the planet but will get you online and hopefully be able to help kids out with their work. we mainly do it for the kids and the seniors in the area who are on low income budgets and just want to be able to get online. its our way of giving back and trying to help out where we can.

    we are thinking about trying to expand it i just am so short on time now as it is i dont know how much more we can do and we cant afford to pay people at this time to handle it without any profit on them we end up a lot of time adding our own parts in as it is which is why normally i handle it in my off time
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2012
  4. NGRhodes

    NGRhodes Registered Member

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    We have a recycle center and I know that paper, plastic wood and metal is recycled, but when it comes to computers (and other electrical devices such as washing machines) I have a feeling they are not recycled but sent off to a foreign country - not sure if this is a good thing or not TBH.
    I do try to repair old machines - I used to collect free broken machines, used to average 1 working machine out of 3 broken.
    Would only recommend people with suitable professional experience/qualifications to attempt to build machines for other though (I've received 2 poorly DIY constructed PCs recently).

    If you can't reuse the machine and don't have local recycling facilities you can always at-least disassemble and strip the metal parts off for recycling separately. The less that goes to landfill, the better and anyone who can operate a screwdriver can do this.

    Cheers, Nick
     
  5. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    Old PCs also make good hardware firewalls. With additional network cards, they can be converted into routers as well. Software for both is freely available.
     
  6. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

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    I don,t know why we should recycle old PCs. Any PC that can run XP, can be given to a non-affording person who needs a PC, esp students.

    Another way is to ship old PCs to developing countries where they can be sold pretty cheep and will be affordable for the common people there who earn a little as compared to developed countries. Unfortunately greedy businessmen and corrupt politicians/ govt personal in third world countries often spoil any such attempt as it stops their insane revenue from the business of new PCs which are sold at insanely high prices( compared to the average income in those countries) with extremely poor or practically non-existent warranties, often provided by middle men rather than original companies.

    In these developing countries business and fraud/ deceiving are synonymous.
     
  7. Keyboard_Commando

    Keyboard_Commando Registered Member

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    I've been thinking a lot lately about older PC's. I can see a time when 'old tech' desktop type computing is desired by many. So worth hanging onto, IMO. For instance I think the paranoid user, with fears for privacy, reasons that stops them joining the smartphone or tablet PC evolution, I think they will want older tech. The way it's going, in five years time, maybe, the ability to build your own customized PC is gone totally. The fun geeky time spent building/maintaining your PC could well die altogether. :(

    Storing 'old tech' desktop PC's and components now could become lucrative for the future. People will pay a premium for it.
     
  8. jo3blac1

    jo3blac1 Registered Member

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    I put old computers to good use. Usually I pass them on to other family members who just need something basic for web browsing or netflix. Most people don't realize that you don't need quad core 16GB of ram 1TB HDD to check your email. My sister is using my old computer from 2006, my parents are using another one from around the same time. Both are running Windows XP SP3 customized for speed by me. I bet you these laptops will last for at least another 4 years. Both are more than adequate for what they do. Heck I even got a laptop from 2002 1.13 GHz Pentium III. Up to last year it was running netflix quite smoothly. Recent silverlight/netflix upgrades rendered it obsolete. I still keep it as a back up for Skype conferencing, web browsing and email.
     
  9. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    This only applies to the US.
    No one recycles computers here . . . :D
     
  10. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    The computers that some consider to be old or obsolete are daily use machines or even upgrades to others here. I'm using P4s here, the fastest being 3.0ghz with 2GB RAM. My daily use PC is a 2.4GHZ P4 with 1GB RAM. It runs XP and 98, with linux to be added when I decide on a version. I still use an old HP Pavilion with a 366mhz P2 on occasion. It's a bit slow on the web and won't play full screen videos, but very reliable otherwise.

    When I think of recycling PCs, I'm thinking about Pentium 2s, Celerons, and still older units. These can still serve as firewalls and routers. I have an old Compaq with a 133mhz Pentium and 32MB of RAM running Smoothwall Express 2.0. It's worked well for the last 5 years.

    As for the actual recycling of old electronics, I don't know of any place near me that does this. If I do find one, I'll want proof that they recycle properly, in this country, and are not dumping this toxic trash on 3rd world countries. That said, if the primary OS used on PCs was modular and upgradable, most of this "obsolete hardware" would still be useful.
     
  11. rajdeep01

    rajdeep01 Registered Member

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    Hi friend,
    Some companies offer a service where you can return your old computer for nothing – ask before you buy. If not, your council may run a scheme but might charge for collection. Sometimes it's hard to give up your old computer; it's been with you for years. It has your family photos and important documents saved on it. Often it seems much easier to banish it to a dark closet corner. Out of sight. Out of mind. But recycling your old computer can actually do a ton of good in your community, not to mention help de-clutter your life. Here's our step-by-step guide to make recycling your old computer as easy as possible.
     
  12. PJC

    PJC Very Frequent Poster

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    I prefer to donate an old PC instead of recycling it...;)
     
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