Old Computers on Earth Day
April 22, 2009 by Jason Bean
Filed under Computers
Happy Earth Day everyone! Today’s topic is what the heck do you do with all of that old PC equipment you’ve got laying around the house and aren’t using anymore? I’ve got old hard drives, 4-5 old CRT’s, a couple of towers and a boat load of cords, chargers and other devices just sitting around and taking up space. I know I don’t want to just toss it out, but what do you do with it?
EPA website header graphic
A quick search and poll of twitter gave me some ideas on what could be done. First I found the eCycling website setup by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It’s got information about what to do with your e-waste and the different options that are available for you to take advantage.
This site offers:
- Basic Information about reducing and recycling electronics
- Where You Live provides information about regional and State eCycling programs
- Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronics? lists organizations and retailers with donation and recycling programs
- Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics
- Regulations/Standards for handling electronic equipment
- Frequent Questions and answers about electronic waste
- Resources publications and links that offer additional information on the management of electronics
A friend on twitter also let me know that you can take some old equipment to Best Buy and they will help you recycle it. Some items require you to pay a small fee, but Best Buy will give you a gift card for the equivalent fee for you to spend at a later time.
Pretty cool. So, what are you getting rid of today or this weekend? What ideas do you have for using old equipment for something useful?
