What to do with old electronics

[madrakaetrus]

While I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's destructive chaotic fun, the problem with e-waste is the high amount of pollutant materials. Lead, phosphorus, cadmium, barium, mercury...awful stuff like that that can poison ground water.

Hell, reusing a single computer and a CRT monitor saves:

30 lbs. of hazardous waste
77 lbs. of solid waste
77 lbs. of materials
147 lbs. (17.5 gals) of water from being polluted
32 tons of air from being polluted
1,333 lbs of Carbon Dioxide from being emitted
7,719 kilowatts of energy

Equal to 1/2 a car's CO2 Emissions, 68% of one US household's energy consumption for a year, and $670 in net savings.

(Source: Next Step Recycling: www.nextsteprecycling.org)

Reuse and recycling is a smarter move than many think.

[Hagan]

Originally Posted by Mavic

The new National Geographic (Wipe that shocked look off of your face!) has a very good article on how our e-waste is being shipped to third world countries. Just because the it's not polluting your backyard doesn't mean it's not polluting someone elses.

Aye, I know what you mean, I saw that report too. It does prove thoough that you can recycle this stuff, its just i the more civilised parts of the west, we'd do things a little different than hand some kids soldring irons and hot pans and a pile of electrics to strip.

[Canthro]

Find a place with a dumpster and make "donations" ocassionally.

[Vorbis]

Originally Posted by Canthro

Find a place with a dumpster and make "donations" ocassionally.

You can get fined for this in some places.

[DaMann]

I think you can get fined at quite a few places. The issue is who is going to catch you, which is part of the problem. If people aren't going to be held accountable or plain just don't care what is to stop them from just dumping at random dumpster.

[TheLostkin]

Check your local yellow pages and/or try an online search, with your favorite search engine, for "Electronics Recycling".

Out here in Northern Nevada we have a non-profit organization called ComputerCorps that takes donations of different electronic waste. They refurbish what they can, strip parts from what they can't, and tear down what's left over for recycling. They guarantee that nothing goes into a land fill.

-L

[RedQ]

There are also computer parts retailers that will take care of you. They'll either salvage or dispose your obsoleted hardware, but they're probably after your store visit as well

[Tjuhl]

Yep. The decision to "recycle" hardware usually leads to the hardware being shipped to development countries where it's stripped apart by people under VERY critical health conditions...

Best thing to do with it is probably trying to find a NPO / NGO that distributes the used hardware to those who'd actually USE it (again). There may be local organizations or international ones that ship the hardware to development countries for re-vendor / re-use.

Broken hardware should preferably go to industrial country based recyclers.

[Jodou]

Here's a new option for those electronics, but I don't know just how much of a good deal it is.

[Gheist]

Everyone gather their old gear together and let's create a tangible, low-voltage, cybernetic demon and name him "Cookie"!