Electronics Recycling

Going Green

 

 

Recyling Eletronics

Got old computer parts and pieces, cell phones and other outdated electronics components lying around and don't know what to do with them? Sending them to the landfill isn't a great idea - the chemicals and metals can have a negative impact on the environment - but letting them pile up in dresser drawers and closets only works for so long.

The Consumer Education Initiative was developed to inform people about recycling and reuse opportunities for those used electronics.
Find out what programs exist in your area.

More Recycling Programs

PCWorld - Where to Turn

Check with your company's facilities department; many have their own recycling programs. Also, most electronics manufacturers have trade-in programs. PC makers Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM, for example, all have mail-back programs (Gateway gives you a rebate).

Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony sponsor recycling events. You drop off equipment at a temporary collection site, and these manufacturers will pay to have it recycled.

Third-party organizations such as United Recycling Industries http://www.unitedrecyclingind.com/takeback/main.html will recycle equipment made by any mix of vendors. You purchase a prepaid shipping label ($27.99 includes delivery and all recycling costs for shipments up to 69 pounds), box up your equipment, and drop your package off at any UPS pickup location.

Californians can leave PCs, peripherals, TVs, printers, copiers, and other devices at Computer Recycling Center http://www.crc.org/ locations throughout the state and get a tax credit. The organization refurbishes PCs and donates them to public schools, teachers, and community nonprofit organizations.

Let's look at three ways to dispose of an old computer.

Give it to charity. Many charities would love to take your old computers. They refurbish the machines and give them to people for whom a new computer is just a dream.

True, they're a little picky about what they'll take. If you have a museum piece that's been sitting in the basement 10 years, they don't want it. The machine has to be able to run modern software.

But if your old clunker is no more than three or four years old, someone will want it. Virtually all of these organizations take Windows machines; some also take Macs. Obviously, running machines are preferred. If yours is broken, ask. It may still be wanted.

Finding the proper organization is the key. To do that, contact the National Cristina Foundation, which has affiliates in all 50 states. Both PCs and Macs are welcome. http://www.cristina.org

Another good place to start is UsedComputer.com. You'll see charities there that you recognize, such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill. Lots of other, lesser-known organizations also are represented. http://www.usedcomputer.com

If you can't find a charity, ask around your neighborhood. Last year, I gave an old computer to a neighbor who lost her job and her computer. It was too slow for me, but she was very pleased. She's still using it.

Pass it on to a recycler. A recycler will take the machine off your hands, often for a small fee. The materials in the computer aren't worth a great deal. Hence, the fee. But the materials that can cause environmental damage can be recycled.

Again, finding the recycler is the key. And once more, the Web comes to the rescue. Electronics Recycling lists a ton of firms that do this work. The recyclers are listed by state. So you should be able to find someone nearby. Some charge fees; others do not. http://www.electronicsrecycling.net

You can also recycle your machines through Dell Computer or HP. Both charge small fees. The National Safety Council also maintains a list of recyclers (follow the links under "Environment" and "Solid Waste"). http://www.nsc.org

Trade it in. If your machine isn't obsolete, you can trade it in. HP arranges trade-ins through a third party. You won't get rich this way; few things depreciate faster than computers. But it beats throwing the thing into the trash.

HP will give you a free quote for your old beater through its Web site (do a search on the home page for "trade-ins"). After sending in your old computer, you have 30 days to buy a new HP or Compaq unit. Fax in a proof of purchase, and you get a check. http://www.hp.com

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Calling All Cell Phones

Among the easiest items to safely discard are mobile phones, which leak lead, cadmium, and mercury into groundwater and the atmosphere if dumped into the trash. AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless, and other mobile-equipment stores--including RadioShack and Target--have recycling bins where you can pitch your defunct phones. (Be sure to deactivate your service first!)

"You can return any model of phone at any store," notes Eric Forster, a vice president at ReCellular in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ReCellular partners with about 600 organizations to collect used mobile phones, refurbish them, and return them to wireless carriers, which resell them or donate them to charity.

"Even old analog phones are worth turning in," Forster says. "They can be reused by residents of shelters and for inner-city, prepaid services for the next few years." The wireless phone companies are required to keep their analog networks running through 2006.

Cellular for Charity

Often, you'll simply return your old phone when you buy a new one, particularly if the wireless carrier is offering a trade-in discount incentive. But you also might want to consider your pet charity in the process.

For example, Sprint PCS donates a portion of its phone-resale net proceeds to Easter Seals and the National Organization on Disability. Verizon Wireless donates mobile phones, airtime, and money to domestic-violence shelters and prevention programs.

Similarly, the Donate a Phone program http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/12give/index2.cfm , run jointly by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and Motorola, donates handsets, preprogrammed with emergency numbers, to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Information on where to mail or drop off the phones is available on the organization's Web site http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/12give/where.cfm .

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