Computer and Electronics Recycling

With each passing year, the technology behind our computers, printers, cell phones and other must-have electronics is getting better, faster and cheaper. As consumers we’ve become accustomed to the annual obsolesces of our favorite gadgets and have been left with a dilemma, what to do with the old when its time to bring in the new?
As the market stands, demand for used or refurbished electronics has diminished, and as prices continue to trend downward, service or repair for obsolete or malfunctioning units has become less and less desirable. Plus, the rapid advancement of technology makes it more cost-effective and convenient to simply purchase a new device in many cases.

Recycle

1. Find a responsible recycler in your area. The Internet lists several sources for finding a responsible electronics recyclers. The largest searchable databases for electronics recycling companies on the web can be found at: www.eiae.org/, www.mygreenelectronics.com and www.earth911.com. Earth911.com is also be a great source for other green-minded items and issues beyond electronics recycling.
2. Call and ask questions. Because the electronics recycling industry is governed by little regulation, it’s easy for any company to characterize itself as a “certified” electronics recycler. Once you’ve found several in your area, contact them with the following questions:  Is an environmental management system used to track the organization’s waste stream? An environmental management system is a mechanism that allows the company to track where every single pound of material refined. All good, responsible recycling companies have a secure, effective environmental management system.  Are any of the recyclables exported? This is an extremely important question. Exporting obsolete electronics is an easy way to escape the necessity of recycling these devices. Basically, your organization pays the recycler to pickup your electronics and turn them around to an overseas processor for an additional kickback from the scrap. For more information on this dirty little secret, take a moment to review the following articles: National Geographic High Tech Trash, Business Week, 60 Minutes Video
   
   You’ll also want to learn if the processor uses prison labor. Some electronics recyclers use an organization called Unicor. www.unicor.gov/recycling/. Unicor is a federal prison industry work system that uses federal prisoners for processing. Recent reports have shown that workers in these type programs sometimes work for a mere $1.00 a day, and in some case the health of the workers is not considered.
    
3. What happens to the data that may remain on your obsolete computer, cell phone or other device? Every reputable recycler should have a Department of Defense protocol that wipes a device’s hard drive or memory based on government standards. The protocol for these programs takes an average of 20 minutes to 3 hours to complete. Because the process for this type of service is intricate, the pricing should be reflective of this attention to detail. If it is not, be sure to ask additional questions about an organization’s procedures. Remember, DOD programs are used for hard drives that are to be reused. Be sure to ask about shredding capabilities for those hard drives that are too old to be salvageable for this process. Check out PC Recycler, they seem to have lots of different data destruction options. Hard Drive Shredding
4. Ask to tour the facility. If you anticipate a long-term relationship with an electronics recycler, ask for an informational tour of their facility. This will give your organization the opportunity to see, first-hand, the claims made by an processor regarding operations, quality control and more.
5. Remember, to domestically recycle electronics does require a cost. If a company is offering their services for free beyond a one-time promotion, or at a severely deep discount, be skeptical.

Reuse

1. Check the value of your electronic items. A quick search of device manufacturer/model number on www.ebay.com or www.craigslist.org can tell you if anyone is buying similar items to the ones in your possession. If demand is strong, this might be the easiest method for you to offload your items and put a little money in your pocket. Reusing an item is by far a decision that has the least amount of environmental impact because recycling is not required.

Use a local eBay drop-off store. Companies that specialize in helping people sell items on eBay will generally take a cut of the final sale price of your item, however, if you do not have the time to manage the auction of your items, this may be a viable option. If your item does not sell, in most cases, you will not be charged a fee for simply listing your item. To learn more about drop-off stores in your area, visit www.i-soldit.com or eBay’s site for a trading assistance pages.ebay.com/tahub/index.html.

Remove your data. Make sure that before you part with anything that holds personal data you use a certified wiping program to secure your information. To learn more about how to maintain the security of your information, visit www.killdisk.com or www.dban.org/. If you are an Apple user, visit www.mireth.com/pub/sxme.html. To remove cell phone data, here is a website for removing cell phone data www.recellular.com/recycling/data_eraser/default.asp

Donate to a local charity. Before you make the decision to donate to a local or national charity, do a little research. In this age of disposable electronics, many charities have found themselves inundated with obsolete electronics. If after searching on eBay or Craigslist, you find that items similar to yours aren’t selling, chances are the charity receiving your donation won’t be able to do so either to generate income. However, if the charity plans to refurbish and use these items within the organization, then this could be a viable option. There are a few things to remember when donating to a charity: Broken monitors should be recycled, rather than donated due to the measurable amounts of toxic metals housed within each unit. Make sure to protect your personal data by using a certified wiping program before donation. Review the license agreement for all of your computer’s software. Some software has specific standards set forth for ownership transfer.
For more information on donation, visit Tech Soup at www.techsoup.org and The National Cristina Foundation www.cristina.org. Each of these organizations are well respected national charities that can be used for your research.