What do you do with a dead computer?

This is a topic that arises on TechSoup periodically, and we have a resource list for recycling computers, but I was wondering if anyone in this discussion had a specific story to tell about buying a recycled computer. I am also interested in the environmental implications of computer recycling (both positive and negative).<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Have any ideas on this?

If the computer is really dead, rather than just having a bad power supply (a fairly common reason for computers not turning on), then it really is important to try to get it to a computer recycler. Consumer electronics constitute 40 percent of the lead found in landfills. The mechanism for long-term contamination is mainly via fine particles of glass laced with lead from CRT monitors as they eventually degrade. With rainfall getting into dumpsites, water becomes contaminated with lead, and leaches out of the landfill and into the groundwater. This is happening in all US landfills. In Ohio, approximately 100,000 children from birth to 6 years of age are screened for lead poisoning and approximately 10 percent or 10,000 are found to have elevated blood lead levels. Lead poisoning is a major cause of nervous system deterioration and mental retardation in children.<:LINEBREAK:>? TechSoup of course has a pretty good list of recyclers and refurbishers that you can check out<:LINEBREAK:>? The National Safety Council publishes a very comprehensive list of commercial and nonprofit recyclers in the U.S. at www.nsc.org.<:LINEBREAK:>? The National Recycling Coalition's Electronics Recycling Initiative has a good referral site at www.nrc-recycle.org.<:LINEBREAK:>? There's a commercial recycling company I'm interested in called Technology Recycling headquartered in Denver that operates recycling centers in 48 states. Last I heard, they charge $35 per piece of hardware to completely smelt it down - a pretty hefty price, but everyone should know that smelting down computers does not pay for itself. A ton of computers yeilds about 10 ounces of gold, so folks should expect to pay something to recycle equipment responsibly. Find Technology Recycling at 1-800-803-5442 or www.techrecycle.com. I called them to request their locations nationwide but they didn't return my call<:LINEBREAK:>? The best deal perhaps is IBM's new recycling program in which people will be able to recycle any manufacturer's personal computers -- plus monitors, printers and optional attachments -- for $30, which includes shipping. Customers will be able to box the system and ship it via UPS to Envirocycle -- a designated recycling center. I can't find any contact info or anything on this directly but find Envirocyle at www.enviroinc.com or 1-800-711-6010. I emailed them on their website but it bounced. They are headquartered in Hallstead PA. If anyone has any more info about this program, I'd love to find out.<:LINEBREAK:>-jim lynch

Jim,<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Do you know anything about HOW the machines are recycled. I'm curious what type of toxic outputs may exist from the process that either will affect workers or the environment.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>I'd like to see manufacturers of any hardware be legally responsible to take back their machine when it has run it course and dies. Of course this responsibility would extend to the point where they have to reuse - as opposed to recycle, as many part as possible.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Marc

My last stint was production manager for Goodwill Industries in San Francisco. When we did the cost benefit analysis of selling used computers--the idea turned out to be a big money looser. Most computers that were donated to our charity were there for a reason-they were either out dated or broken.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Also the states of California and Ma. have passed law banning the disposal of CRT (monitors) material in regular disposal facilities. In order to recycle a monitor it must travel to one of the only glass to glass crushers in the US which is located in the south. When you start weighing the pros and cons of recycling--the dollars and sense are not with recycling in the US at this time. Between gas emissions and foul play it all comes out to be archaic and corrupted<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Mr. Stein mentioned what is happening in Europe--which is a concept called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The issue with making EPR work in the US is that computer companies are not happy about it. A lot of companies such as Dell and IBM have set up faux solutions and now charge the consumer to send back their old computer. What is currently happening as well as with most charities tryng to recycle. What happens to computers is that they get off loaded to 3 world countries where they are incinerated.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>This incineration releases poisons known as dioxins into the air and makes people very sick. After they burn the plastic shells--the guts of the computer are scavenged for their valuable metal components like gold and copper. One should not be fooled by all these claims of Clean Computers right now. Only in Western Europe has industry truly tried to reduce the amount of lead in them.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Below you will see an effort by Best Buy to reclaim computers. This is a push Back media blitz in response to groups such as the GrassRoots Recycling Network's Take It Back Campaigns (www.grrn.org) and SVTC (www.svtc.org). One must ask the question "where do these computers go after Best Buy?' The most likely answer is off shore or unfortunately to the Dump.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Here in SF the county has tried to come up with solutions--and there is one business HMR that takes the computers and dismantles them for recycling. But when the state banned CRTs in landfills in July--the trickle down effect was overwhelming and charities such as Goodwill could not afford the price of recycling computers appropriately if they could not sell them. This is when they no longer accepted donations of PCs. To do so would cripple the organization.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>My hope is that every state passes the CRT ban and that the US makes Michael Dell and Steve Jobs themselves pay for the cost of building the infrastructure to clean up their own horrific and trajic mess.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>If you have any questions please e-mail me at emiggins@aol.com<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Thursday October 25, 8:11 am Eastern Time<:LINEBREAK:>Press Release<:LINEBREAK:>SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.<:LINEBREAK:>ADVISORY/Old and Unused Electronics Cluttering Your Home? Recycling<:LINEBREAK:>Opportunity at Best Buy in South Tampa<:LINEBREAK:>(BUSINESS WIRE)--<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Computers, TVs and Other Items to be Collected in Store Parking Lot<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Two Days Only - November 9 and 10 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>What: For two days only, the Best Buy store in South Tampa, Fla.,<:LINEBREAK:>will serve as a recycling collection site for unwanted<:LINEBREAK:>electronic items. The special event will take place in the<:LINEBREAK:>parking lot on Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10<:LINEBREAK:>from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Most electronics will be collected and recycled at no charge.<:LINEBREAK:>Due to the high cost of removing hazardous lead from picture<:LINEBREAK:>tubes, there will be a $10 charge for each computer monitor<:LINEBREAK:>and a $15 charge for each TV. Staff from Envirocycle, Inc.<:LINEBREAK:>will be in the parking lot to remove items directly from<:LINEBREAK:>vehicles.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>The event is being co-sponsored by Toshiba America Inc.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Accepted items:<:LINEBREAK:>Computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, TVs, stereos,<:LINEBREAK:>camcorders, cellular phones, VCRs<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Not accepted items:<:LINEBREAK:>Microwaves, smoke detectors, major household appliances, such<:LINEBREAK:>as refrigerators and air conditioners<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Why: The proper disposal of electronic items is an important issue<:LINEBREAK:>for many people. Computers and televisions can contain<:LINEBREAK:>materials such as lead and mercury that can be harmful to the<:LINEBREAK:>environment if simply thrown in the trash. People wanting to<:LINEBREAK:>get rid of electronics while remaining responsible often are<:LINEBREAK:>unsure about what to do or where to go.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Best Buy believes that everyone has a part in completing the<:LINEBREAK:>recycling loop - that's why the Company has come up with a<:LINEBREAK:>simple, fun and convenient program for recycling electronics<:LINEBREAK:>that protects the environment while raising awareness of<:LINEBREAK:>recycling options. South Tampa is among the first locations in<:LINEBREAK:>Best Buy's plan to rollout recycling events nationwide.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Where: Best Buy store<:LINEBREAK:>1725 N. Dale Mabry Highway<:LINEBREAK:>Dale Mabry and I-275, South Tampa<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Note: South Tampa store only. No other area Best Buy stores<:LINEBREAK:>will serve as recycling collection sites for this event.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>When: Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10<:LINEBREAK:>10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY - news) is the nation's number<:LINEBREAK:>one specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers,<:LINEBREAK:>entertainment software and appliances. The Company operates retail stores and<:LINEBREAK:>commercial web sites under the names: Best Buy (BestBuy.com), Magnolia Hi-Fi<:LINEBREAK:>(MagnoliaHiFi.com), Media Play (MediaPlay.com), On Cue (OnCue.com), Sam Goody<:LINEBREAK:>(SamGoody.com), and Suncoast (Suncoast.com). The Company reaches consumers<:LINEBREAK:>through more than 1,800 retail stores nationwide, in Puerto Rico and in the<:LINEBREAK:>U.S. Virgin Islands.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>------------------------------------------------------------------------------<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>--<:LINEBREAK:>Contact:<:LINEBREAK:>Best Buy Co., Inc., Minneapolis<:LINEBREAK:>Jim McManus, 952/996-4131<:LINEBREAK:>Jim.McManus@BestBuy.com<:LINEBREAK:>or<:LINEBREAK:>Weber Shandwick Worldwide<:LINEBREAK:>David Fransen, 952/346-6225<:LINEBREAK:>dfransen@webershandwick.com

Marc,<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>The good news is that California and Massachessets have both passed laws regulating the processing and propoer disposal of CRT monitors. These are by far the biggest environmental problem because of their huge lead content. The bad news is that the other 48 states lack these standards. There are basically two layers of recyclers - refurbishers and proper recyclers. Refurbishers pull out useful components to create whole machines and pass what they can't use on to to industrial recyclers. Industrial recyclers separate components and smelt it all down at very high temperatures. Burning these materials at low (incinerator) temperatures would be extremely toxic indeed. The smelting done at very high temperatures and is designed to burn off most of the toxic gases and from the plasics and then recover the metals. Industrial computer recyclers operate in a niche of the waste management industry. I can't provide a breakdown of what gases and stuff this creates, but this portion of the recycling industry is regulated by clean air standards. A good resource on all this is a 2001 study by the Materials for the Future Foundation and the Silicon Valley Toxics coalition entitled Poison PC/Toxic TV report at http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>-jim

Not ALL organization send materials outside US. My nonprofit not only refurbishes but also recycles. FULL SCALE. All the way down to grinding and shredding the materials for other feedstock.
The only hazardous materials are in CRT, we put them in a cruher with a hood that dissminates the gases so there is NO hazard to the workers.

Its not as dangerous as it sounds though yes, its not the biggest money maker, but $35 for a system to be recycled is a lot. We only charge $15.
BTW we do ALL electronics, our mission is refurbish first back into the community. Then recycle.
There are those of us who are doing it right.

Hello to witsinc

Who and where is your company? I'd really like to be able to recommend a decent recycling service. Personally I have three candidate computers for recycling.

I also like the idea of having Mike Dell and Steve Jobs personally pay for the cost of recycling their "wealth".

Sincerely,
AJ

In our computer refurbishing project http://helpingtulsa.org when we receive a dead computer we try to repair it with previously validated parts (see below for how we get those parts). If we can't fix it, then we declare it a donor machine and we strip it for parts, placing the hard drives in one stack, the video controller in another stack, etc etc. When we get enough of one type of parts we have one of our volunteers sit down at a breadboard computer we have (which has all of the parts to make a computer, but all mounted on a big board, and not in a computer case. Let us say we have a stack of video controllers. We turn the board so the video controller is easily accessable, we make sure the breadboard machine works as it is, and then we remove the current video controller, and insert one from the stack we are testing. If the machine works, then that video controller must be good, so we put it in a stack of validated video controllers.

We are in St. Louis MO. We break everything down appropriately that we cannot reuse and resell or scrap for other feedstock.

witsinc.org is the url about us.

Hi all.

I think another important question to consider in this discussion is "what happens to computers we think we are recycling?"

I sit on the Board of Directors for GrassRoots Recycling Network http://www.grrn.org where we are campaigning very hard towards a cleaner environment through supporting Zero Waste principles. GRRN has a lot to offer and say about computer recycling nation wide and we are working with other activists towards legislation that mandates computer/electronics recycling. Also we put pressure on companies like Dell to clean up their act! Many people are un aware of just how toxic a computer really is and how unprepared we are as a nation to deal with computers at the end of their life.

Discarded personalcomputers and consumer electronics – so-called “e-waste” – compose one of the fastest growing and highly toxic waste streams in the industrialized world. There will soon be an estimated 300 million to 600 million obsolete computers in the U.S., with fewer than 10% recycled. Containing lead, mercury, cadmium, and dioxin-like flame retardants, obsolete computers pose a serious threat to human health and the environment when improperly disposed or recycled. Taxpayers and local governments bear the cost and burden of managing these wastes.

The Computer TakeBack Campaign was formed in response to this growing crisis, promoting brand owner and producer responsibility for e-waste. Read the Campaign’s Goal and our Take It Back! Platform.

http://www.grrn.org/e-scrap/index.html

Best wishes,

Emily Miggins

March 18, 2004 is the next date when you can dispose of small number (5) of dead pieces of computer equipment in San Francisco at the Computer Recycling Center. Visit
http://www.crc.org/donate/index.html

BTW, the Techsoup list of recylcers in the above posts is now incorrect. It should be http://www.techsoup.org/recycle/list

We had a lot of old computers and equipment, some working, some not. I posted them on Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) and received an overwhelming response. Some people didn't even care if they worked or not -- one person creates artwork from computer parts, and another teaches a computer repair class and always needs parts. There were many other replies from people looking for basic systems and were happy with our "discards."

Amy

"My hope is that every state passes the CRT ban and that the US makes Michael Dell and Steve Jobs themselves pay for the cost of building the infrastructure to clean up their own horrific and trajic (sic) mess."

Even as a consumer, I have a problem with this statement. The liability is disposing of a product (any product) when it is no longer wanted falls on the owner of that product. Should Coca Cola have to come and pick up your old soda cans? Should Ford have to come and tow away that old car in your front yard? Should computer manufacturers be liable for disposal of old and unwanted computers? The answer is a resounding "No!" The responsibility in disposal of an item lies in the consumer's hands.

But let's pretend that legislation was passed requiring computer manufacturers to dispose of old computers... who's going to pay for that? Not the manufacturers... they may be giving the money to pay for the disposal, but ultimately that cost will be passed down to the consumer with a markup and the consumer ends up paying more for the disposal.

Just my view of how things work... :D

Well, in San Francisco, there is a computer recycling place called Direct Computer Disposal. I took all my computer junk that has been in storage for ages there. You can bring as much computer and television junk as you want.
The people were nice and courteous and it's Free if you bring it yourself. Otherwise it's a $10 bucks pick up fee from individuals and $15 for businesses.
http://www.directcomputerdisposal.com

There was a related story on NPR's "All Things Considered" a few weeks ago about RetroBox, an Ohio company that buys, recycles and/or refurbishes and then resells used computers. You can listen to the full piece at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4756344