What to do with old computers?
Everyone has that old computer from 10 years ago that they are scared to throw away. It could have personal data on it, old family photos, or maybe even banking information saved. Obviously no one wants to allow someone get ahold of that important personal information. There is a right way and a wrong way. I have see people do both.
This is how NOT to recycle your computer.
- Put it by the curb and hope its gone. It will be, but who took it?
- Throw it in the fire pit. Does burning metal sound like a good idea?
- Bury it in the ground. Trees do not grow from computers!
There is a GOOD way to recycle a computer!
Did you know that Layer 2 Computers will give you a $10 credit on your account if you recycle your laptop or desktop through us?
Once we receive your computer we physically destroy the hard drive (see video below) and separate all the other parts. After we collect a bunch of old computers and have them parted out we take them to a recycling center so they can recycle the parts further by reusing the metals contained in a computer.
There are people that drive around and want to find your computer on the side of the road. The best way to make sure this does not happen is physically destroy the drive.
There are fragile "platters" inside of it where your data is stored. Those are what you are aiming to break. If you want to do this at home take a hammer to it to make sure you destroy the platters inside. You should hear a nice crunch and a jingle inside the drive once it is broken.
After the hard drive has been rightfully demolished the next thing you want to do is take the rest of the computer to a recycling center. Below is a great list of places that take computers and recycle them correctly.
- Good Will - Bring them the old computer (no hard drives allowed) and they will give you a tax sheet if you itemize. They are partnered with Dell.
- Best Buy - You can bring them up to 3 big items a day.
- Your computer manufacture - Sometimes the people who make your computer will either take the old one for free or send a kit for a few dollars to recycle it. When you purchase a new computer look around the checkout page on their website.
All of those places should take laptops, desktops, LCD monitors (the thin ones), CRT monitors (the big heavy ones), and all other computer accessories. Generally they will also take all the cables and other old technology devices like routers, modems, and chargers. If everyone can recycle a computer correctly think about how much waste that can save, all the metal that can be reclaimed, and room saved in landfills.
If you are looking for a great general guide for recycling or reusing "trash", check out this guide here.
If you feel like you do not want to deal with recycling a computer contact us and we will be more then happy to get the ball rolling and recycle your old computer.
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