Recycling my computer, monitor & miscellaneous electronics

by Huntley in Instructional / 12.29.08

We have a few monitors sitting around the office that were supplanted by smaller flat screens some time back. Hence, in our efforts to save space by replacing hefty monitors with smaller ones, we ended up just taking up more space. Today, though, we decided it was time to part with the older monitors (one that would cost more than it is worth to fix and one that’s fine, but just not needed). So, what to do? After some digging around (which fell to me as the token Dell alum on the team), I felt like I should share what we found.

First, for functioning equipment:

1. Sell it on eBay or Craigslist if you want to try to get some cash out of it. If it’s something heavy, I’d err towards Craigslist, since shipping a chunky monitor isn’t exactly low-cost.

2. Donate it - during the holidays, especially, charities often have holiday wishlists that they publicize when people are eeking out the last of their tax-deductions for the year (and replacing the old equipment with shiny new electronics). There are few organizations that don’t need some IT infrastructure to run their operations, so it’s a good bet they would appreciate your outdated laptop or monitor if you’re ready to upgrade. Some charities, like Make-a-Wish, are also interested in computers, MP3s players and gaming consoles that they can hand out to hospitalized children looking for some distraction.

For non-functioning equipment:
3. Many computer companies (like Dell) will take your old system if you’re keen to recycle it when you get your new one. I know Dell and others also periodically have recycling drives at which they collect hardware that is no longer working or usable (and shouldn’t really end up in our landfills).
4. Depending on where you live, there may be location or region-specific programs and partnerships that you can turn to. Los Angeles county, for instance, handles recycling of these sorts of items through programs administered by its department of public works. Dell has partnered with Goodwill in many areas to offer RECONNECT, a program that combines both reuse and recycling of hardware that is no longer needed. Check here to see if this program is available at any Goodwill locations in your area.

Before you drop off your computer… give some serious time to thinking about wiping the hard drive. I’m sure many programs have safeguards against someone pulling information off of the hard drive in the computer you just dropped off, but, upon threat of identity theft, I’d suggest looking into programs to wipe your hard drive before dropping anything off that could have any information about you or any of your accounts. Plus, even with safeguards in place, none of these programs will guarantee the safety of your data… And, NO, wiping your hard drive does NOT mean simply dumping everything into the trash (’deleting it’). This doesn’t make the data go away.