Old computers - best disposal methods?

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Old computers - best disposal methods?

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Started 9 months ago by snosie
Latest reply from genny
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snosie
Member

I remember reading about some ebay side project (i think) that bought back computers. The idea is that they use the parts and make more money from them, so the computer doesn't need to be usable. I have no idea what it was called, or how I could find it again!

Otherwise, my only options seem to me
- Council ewaste pickup
- Paid ewaste pickup

I know why people don't bother decluttering laptops/PCs etc - it's a whole heap harder than I realised. First you have to transfer anything you need, then you have to run something to really wipe the drives, so no one can sneakily steal your identity, and then you have to find somewhere to dispose of it that won't leach horrible chemicals into the earth!

Any advice is welcome - what have you done with your old computers? I know some of your have surely crossed this bridge.

Posted 9 months ago #
luxcat
Member

We pretty much wear out our computers here. Sometimes we rehab one and give it to a relative who doesn't use their computer much. I literally smack the hard drive inside the computer with a hammer so it cannot be read and take it to the free ewaste drive they hold each Saturday. They also accept old modems, batteries, printers, anything you can think of.

Posted 9 months ago #
nws2002
Member

In the US I know Staples will take back old PCs and recycle them. I think there is a small fee for non-Dell computers though. They also take pretty much any tech waste, like VCRs, DVD players, UPS battery backups, and all sorts of things that we had sitting around the office because we didn't want to put them in the garbage.

When I wanted to get rid of mine I posted on Craigslist and received a response from a local agency that uses them to teach tech school students how computers work. The students rebuild them and then they are used in local schools. I wish I could remember the name of the agency because I deleted the email long ago

Posted 9 months ago #
Jeri Dansky
Member

Snosie, I'm in the San Francisco area, and I've used a program called GreenCitizen, which destroys the hard drive (for a fee) and does ecological recycling - but that isn't going to help you in Australia! I've also used Gazelle to sell an old iPod, and Gazelle also take computers - but again, that's a U.S.-specific solution.

If you don't want to worry about erasing the hard drive, you can find a trustworthy shredding company which will shred the hard drive for you. Aside from that, the best information I could find for you was here:
http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/

Posted 9 months ago #
Another Deb
Member

The link below is for electronics recycling in the Sydney area. I don't think you would get money for the products, however.
http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/computers/HornsbyNSW#computers

Posted 9 months ago #
jlw
Member

I've just been working on this recently since we had two clunky old desktop towers sitting in our closet taking up space. I'm in the US so I'm afraid my advice will probably only apply here (sorry non-USians). Maybe someone can use it though :)

This does take a fairly high level of comfort with messing around with computers, but you can use Darik's Boot and Nuke ( http://www.dban.org/ ) to completely wipe your info off of hard drives. You burn it to a CD and then boot the computer from the CD and it wipes everything, well beyond just hitting delete, so that no one can recover your info in sneaky ways.

Best Buy accepts computers and other gadgets - the one near me has bins just inside the door for small things like cables, game controllers, DVDs and stuff like that. I dropped the larger stuff (desktop, keyboards, video card, various components) at the customer service desk. They charge $20 to wipe the hard drive for you but since I had already removed mine it was free. I asked if they would take already-wiped hard drives and they said yes, that would be free as well and then they would drill holes through them for extra security.

I've also used Gazelle to get small amounts of money for old electronics. Just sent a broken Xbox in this morning actually. I've been really pleased with their whole process.

The old technology definitely is a pain, though. I'm hoping to prevent ours from ever getting to this stage of old stashed stuff again.

Posted 9 months ago #
lottielot
Member

I have an ancient laptop and the whole hard drive thing is exactly why I haven't got rid of it yet. Anyone have any UK suggestions?

Posted 9 months ago #
Parsifal
Member

Open it up, take out the HD and recycle it. Most of them pop right off the cable if you can get the correct cover off. I'd highly recommend recycling an old computer as the PCBs in the boards and heavy metals in many other components are major sources of pollution.

Of course, giving them to a school or charity is even better. I've done this myself.

Addendum - I really haven't had to worry about this is 4 or 5 years because I try to plan ahead for computer upgrades and sell the old equipment before it is useless. I get a little rebate on the upgrade and don't have to worry about a closet full of decrepit machines!

Posted 9 months ago #
Astreja
Member

I've actually had to destroy computers and/or data disks for $money$ when I was an IT technician. There are two approaches you can take:

Computer still good, and new enough that someone might want it: I would run a hard disk blanking program. I used to use one called Autoclave, which was written by Josh Larios at the University of Washington. When he stopped updating supporting Autoclave, he recommended Darik's Boot And Nuke (see link in jlw's post above).

Hard drives not functional, or you just want to wreak havoc for the fun of it: Take out the drives, break them open (using a power drill if necessary), take out the platters and damage them beyond repair. Put them in the vise and hammer them until they're bent at weird angles; attack them with saws, files, angle grinders or whatever you've got handy (Make sure you wear safety goggles, gloves and other protective gear, though).

Posted 9 months ago #
genny
Member

We sent off our old 90's era desktop yesterday. Best Buy said that they would take it for free without the HD. So, went online to see about removing the HD, took it out, and DH carted it off to Best Buy.
He had to pay a small fee for the monitor.
We still have the HD. He could not part with or deal with it. At least it is small and he can put it somewhere until we get rid of it. It is better than having this thing and all of it's components sitting on the floor of the bedroom.
It has a nice stereo on it, and I had placed in a cabinet downstairs and used it once in a while for music. But, it was too awkward to have to fire it up to play a CD.
Glad it is gone!
Now, what to do with the vinyl from another long ago era!

Posted 9 months ago #

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