Computer Recycling - Where Should Old Computers Go?

So you've just come back from your favourite little electronics store and nestled in your outstretched arms is a pile of new toys, most of which is intended to replace the aging hardware sitting by your desk. Maybe you've gone wireless and picked up a new 802.11n wireless router, or a new Serial ATA hard drive to replace the IDE drive that crashed last week... better yet, maybe you've splurged and just brought home an entirely new and customized computer system!

Now comes the dilemma. What are you going to do with the old computer or bits of now retired hardware? That old 802.11b wireless router will probably find a home in the garage as a "just in case" backup should the high-speed 802.11n unit ever fail, but what about the busted hard drive and the near-doorstop circa-1995 Pentium I computer?

It's a question we all face at one time or another, and in some cases we can find friends or family interested in working relics. Yet for most of us who'd rather not hang onto 30lb piles of obsolete computer junk, or assorted parts like a busted hard drive, it's tempting to just chuck it to the curb-side trash. Bad call.

The Disconnect: A Problem of E-Waste

The components of a computer contain a long list of chemicals, metals, plastics and reclaimable materials in their make up. The hard drive for example contains all sorts of materials; some are mundane like aluminum and steel, and valuable like the trace amounts of gold on electrical connectors. Yet it's the other trace amounts of materials generally found in electronic components like lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury that are a real concern. So how does this apply to that obsolete computer sitting at the curb? Once you put this stuff out to the curb, it will get taken away and more than likely get smashed into tiny bits, then trucked off to a big hole in the ground where it will stay forever... hopefully without leaching any of these potentially toxic substances into the water table.

Ground water is the primary concern with all waste destined for landfills, and given the long list of metals and exotic chemicals used in electronic devices, this issue is becoming more timely. Right now a massive volume of yesterday's technology is making its way to the trash, and landfills.

Canadian professor and world-renowned environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki often refers to the lack of a "connect" when discussing the average person and our environment. The "connect" he refers to is the idea that we don't see our actions in the world and the result of those actions as related occurrences. More often than not, most of us are content to know that a problem has gone away, rather than know what happens after it's out of our sight. This is how phosphates and dichlorides can invariably end up in our rivers and lakes; we flush the stuff and forget about it. A parallel situation is brewing with e-waste, and in an effort to stem the future effects of these components, many governments are beginning to strongly regulate the materials that go into electronics, and how take the issue of how they are disposed of at the end of their useful life more seriously.

Product Sustainability

Lets be honest with ourselves for a moment. In the long run, most of us don't think about the environment outside of what directly affects us... hot days, smog, litter in front of our house - that sort thing. At the end of the day, the economic burden we face on a business or personal scale is the price tag that weighs heaviest, and this is a key facet of sustainability. If we take a moment to rethink the economics of something as trivial as tossing out an old junked computer, the idea of "garbage" can be viewed in a whole new light. Consider the amount of time, money and energy spent in acquiring and transporting the materials, not to mention actually making the thing in question.

When that old DVD player or Pentium II computer finally gets unplugged for the last time, the idea of simply sentencing everything it's composed of to an eternity as "just garbage" is rather odd. In the shadow of a looming demand for energy and raw materials, sustainability basically means that the products we produce should minimize their impact both at the beginning, and end of their life cycles. Economically speaking, if we knew the price of copper were to rise significantly, would it then make sense that we're tossing out tones of the stuff in old electronics while still going through the trouble of mining tones more from the ground?

Reclaiming materials from obsolete electronics can be tricky, and to be realistic the face value of a good majority of an old PCs bits and pieces is low... However, include the cost of energy to refine those raw materials, and the equation certainly changes. Include the costs associated with disposal, and the equation changes a little more.

This is where we "reconnect", and laws such as RoHS and WEEE affect change by preventing the first half of the equation from going down the environmentally hazardous path...

Reconnecting: Fewer Hazardous Electronics - RoHS and WEEE

Given the growing awareness of our environment, a number of governments around the world have begun to adopt regulations restricting all aspects of a product's "life cycle". Europe appears to be leading the way with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) which severely restricts what is allowed into landfills, and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), designed to keep hazardous waste from ever entering the market in the first place. As a result of these new laws, many companies have sought out alternatives to lead based solder, and arsenic in their electronic components, as well as initiate take-back programs to keep their products out of the waste cycle when they are finally ready to be disposed of.

Obviously, such dramatic shifts in what can and cannot be used causes challenges. We are, after all questioning the validity of decades of engineering development. Materials like lead and arsenic were not chosen for their fresh minty flavour, no we use this stuff because it fulfills a technical role well. Companies are re-inventing tried-and-true techniques to conform to new standards, and the results are predictably unstable at first. As a result of the unavoidable learning curve, some industries remain exempt from the new environmental regulations. Most notable of these are the medical, aviation and military sectors, but exemptions are available to other industries as well. Exemptions are not however, meant to be permanent. As the technology develops and using more environmentally friendly materials becomes more commonplace, stability will improve and the exceptions will become fewer in number. The end goal is an abolishment of harmful waste entering the ecosystem.

Despite some shortcomings, legislation like RoHS and WEEE are an excellent step in the right direction toward a true product sustainability. The next step in terms of what the government can do is making companies responsible for their products from cradle to grave, thereby moving toward a "zero-waste" system. Or at least, a product cycle not dependent on a primary industry (mining for example). Some companies like Mercedes-Benz are ahead of the curve and have begun designing their products to be easily dismantled, with each piece bar coded to reflect the materials used in it's composition. In the long run, as legislation is refined, and acquisition of raw materials more expensive, business should begin to see post-consumer material as a valuable resource rather than a hassle to be externalized.

The Goal of Removing Hazardous Substances from Electronics - RoHS / WEEE

You may have started to notice a little garbage can with an X running through it on appearing on motherboards, videocards and other recent electronic products. It's a symbol used to represent Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, but it's also generally associated with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliance as well. The latter is a European Union initiative which targets hazardous materials in consumer electrical and electronics equipment. RoHS aims to remove heavy metals used in electronic components like Lead, Mercury, Cadium, Hexavalent Chormium, PBB and PDBE. In order to comply with EU's RoHS legislation, all substances must either be removed or reduced to within maximum permitted levels. This applies to all electrical components that will be sold within the European Union, so as a by product most electronics headed for North America are now also made compliant. RoHS was originally discussed in the European Union in July of 2003 and was introduced as law on July 1st 2006. Manufacturers caught putting non-compliant products onto the EU market will face stiff fines and have their products barred. While manufacturers are primarily affected by RoHS, the law is also seeking to change how we as consumers handle our old electronics at the end of its life cycle. End users are advised to handle electronic waste as "hazardous waste", and dispose of old electronics through proper waste channels - not simply toss these items into the trash. It is no longer okay to just throw old computer gear into the dust bin, which subsequently get dumped in our land fills.

Reconnecting with Local E-Waste Options

So now that you're stepping away from the garbage can, what can you do with that old computer?

The best option for disposal of anything is always reuse rather than recycling. Recycling requires much more energy, and the end product may be of a lower quality. So with that in mind, your best option for that old desktop machine is going to be a company that will refurbish it for resale or donation like Computers For Schools. Some companies might even pay for what you thought initially of as garbage!

If there doesn't appear to be any resellers in your area, there are numerous non-profit groups that will take your electronic donations and refurbish the stuff for charities. Reboot is pretty popular, and Charity Village has a long list of alternatives as well. There's also The National Christina Foundation in Connecticut and Share the Technology in New Jersey. Try Googling for "computer refurbish [city name]" for options available to you locally.

Some companies like IBM, HP and Apple have implemented "take-back" programs. These companies will arrange to dismantle and recycle your computer once you're finished with it. Programs like this are the direct result of new, stricter legislation in Europe and elsewhere in the world regarding the harmful chemicals found in virtually all electronic products to one degree or another.

The broken-beyond-repair things are a tougher sell with refurbishing companies, so it's always best to contact them in advance to see what they can use. In cases where your old junked computer really is just junk, what are your options?

Most urban centres and even many suburbs have a number of alternatives available to people looking to properly dispose of household hazardous e-waste - and if you check your by-laws most areas forbid disposal of it in the garbage. Some cities have a mobile "Toxic Taxi" that will come to your house and pick up the stuff for you, whereas most others run a central depot where you can safely deposit old electronic hardware and computers for recycling. For example in Toronto, Canada, the municipality runs special Environment Days throughout the summer where residents are welcome to drop off working and non-working electronics for reuse or recycling. Goodwill has partnered with the city for the collection of working electronics, while ADL Process handles the dismantling and recycling of the permanently broken hardware. Phones for Food is even there, collecting discarded cellular telephones and ink cartridges so it can use the money garnered from the recycling process to buy food for the local foodbank.

Whatever the program or incentive, the goal is to keep electronic waste from ending up in local landfills and redirect it to facilities where its resusable components are reclaimed, its hazardous materials disposed of properly, and it becomes a resource in some small way.

More Information

The important thing is to connect all the aspects of what's going on in the world. Understand what happens to something when it leaves your care and how that something might actually be affecting the world you live in. If you find the above topics interesting, or simply want more information regarding what you can do with your old electronics or computer hardware, here are some links to help you out:

• Computer Hope a list of companies and organizations that refurbish, take-back and recycle old computers
• What To Do With Your Old Computer (CBC)
• Toronto's Reuse-it Program
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) (Wikipedia)
• Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) (Wikipedia)
• The Ecology of Commerce: Business and it's role in a sustainable world
• The European Greens