Green PCs

Posted on 28 Jan 2005 at 16:56

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According to many environmental groups, the best way to get rid of your old PC is to sell it or give it away. You may be wondering why it cannot be pulled apart, melted down and made into something else. It is generally acknowledged that recycling hazardous products that have not been designed to be recycled has little real environmental benefit. The poisons inside the computer are merely moved into a secondary product, which will eventually need to be disposed of or recycled. The removal and harvest of toxins from old PCs also requires energy, and there is always a risk that poisons will be released into the environment during the reclamation process.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

Instead it is far better to keep the PC together and pass it on as quickly as possible. Don't leave it while you wait for a good price. Be realistic about what your old computer is worth and sell it as soon as possible. For a good guide to prices, check auction sites or the classified ads in your local paper. Speed is of the essence as nothing dates faster than old technology. If your computer hangs around in your garage for a few years it will certainly be worth nothing.

Alternatively, you can give the machine away. If you do not know anybody who needs one, try contacting Computer Aid International (www.computer-aid.org). This is a charity that takes computers we would class as old and moribund, refurbishes them and ships them to schools and charity groups overseas.

The charity asks that your donated PC meets a few basic technical specifications. Roughly it should have a 233-400MHz Pentium II or better processor with a minimum of 64MB of RAM and a 2-6GB hard disk. So far, the charity has shipped more than 30,000 refurbished PCs and reckons one of its recycled machines can provide around 6,000 hours of use to someone somewhere. It states proudly that: "Recipients [have] amassed over 111,000,000 hours of computer access, education and vocational training that would otherwise have been impossible."

In total, 2,200 schools and 1,500 community groups in the developing world have benefited from Computer Aid International PCs - all from kit that we consider past it and worthy of ditching.

If your PC really is a relic, though, how do you get rid of it? Leaving it for the dustmen is an obvious option but it is also morally reprehensible. The most responsible approach is to ask your local authority for the details of your nearest civic amenity site (local tip). We contacted our local District Council of Wokingham and found the site's opening times through the authority's waste service. Your council will have a similar department and the number will be on its website or in the phone book.

Author: Martin Cooper