Recycle your PC

Posted on 4 Jul 2006 at 13:00

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When it comes to old IT equipment, you don't have to just throw it out. Your old computer may still have a full life ahead of it.

After spending hours poring over the reviews and advertisements in Computer Buyer, comparing prices and looking for the best deals, you're eventually the proud owner of a brand new PC.

But what do you do with your old one? It's old and slightly worn, and not very fast when compared with today's PCs, but wishful thinking tells you it must be worth something and that somebody will buy it. Well maybe they will, but if the potential buyer isn't within travelling distance the carriage charges will be more than you'll get for the PC, especially if it includes a bulky CRT monitor.

Disposing of old computers is no easy matter, which is why two million Pentium PCs are dumped into landfill sites every year. There are, however, better things to do with an old computer than simply taking it to the local tip. Getting rid of an item by dumping it is seen by environmentally aware organisations as an admission of failure. Their mantra is the three R's: reduce consumption; reuse or recycle. Unfortunately, reducing consumption isn't an option when you've already got a spare computer on your hands, leaving just a couple of alternatives open to you.

Reuse your old PC

Presumably you've replaced your PC because it isn't fast enough or doesn't store enough for your needs, or maybe you need a bigger monitor and a faster graphics card for games. This doesn't mean somebody else in the family can't use it, though. If you've got kids, giving them their own computer could stop them wanting to use yours all the time. While an older PC may not be up to running the latest games and software, any computer can be used for word processing, homework assignments, browsing the internet or viewing reference works and encyclopaedias.

If your old PC is in good working order, but is too slow to run Windows XP, why not install Linux? Linux is a free operating system and there's plenty of free software to go with it. Best of all, it's not very demanding in terms of hardware and you'll be amazed how old computers seem to fly when running it. Of course, installing and using Linux involves learning new skills, but if you're game for a challenge it's worth seriously considering.

Another way of reusing an older PC is to connect it to the new one in a simple peer-to-peer network. Networking hardware is cheap and easy to set up, and if you choose the wireless option, the two computers don't even have to be in the same room. The hard disk in the old PC can be used as additional storage for the new one or for storing backups, and both PCs can use the internet through the same broadband connection. If you've ever found yourself in a queue to use the family computer, having two PCs and two routes onto the internet might be just what you need.

As an alternative to a peer-to-peer network, where all the participating computers have to run Windows and obey the commands of their users, you could set up a server-based network where the old PC performs all the donkey work. This leaves the other PC free for more productive or entertaining purposes. A server-based network makes particular sense if you have three or more PCs linked together.

Pass on your PC

If you can't reuse a PC yourself, why not pass it on to somebody who can? By all means have a bash at selling it if you think that somebody will be interested. If not, donate it to a local group, club or organisation that can use it for membership lists, accounts, newsletters and other undemanding tasks.