Don’t waste your e-waste...

Written by MRC Team | 18 May 2011

It is common sense in times like these to always donate, as opposed to throw away, certain valuable and reusable items such as books or clothing. However, smaller items such as aluminum cans and plastic water bottles still get put out with the trash. When looking at this spectrum of recyclable goods, it should be obvious where computers and electronic devices fall on the list.

Unfortunately, it’s not. As the awareness is spreading, many people are still tossing out their old computers with the rest of their garbage. In fact, an entire 2% of all landfills consist of electronic waste. E-waste is becoming such an environmental hazard that now 20 different states have enforces e-waste recycling laws.

We all know that the landfills will not be shrinking any time soon, and that more often than not, the toxins which reside inside them end up in our water. The lead and toxins in computers and other electronics are enough to make a difference, so why can’t we?

Recycling e-waste will do more than avoid hefty fines by state legislations and protect the water supply. This choice also protects personal information which was stored in hard drives. No matter what city you live in, dumpster diggers are there to get their hands on your information. Shredded documents have nothing on the infinite amount of insight that can be found on a leftover computer hard drive. So please either wipe your drive clean, or destroy the hard drive in your computer.

Computers are similar to cars. They are big investments and a purchase requires a lot of money, time, and effort. It needs to be taken care of and cleaned to last longer, also similar to a vehicle. When a car dies, it is not placed at the end of the driveway with last night’s pizza boxes. It must be recycled for any precious material as well as salvageable parts it contains to be reused.

Computers and other electronics also contain amounts of precious metals that can help reduce mining costs. Parts can be recycled to fix other computers and then donated to charities and other philanthropic efforts. To allow your recyclables help someone in need, be sure to find a recycling center that donates to non-profit organizations. Either way, recycling your computer provides protection for the environment, your criminal record [in at least 20 states], and your personal information.

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written by Robert, May 18, 2011

Great article and useful information! I totally agree about destroying your hard drive in your computer. Over the years I’ve seen so many people just dump there computers in the trash, or give it away without thinking about their personal data. It only takes a few minutes to unscrew a few screws and remove the hard drive. From there I usually take a hammer and beat the crap out of it, and then I recycle the piece of metal.

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Destroy an old hard drive
written by Chris, May 31, 2011

Here is a good article on cnet news called "The right way to destroy an old hard drive" http://news.cnet.com/8301-13880_3-10204724-68.html

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