Recycling | Green Technology

Where Your Recycled Electronics Go

Computers ready for recycling at an event at O...

Ten years ago, when you recycled you only worried about where your paper, plastic and glass went. In recent years, recycling electronics has become just as popular as the traditional form of recycling.

Many computer and electronic users don’t think twice about recycling their old computer or MP3 players, but if they did would they know exactly what their electronics were being used for? The answer is probably not.

Here’s a look at some of the ways electronic recycling centers use recycled electronics.

Repair Parts

Some recycled electronics are used for their parts. Repair centers all over the world need bit parts from old electronics and these recycled items are the perfect place to get them. It is not uncommon for recycling centers to take out parts of a computer monitor or TV screen and ship those parts to electronic repair centers all over the world.

Olympic Medals

The 2010 Olympic Games set a standard for how the medals were created. While a portion of the medals did contain the standard gold, silver and bronze, all medals were made from a portion of recycled electronics that were compacted to form the medal substance.

Housing Decoration or Art Exhibits

Recycled electronics are a very popular choice for some interior designers or artists. Old computers, TVs and even VCRs have been used to create a stunning artistic display or vintage living room effect.

Repair parts, Olympic medals and decorations are just three examples of the dozens of possibilities of where your old electronics will end up after they have been recycled.

Filed Under: Computers, Recycling Tagged With: Electronic waste, Electronics, Recycling

Recycling Your Old Computer

Image via Wikipedia

There can be many meanings to the environmentally-friendly act of recycling a computer. You can get rid of the computer in a proper way, or you can let someone else make good use of it. There are many toxic chemicals that go into making a computer or computer monitor. That is why it pays to know the many ways you can recycle your old computer.

1) Donate It

An old computer may be useless to you, but it could be important to someone less fortunate. Contact your local charitable organizations and ask about their computer donation programs. You may be eligible to write off your donation on your taxes while helping someone in need access the educational power of owning a computer.

2) Manufacturers

Many computer manufacturers have recycling programs available to general public. The companies use the old parts for repairs, and then make sure that the hazardous materials are disposed of properly. Contact the manufacturer of your new computer to see if they offer a program to help you legally dispose of your old one.

3) Recycling Centers

The recycling centers and scrap yards in your area offer computer recycling programs as well. The cost to recycle a computer is low, and in some cases it may even be free. All you need to do to remain green is get your old computers to the people that know how to dispose of them.

Recycling old computers is a great way to save the environment by doing the right thing. You may even be able to get a computer to someone who cannot afford one just by being environmentally conscious.

Filed Under: Computers, Recycling Tagged With: Computer recycling, Electronics, Recycling

Recycling the computer.

Image via Wikipedia

Ours is a consumer society. A disposable society some used to say. Buy a radio, have something go wrong with it and it was cheaper to buy a new one! At least that’s the way it used to be. But things are changing.

Recycling is becoming more and more acceptable, and not just plastics and metals that would otherwise end up in landfills but some things that we never imagined would be.

Did you know that about eighty percent of the components of the computer you are using to read this can be recycled! Actually that’s pretty good as the components are made up of some very toxic materials. Cars have been made to be recycled for at least the last twenty years. Some manufacturers use the fact that their cars are totally recyclable to sell them!

Computer are not immune to this advance as companies have looked for more and better ways of improving their products, the development of the internet and the possibility of upgrading your computer without leaving your house has become a major tool and advantage in that area.

As we have used up more and more of the Earth’s valuable resources people have found ways to use less and less of the harmful chemicals that used to be in every product!

The search for finding ways to use less and less of the Earth’s resources has led to some interesting things.

Today we are looking more than ever, why? Because the stakes are too high not to look! with nearly seven billion people using the finite resources we need to find better ways to use them.

Filed Under: Computers, Going Green, Recycling Tagged With: Consumerism, Earth, Recycling