Most businesses cycle their computers every 3-5 years; however, that is not always possible for all of the computers in the office. Purchases are often staggered for budgeting purposes. In many cases, that means that odd computers and technology often gather and before you know it, half a closet is filled with old equipment.
The question of what should be done with your old computer can be troublesome. Computers and old CRT monitors can contain hazardous materials and you cannot dispose of them in your regular trash. Still, you do have a few options. You can either recycle or donate the hardware for reuse.
Donating Old Technology
There are many non-profit organizations that will take old computers and either re-purpose them or recycle the physical pieces, and the proceeds often benefit charities. One such organization is RecycleComputers4Cancer. Their proceeds go to funding cancer research and providing technology for cancer patients. The donations are tax deductible and they may even pick up the equipment (this depends on the condition of the equipment).
They also take many other items that you may have around the office collecting dust, such as server and network racks, PDAs, phones, mobile devices, printers, and many more. Looking into your options to donate before disposal can be more beneficial thank you think.
Recycling To Salvage Value
There are also other ways to recoup some value out of older hardware. There are many online resources for sites which will buy the old equipment and often refurbish it and then sell them online. These sites are much stricter about the age and condition of the computer however, as they are looking for some return on their investment.
If these are not options for your business, most local communities often have an electronics store that sells computers or you can contact your local municipality. Most of these organizations will take the equipment for a nominal fee.
Before donating the computer you should leave the system intact and have a technician clean all of the personal information from the hard drive. Drive wiping software can easily do this but can take a few hours to finish. This way you can have the peace of mind knowing that any private data is securely wiped from the drive.
If you need help finding a recycling center to recycle your hardware or a qualified computer company that refurbishes the hardware as a tax deductible donation please ask an M&H technician by calling us at 866-9MH-TECH or email us at support@mhconsults.com
Categorised in: recycle electronics, tips