In honor of Earth Day [ http://www.earthday.net/ ], which was April 22nd, CNet has posted an article that addresses an incredibly important question of our time: “Where do our computers go when they die?”
Well, the answer is usually “The landfill,” and given the amount of harmful chemicals, plastics, metals and composites that should be properly disposed of that are in the average PC, this is a tragedy waiting to happen; a massive breakdown of chemicals and runoff that could poison soil and groundwater and clog landfills with non-degradable components that will sit there for thousands of years to come. So what’s the solution? Recycle your computer!
The CNet article includes a great deal of information on how you can recycle your PC, including looking for a local hazardous materials disposal center in your area, checking with your PC manufcaturer to see if they have a PC takeback or disposal program (Apple just announced their new program here: [ Apple :: Recycling ] for example) and making sure that you’ve completely erased the data from your hard drives before turning over your old PC to someone who will hopefully break it down and dispose of it properly. Check out CNet’s article here, and their Quick Guide to disposing of your system the right way: