Computer Recycling For Environmental Issues

The IT production industry has a Large Carbonmade about disposal of this equipment. Continuing
footprint, which can be reduced through theto store it is often not a viable option, it
re-use and re-deployment of redundant ITeventually takes up a considerable amount of
equipment namely Computer Recycling.space. The least desirable option is to throw old
We're all aware of the impact our use of scarcecomputers into the bin. Computer recycling comes
resources is having on the environment.to the fore in every scenario possible, not just
Two years ago saw a sudden and prolongedthe effect it has upon the environment, there is
increase in the price of steel, copper and gold.also the possibility of someone removing hard
These were brought about mainly by the rapiddrives and recovering sensitive data.
and somewhat unexpected growth in the ChineseA number of factors have led to an upsurge of
economy. Why should this have any effect uponinterest in people wanting to recycle old computer
the recycling of computers you might ask?kit, including growing awareness around
Depletion of non re-newable resources leaves onlyenvironmental issues, as well as the recent
two options, find a new material (very expensive)introduction in the UK of the Waste Electronic and
or find a way to recycle and extract the old. WithElectrical Equipment (WEEE) directive. (1 - June -
the Price of gold hitting $400 per troy ounce, it2006)
suddenly became extremely viable for recyclers,At the time of first writing this article the BBC
such as our selves to market our services.News website had an excellent article about
There's been a very big boom in computeridentity theft and the disposal / recycling of old
recycling over the past year.computers and I quote from that article "Bank
Most of the environmental concerns withaccount details belonging to thousands of Britons
computers lie with the monitor, specifically itsare being sold in West Africa for less than
cathode ray tube (CRT). Each color monitor£20 each, the BBC's Real Story program
contains, on average, four to five pounds of lead,has found.
considered hazardous waste when disposed of.It discovered that fraudsters in Nigeria were able
Computers also contain other hazardous materials,to find internet banking data stored on recycled
including mercury, cadmium (a known carcinogen),PCs sent from the UK to Africa."
and hexavalent chromium (shown to cause highThis drives home the point that you should
blood pressure, iron-poor blood, liver disease, anddestroy the data on your hard disk - before
nerve and brain damage in animals). Over 314getting rid of the computer or hard disk in it.
million computers were thrown away at the endComputer recycling, isn't always about the
of 2007, containing 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2environment, but of company and national safety
million pounds of cadmium, 1.2 million pounds ofimportance too.
hexavalent chromium, and 400,000 pounds ofFrom an environmental point of view it is far
mercury.better to recycle your computer at an official
Part of the problem computer recycling has is,recycling center than to dispose of it. It may
after upgrading computer systems, mosteven be illegal in some countries to dispose of
organizations store their old computers, whichelectrical equipment by any other method other
serve as backup equipment in case newerthan by taking it to an approved computer
computers break down. These old computersrecycling center or sending it back to the original
often sit in storage well beyond their potentialmanufacturer.
useful life. At some point, a decision must be