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[bjork]

I figure with as many PC nuts as there are here, this is the place to ask...

When you upgrade or buy a new PC, what do you do with the old one? I've got two relics here that are just taking up space, but I don't know if I should just toss them in the trash or what.

 

[demi]

ebayyyyyy

or uh, just try and pawn them off to someone else and make it their problem

 

[border]

I have asked this before (particularly about monitors), but never got a straight answer from GAF.

If you are "earth conscious" you shouldn't just dump them in the weekly trash, because there's all manner of nasty chemicals that will leak out into the ground of a regular landfill (like mercury and cadmium I think). What exactly you should do is beyond me. The only advice I have is to hit up Computer Renaissance and take whatever price they give you for your used components. Even if it's only $5 in useless store credit, I guess that's better than trashing up the planet.

You might be able to donate it to a local library or school, and get a small tax break.....just wipe the hard drive before you do it (or take out the HD and destroy it).

 

[karasu]

Knife the hard drive and sell the peripherals.

 

[bjork]

I thought about putting them on the side of the house and letting some sort of creeping ivy or something cover them, but they'd rust eventually... and with my luck, I'd fall on them while mowing the lawn and get sick or something.

 

[Doth Togo]

Use them as target practice.

 

[AntoneM]

you should be able to recycle them

 

[tedtropy]

Some church donation places will take any piece of junk. Try to part them off if nothing else. Honestly, I throw alot of the crap in the dumpster. Old mother nature hasn't been putting out like she used to, so it's not like I owe her any favors...

 

[Afro Thunder]

Donate it. Someone out there might need a computer and don't have money to buy one. You can rest your conscience and make someone else happy.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Wipe the hard drive with a secure wipe util before tossing it out.

 

[Tarazet]

Donate it. Someone out there might need a computer and don't have money to buy one. You can rest your conscience and make someone else happy.

Yeah, take it to Goodwill, and don't be surprised to see it wind up in the local elementary school.

 

[bjork]

I wonder... a 486 wouldn't even be much good in elementary school, nor a 233, but I can look into it.

 

[Afro Thunder]

I wonder... a 486 wouldn't even be much good in elementary school, nor a 233, but I can look into it.

For someone learning porposes, it can be enough.

 

[Willco]

I climb up tall buildings and throw them at homeless people.

 

[Cooper]

Like border said, computer parts are generally not good to throw directly into the trash. Most city or county governments have a "hazardous" household waste site, where you can take things like old monitors, and perhaps computer parts. Here's the disposal information site for Los Angeles county, for example. Where do you live?

 

[Dilbert]

Just got rid of one this weekend, in fact. As Cooper said, there is probably a community hazardous waste recycling program in your area which takes items like old TVs and computers. There may be a fee, though.

 

[tedtropy]

Just got rid of one this weekend, in fact. As Cooper said, there is probably a community hazardous waste recycling program in your area which takes items like old TVs and computers. There may be a fee, though.

Which I never understood. If they want to encourage recycling, maybe they should stop charging people for it. Honestly, if it came between just chunking my computer junk in the nearby dumpster or making a trip somewhere only to pay them to dispose of it, baby you better believe it's making the shorter of the two stops.

 

[bjork]

Maybe I can bury them, and they'll come back on the full moon to torture me with their slow-loading goodness.

I may go the goodwill route, though... just need to remove the HDs.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Check on the web dude. If it's equipment that's so old there's really no resale value, like what I had; then you'll be able to find a local organization like Ret3 to donate the stuff to.

I just recently unloaded a car full of old PC equipment in various states of repair that wasn't worth nickel an diming on eBay, or repairing for use.

Do a Google for PC recycling.

 

[darscot]

MAME Cabinet

 

[Spectral Glider]

Yeah, you have to check for your county recycling center. The one here has a day set aside every so often for any and all kinds of electronics. But, like was already mentioned, for junk PC monitors, they charged $10 a monitor. So if they are still in working condition, you're better off just looking for a church or library or some place like that and donating them.

 

[impirius]

http://www.ssiworld.com/watch/computers.htm