0

My company is looking to get rid of a number of old desktop PCs. Im just looking at possible options in which to do so.

  1. Trash - Not the best idea, bad for the environment
  2. Recycle - Companies like Best Buy supposedly will take old PCs for recycling at no charge. I have heard stories that recycled computers do not actually get recycled though...
  3. Donate - Goodwill will take them and supposedly we can get a tax write off
  4. Sell - Not likely an option, it requires more work than the computers are worth

Am I missing some (not so) obvious options? What else can be responsibly done with old hardware?

poortechworker
  • 297
  • 1
  • 11
Keltari
  • 75,447

4 Answers4

1

you could remove all the motherboards and use them to cover your walls in your room. If you are in this sort of geek decorations stuff :D But I recommend option 2. It's the least work, I've used these services two times at my job.

Linux_cat
  • 13
0

If you happen to be in Portland, OR, there's an awesome place called FreeGeek that would appreciate donations. They give back to the community by teaching classes, donating computers to student volunteers, and some other cool stuff. You could look for similar computer charities or non-profits in your city if there are any.

Link to FreeGeek site

Erikster
  • 233
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
0

There are computer recycling companies that will take everything , but it seems for them to take everything they need a couple good things in with it. If you only have junk (old old computers) they will never return and pick them up.

Donate, stuff never gets bought... and ends up in the trash. Here Habitat for Humanity have desktops for sale for $250-400 w/crt but they are pentium4. Who in their right mind will do that?

Sell? I wouldnt sell it without removing the hd, or really scrub the hd. Faster and easier to destroy the hd.

Trash? That is where it will end up sooner or later (EVERYTHING will eventually... just being a realist). It is just a matter of time whether in your local dump or China's "e-waste capital of the world". Guiyu, China Though I am lucky my local landfill does take all electronics. Not always, just recent after quite a bit of random dumpings of random electronics in random places in our area. COunty found it easier to manage the junk in one place instead of scattered everywhere....

Answer? Trash them. Otherwise choose one of the others and pass the buck, and have them go through the guilt trip you are having right now.

Logman
  • 3,660
0

A variant of your option 2/3: The solution I use is to remove the hard drives (you don't want private information getting out there), then going to a nearby industrial area and sticking the PC's on the side of the road with a sign saying "Free - Please take" on them. They are usually picked up very quickly.

davidgo
  • 73,366