Recycling FAQ | SustainableDelco

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We are in the process of moving to a new building, and in the process we are removing a bunch of old computer equipment. What still works we are taking with us, but I am looking for a (preferrably free) service that will pick up the old equipment, destroy any old data and dispose of it in an environmentally responsible way. Anyone had a good experience with any local service that does this?

Hi,

I'm the director of a charitable organization called "Nonprofit Technology Resources."

We are a computer "reuse" organization. That means that we accept used computers and refurbish them for sale in our computer thrift store. We also give away over 350 computers FREE each year to students of school teachers we work with and to students of nonprofit computer-related training programs. We are working to double that number this this year. All desktop computers we distribute come with a three-year guarantee. And the free computers we give away come with a free unlimited dial-up Internet account.

In general we accept donations of old computers and accessories (working or not) if they are dropped off in small numbers. "Small numbers" means that the donation fits into a car. Our drop off hours are 9 AM till 3 PM Monday through Thursdays. Larger drop offs should be done by appointment.

If an organization has larger numbers of computers and there are at least 10 or more _identical_ Pentium 4 computers in the mix of material, we will schedule a pickup and take most everything that is being offered. Things we generally don't want include printers or other items which weigh more than 50 pounds.

We don't pick up CRT monitors by themselves or CRT monitors vastly out of proportion to the number of computers being donated. We don't accept TV's or furniture.

We promise to destroy all donor data in our normal refurbishing procedures. All hard drives are erased, and then a new operating system and a fresh set of licensed and freeware software is installed. We are a "Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher." You can confirm our Microsoft status by looking us up on this Web site: HTTP://www.techsoup.org/mar and use the "Community MAR Directory." Currently Microsoft gives us permission to install their "Windows XP Pro" operating system on our refurbished computers.

Drives that can't be erased in the normal way are destroyed using a degaussing machine. This machine establishes a high intensity magnetic field around the drive which scrambles all data and damages the electronic chips.

Materials that we can not reuse are organized and sent to Elemental, the company mentioned in some of the previous correspondence on this list. We have worked with Elemental for about 10 years and are confident that they adhere to the highest standards of environmental procedures.

The advantage of working with us rather than going directly to Elemental is that, while we may be a little fussier, we don't charge for accepting your old computers.

I'll look forward to hearing from you when you are ready to unload your retired machines.

Thanks,
Stanley R. Pokras, Executive Director, Nonprofit Technology Resources (NTR)
Regional Coord, Community Technology Centers' Network (http://www.ctcnet.org/)
Chair, CTCNet of Delaware Valley, Regional Planning Committee (http://www.ctcnet-philly.org/)

Nonprofit Technology Resources
1524 Brandywine Street
Philadelphia PA 19130
215-564-6686 (day) 215-564-6642 (fax)
267-968-0407 (cell)
Find our "Home Page" at http://NTRonline.org
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Are there companies who charge a fee for getting rid of old computer equipment?

It’s not free, but we recently contracted Electronics Recycling http://eleminc.com/index.htm to dispose of a bunch of equipment. They provide free pickup. They handle all the dismantling and recycling domestically in an environmentally friendly manner. Unfortunately there is no way to recycle the unusable electronics for free.

CRTs - $18/ea. + $2/ea. to record the serial numbers
Printers - $3/ea.
Everything Else – Free of charge (Really)

Their minimum fee is $150. If you don’t have enough equipment to rack up a $150 bill, you pay $150.

Elemental is certified by the EPA, though I’m told it’s not so difficult to get that certification. Overall, we had a hard time finding a company that could assure us that they would dispose of the material in an environmentally ethical manner. Elemental was the closest we came.
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Are there non-profits or other organizations who will accept old computer equipment as donations?

If you have equipment that meets their minimum specs, then Nonprofit Technology Resources is a great place to take your equipment for reuse: http://www.ntronline.org/ They'll do pickups if you have enough stuff, and they do low-level wipes of hard drives before redistribution.

For other stuff that can't be effectively re-used, the ideal solution is an organization that has signed the Basel Action Network's Electronic Recyclers Pledge of True Stewardship, which guarantees that your waste won't end up dumped in the developing world or other unhealthy places. Here's a directory of local resources: http://www.e-stewards.org/local_estewards.html.

You might also be in a good position to collaborate with other student organizations and host an Ethical Electronics Recycling Event with http://toxtour.org. My Quaker meeting hosted one in may - people pay $1/pound to drop stuff off, and the organization gets $0.15 of that - you might be able to offset your expenses for disposal that way (you'd have to pay the $1/lb for anything Hillel was getting rid of). I don't know about what they offer in terms of data destruction however.
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Can you just smash you hard drives to destroy them so that no one sees you data?

No. Hard drives contain many toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Smashing them releases these pollutants into the environment—not to mention into your lungs and onto your skin.
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Is there an easy way to recycle old computer equipment?
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Are there any other options?

Best Buy will take old CRTs, TVs, and other electronics. For some items, they charge $10, but then they give you a free $10 gift card in return, so it's a great deal. Just take it in to any Best Buy's customer service desk any day--it's quick & easy. Their official policy is that there is a limit of 2 items per day, but they are pretty flexible and we've taken in 3 or 4 items at a time with no problem (They just don't want a truckload of stuff at one time!). Here's the website for more info:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat149900050025&DCMP=rdr0000181

Most of the Goodwill's will take them, give you a receipt for tax purposes, and they recycle them. That's a win-win, i think! There is a Goodwill on Route 320 in Swarthmore, PA.
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How about local household hazardous waste programs?

Each Spring & Fall Delaware County http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/recycle/hhw.html has household hazardous waste program days. Check out this link to find out what they will take. The next date is September 19th in Chester. When I took stuff down there I couldn't believe how easy it was and in no time at all I was out of there and on my way. There is another one planned in October. After that you need to wait until Spring.

Saturday, September 19, 2009
Covanta L.P.
Map
2nd & Harwick Streets
Chester, PA 1901

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Rose Tree Park
Map
1521 N. Providence Road
Media, PA 19063

* Computers, printers, fax machines and portable televisions will also be collected at this event.
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Can I get cash for my old electronics gadgets?

Yes, there is a site call gazelle.com which will buy your old gadgets or tell you if they are worthless and then recycle them for you. They will even send you the boxes in which to send in your stuff.