As you may know, disposal of e-waste has become an issue in the tech world. You should never throw any electronic device in the trash as many contain metals such as mercury and lead which can (and does) leak and then makes it way into local water supplies (which is very bad). Instead you should either reuse (donating is a good idea too) or recycle your unwanted electronic devices. Unfortunately, many e-waste "recyclers" simply send the devices to third world countries where they are melted down for precious metals in horribly dangerous conditions.
On a brighter note, this practice is not applicable to all companies. The Electronics Takeback Coalition releases and maintains a report card of tech company recycling programs. As with any ratings system, the grades are subjective but in my opinion, they are based on a fair criteria (PDF link).
The top companies include Asus, Dell and Samsung with a B/B- rating with Apple, LG, Best Buy and Walmart with a C+ rating (the last two are surprising). Just about every printer company received a failing grade.
So do to the responsible thing you can locate an e-waste recycling program in your area (just Google it or visit the vendor’s site for recycling information and you will find several), or even better – find a place to donate your used equipment as reusing is a step up from recycling.
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