Chances are if you are a reader of this site, you are into computers. Also, chances are that you eventually upgrade your computers and then have to figure out what to do with the old one. Recycling is an option, but have you ever thought about exactly what happens to your hardware after you drop it off for recycling?
You should. Stephen B., one of our PCMech readers, sent us this video which was aired on CBS 60 Minutes. And it is extremely eye-opening.
I’m not a big fan of CBS. I’ve seen them run some pieces that just make me shake my head on how slanted they are to a particular viewpoint. But, this is not one of those stories. This is something everybody – especially those of us most likely to produce this electronic waste – should care about. Here is the video:
Unfortunately, this video offers no solution. So, my only advice at this point would be to dig into exactly what your computer recycler is doing with the hardware. Ask them and be proactive about it. Too many people think about dropping off stuff for recycling simply to get it off their hands. Let THEM worry about it. But, your responsibility does go further than that.
Buying new hardware is great, but let’s all be responsible stewards of what happens to our old stuff, too.
David Risley is the founder of PCMech.com. He is the brains, the thinker, the writer, the nerd.
You said it, my “computer recycler”. We need to be doing this to begin with. We hope that those recyclers are doing their jobs.
I buy 99% of my computer parts from ebuyer.co.uk who do this http://www.ebuyer.com/special/1546
I guess I was naive to this sort of thing. I mean I knew we have been recycling this stuff but had no idea that some is being shipped overseas like this and being “dumped” on poor communities.
Thanks for posting David.
Were do we take our old computers?
Is anyone trying to stop these companies from doing this again and again?