Recycle that computer, for free

If your house or office is anything like mine, there are dead computer bits lying around everywhere. Desktop PCs, old notebook PCs, the occasional server, monitors, keyboards, even a pile of 36GB Ultra2 SCSI hard drives. I’m buried in computer detritus.

What can you do with it?

• Some stuff gets sold, though it’s hard to get enough money for an old computer to be worth the effort, plus it’s a hassle making sure that the hard drive(s) are sufficiently wiped clean of personal data and commercially licensed software.

• Some stuff gets donated, but that’s not always as easy as it sounds.

• Some stuff gets dismantled by an inquisitive teenager.

• But most sits around, waiting for me to recycle or trash it.

In the town that I live in, the garbage company has an E-Waste Recycling Program. That means, they’ll take the stuff if you bring it to the transfer station, but they’ll charge fees like $25 for a computer monitor or $10 for a computer printer. It’s a good service, but what a nuisance. (Not all local towns are even that accommodating.)

What about computer manufacturers? They’re starting to help.

For example, if you buy a new consumer PC from Dell, they’ll take back and recycle your old PC and monitor for free. (For $5, they’ll also plant a tree for you.) They’ll also take back and recycle any Dell product any time, even without a new product purchase. Dell even pays the shipping.

Similarly, Apple provides free recycling for as many as two devices when you purchase a new computer. A couple of weeks ago, I purchase a new MacBook Pro for one of our BZ Media employees at the local Apple store, and when I got home, there was an email from Apple (pictured) containing two FedEx RMA Shipping Authorization bar codes, ready to be slapped onto whatever products were ready to be disposed of.

I’m delighted to see leading computer providers taking a leadership role in computer recycling. My job is easy: Stop procrastinating, and use those FedEx shipping codes.