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Computer Recycling - What You Need To Know

Computers are now a major part of every dayoffering a free return service for their old
life in the 21st Century and as technologycomputers, (DELL for example), so you could
advances and prices drop, more and morepossibly return the computer to the
computers and IT equipment are replaced on amanufacturer, and many other firms
regular basis leaving the question of whatspecialising in the sales of computers may
happens  to  the  old  ones.even take your old one when you purchase a
new  one  so  it  is  always  worth  asking.
According to Waste Online, the market for
refurbished computers has risen by 500% inTake  it  to  a  Recycling  Centre
recent years and yet less than 20% of
unwanted computers are recycled. In the UKYou could take your old computer to an
alone, around a million tonnes of electronicestablished waste disposal facility to
and electrical waste is produced and computerrecycle it. First you should check what they
equipment makes up nearly 40% of this wastecan accept and whether or not they will take
and up till now, a large proportion of itcare of removing files and personal data from
ended up in Landfill sites or wasthe computer's hard drive. Even if your
incinerated. This poses a major threat to thecomputer isn't in good working order, it can
environment and our health as computers areoften be repaired and upgraded to the point
laden with toxic material and as such, areit is useful for someone else. If this is the
considered hazardous waste. Monitors forcase then it is wise to check beforehand that
example,  contain  a  lot  of  lead.they comply with the Electrical Equipment
(Safety Regulations) 1994 which requires that
New regulations have been introduced in orderall  the  equipment  must  be  safe  to  use.
to limit the amount of electronic and
electrical waste, which includes computer andDonating  your  computer  to  someone  else
IT  equipment,  ending  up in landfill sites.
Most computers can be reused by someone else
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipmentso another option is to donate the computer
(WEEE)  Regulations  2006to a non profit organisation or an
organisation specialising in the
The regulations came into force on the 2ndre-distribution of computers, possibly to
January 2007 and will be fully implementedschools or third world countries. If you have
from the 1st July 2007 and require thatany software that you want to donate with the
anyone manufacturing, branding or importingcomputer, try to get together all the
electrical and electronic equipment whichrelevant licences and supporting
came on the market after 13th August 2005documentation. An important point is to find
will be responsible for the safe andout what will happen to the computer when it
environmentally friendly disposal of thatneeds disposed of if, particularly if it may
equipment.end up in a third world country as there is
no point in protecting the environment at
This means they will have to fund the cost ofhome  only  to  pollute  it  somewhere  else.
collecting, treating and recycling all
electrical and electronic equipment and byProtection  of  Data
the 15th March 2007 should have already
registered with a compliance scheme in orderA major concern when recycling computers is
to carry this out. By April 2007 they mustwhat happens to sensitive and personal data
mark their goods with a crossed wheelie binthat could be present on the hard drive. Most
symbol meaning it must not be disposed oforganisations specialising in redistributing
along  with  other  household  rubbish.or reselling old computer equipment will
ensure that your hard drive is reformatted
So what options do you as a consumer haveand all personal data erased but you should
when you no longer require your old computer?always check that this is the case. If you
are more technically minded you can, if you
Disposing  of  Computersprefer, clean your computer yourself
beforehand. If your computer has been used
If you want to get rid of an old computer orfor business purposes then under the Data
computer parts then you basically have aProtection Act, all information collected by
number  of  options:businesses must be destroyed when the storage
system it was kept on (your computer's hard
Sell  itdrive for example) is no longer being used by
the  business.
If your computer is in good working order
then you could ask around for anyone who isConclusion
looking for a low cost PC, or perhaps put an
advert in the local newspaper or in yourAs responsible citizens we all have an
local shop windows. This way everyone wins asobligation to make sure that our computer and
the computer is reused by someone else, youIT related equipment is disposed of in a safe
get something for it, and it doesn't harm theand environmentally friendly way. In order to
environment.be sure that this is the case, it is
essential only to use companies and
Returning  your  computer to the manufacturerorganisations that are fully licensed with
the appropriate governing bodies.
An increasing number of companies are



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