HOW TO SAFEFLY DISPOSE COMPUTER EQUIPMENT?

• Comprising of monitors, printers, hard drives, and circuit boards, the disposed computers are known as e-wastes.
• These e-wastes are not supposed to be thrown out along with the common household rubbish, as they contain highly toxic substance.
• The disposal of this hazardous waste requires atmost care and caution.
• It is estimated that, a single computer will contain approximately 2 kg of lead.
• The PCs are made up of a complex mixture of materials. This complex mixture makes these PCs very much difficult to recycle.
• You can safely dispose the e-waste by returning it to the manufacturer or donating the computers to a non-profit organization or transporting them to any professional waste disposal facility.
• The famous computer manufacturers offer a service to collect and transport the e-waste from your home to the recycling unit at their own cost.
• Professional waste disposal is same as the manufacturer’s schemes except the fact that you will have to pay for their service.
• A number of non-profit organizations collect electronic equipment including computers and printers, either for reuse or for de-manufacture and recycling. Recipients pay nothing for the equipment or buy it at a heavily discounted rate.

FACTS

1. As of 2005, more than 250 million personal computers have become obsolete in the United States.

2. Nearly two million tons of used electronics, including computers and televisions, are discarded each year.

3. According to the EPA, manufacturing one desktop computer requires fossil fuels and chemicals that amount to at least nine times the weight of the computer.

4. Electronics often contain useful materials such as precious metals, glass, and plastics that should be recovered rather than buried in a landfill.

5. Precious metals are used in computer circuit boards and of course glass and plastics are used for manufacturing computer monitors.

6. Recycling these products reduces the need to mine the earth for raw materials.