By Rich Eichacker
Vibrance Technology Corporation
Ready to upgrade to a new P4? Great! This will free up your PII which you can give to the kids. But what about that old 486 they've been using for the past 3 years?
A study by the National Safety Council found that in 1998 21 million PCs became obsolete, and by 2005, this will increase to more than 63 million. What do we do with all these obsolete computers?
There are a couple options, but the one that we should avoid is throwing them in the trash. The lead and mercury in monitors and circuit boards can leach out of landfills and contaminate water supplies. In 2000, Massachusetts passed a law making it illegal to dispose of computer monitors, televisions and any other electronic equipment.
This subject recently got my attention as my wife and I prepared to move. I had no desire to transport and store a 486 tower, a couple of old laptops, and numerous cables, switch boxes, PC cards, manuals and software. My hope was that someone could put this equipment to good use.
My research led me to the Enabling Support Foundation and the South End Tech. Center. To each I donated about half the equipment, receiving a tax write-off in return. Both organizations refurbish and distribute outdated office equipment. PCs are loaded with appropriate soft-ware so that they can be used for educational purposes by kids in the Boston area. In general, organizations such as these are looking for PCs (486-66 or better), MACs, monitors, printers, scanners and copiers, as well as cables, software, NICs and modems.
Listed below are some organizations that collect and "recycle" computer equipment. If you know of any other resources for recycling, please email me at and I'll post them at www.vibrancetech.com/Recycling.htm.
Enabling Support Foundation at Boston Latin Academy in Roxbury www.enabling.org
Robert Ambrose 978-369-5593
Loads programs such as Word and Excel on older PCs for educational purposes in the Boston area.
South End Technology Center in Boston
www.tech-center-enlightentcity.tv
Danny Pimento 617-578-0597
Distributes equipment to needy children in the Boston area.
The PEP Computer Recycling web site contains a directory of recycling resources in the US and around the world.
www.microweb.com/pepsite/Recycle/recycle_index.html
World Computer Exchange in Hull
www.worldcomputerexchange.org
781-925-3078
Distributes equipment to international organizations
Conigliaro Industries in Framingham
www.conigliaro.com/recycling/plastics.cfm
508-872-9668
Recycles and transforms a number of materials into new products.
Summer 2001 - Volume 11, Number 3