Since the beginning of the information age, computers and the other related electronic digital equipment have become a big part of our daily and business lives. As the demands for technology become greater, more recent and up-to-date technology equipment needs are rising. Just like your ’82 Oldsmobile Delta 88, electronic digital equipment such as computers and monitors quickly need replacement to handle the demands of new programs and business applications.
The big problem is how we dispose of our old computer equipment. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 250 million computers in the United States alone will become obsolete within the next five years and records show that, in 2001, only 11% of retired computers were recycled – 89% were sent to our landfills where they are today. We have to do better and every user needs to know where to dispose of the old equipment. Computers, monitors, and batteries cannot continue to be placed in the trash to be sent to the local landfill because they are an environmental hazard. They must be disposed of properly.
There are companies in just about every area of the world that will sort the components by their individual type and the break down the equipment for recycling. If there is not a local governmental designated computer/electronic component recycling center, find a local company that will help with this process. This will help reduce business/personal liability, provide for data destruction, and is a much easier method of disposal. If there are no local recycling companies in the immediate area, visit www.google.com to locate a recycling company that might be able to pick up your equipment for a small fee.
Computers age and become obsolete very rapidly. A five year old computer is often equated with a 20 year old automobile and therefore, computers are being replaced on a daily basis. From a business point of view, it is important and cost effective to be able to recycle the computer in its entirety.
The first part of the computer that can be recycled is the case. The case can be sold back to the manufacturer, through a third party, for use in the production of new computers by melting down the old metal to be used in the new cases. Most computers are made with many types of precious metals, including gold, copper, and silver, attached to the circuit boards which can be recovered and reused by the manufacturer as well.
Additionally, the hard drive can be recycled or reused. However, before recycling or destroying the hard drive, it is important to first completely erase or physically destroy the space in which the data is stored on the hard drive. Identity thief is a serious issue and data on old hard drives can be used by criminals to steal from you or your customers.
The computer monitor is the most difficult to dispose of environmentally. Most old monitors contain CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes) which have dangerous chemicals within them. A CRT may contain mercury, cadmium, phosphorous, barium and, in excess of, four to five pounds of lead. While these chemicals are safe inside the vacuum-sealed cathode ray tube, in the landfill the monitor would be crushed exposing the soil to the dangerous elements. To prevent any type of environmental destruction, such as groundwater contamination, proper disposal of or the recycling of old CRT monitors is essential.
Batteries are used to maintain the data in the CMOS chips and to supply power to remote controls, portable devices, and laptops. These batteries contain a number of dangerous compounds including lithium, lead, nickel metal hydride, and nickel cadmium. The disposal of batteries is one of the most crucial parts of the computer disposal process. There are specific guidelines that have to be followed for battery disposal and it is important to read the manufacturer’s guidelines located in the documentation that came with the equipment or on the manufacturer’s website.
The most easily recycled component is the printer toner cartridge – and it can even be profitable. Laser printer toner is made of fine particles of iron and plastic that can cause problems in the environment especially when exposed to the extreme heat in incinerators. Additionally, the residual chemicals used in toner cartridges can do severe damage when left in landfills. Today, many computer manufacturers will pay you for empty toner cartridges or give you a credit towards the purchase of new ones. Check with your local computer resellers for options on recycling toner cartridges. Some school programs collect recycled printer cartridges as a fundraiser.
Keyboards, mice, drives, power supplies, and other peripherals take up huge amounts of space in our landfills. The plastics and metals that make up these components, although they may not be considered dangerous, do not decompose well and remain in landfills for a very long time. Try to use these components with your new computer. Purchase a computer without a keyboard or mouse and use your old one.
Each company that uses computer equipment should keep an MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) to reference the potentially hazardous materials contained in the components such as the monitor or batteries. It should include the date of purchase, location of such equipment, and method of disposal (include company name, address, and phone number).
Another option before throwing computer equipment away is to first find out if you can donate the equipment. There will always be somebody who is looking for a computer. Companies such as Kramden Institutes and QTL are always working to put computers in the hands of individuals, small businesses, charitable, and educational institutions that need them.
References:
CompTIA A+ Certification 202-601 Book, ISBN 1-4239-5440-8 (2006), ILT Series Thompson Course Technology.
Ryan, Dave. “7th Annual Kick-off for America Recycles Day.” EPA Newsroom 14 11 2003 12 03 2007 .

The first email, I received this one myself earlier this week, is supposedly from Lt. Jane Bowe (but the name frequently changes) with a United States Army medical team deployed in Iraq.
The text of the email follows:

“Greetings,
I know you would be surprised to read from someone relatively unknown to you. My name is Lt. Jane Bowe, a member of the U.S. ARMY USARPAC Medical Team, which was deployed to Iraq at the beginning of the war in Iraq.
I would like to share some highly personal classified information about my personal experience and role which I played in the pursuit of my career serving under the U.S 1st Armored which was at the fore-front of the war in Iraq.
Though, I would like to hold back certain information for security reasons for now until you have found the time to visit the BBC website stated below to enable you have an insight into what I intend sharing with you, believing that it would be of your desired interest one-way or the other.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

Also, could you get back to me having visited the above website to enable us discuss in a more clarifying manner to the best of your understanding. I must say that I’m very uncomfortable sending this message to you without knowing truly if you would misconstrue the importance and decides to go public. In this regards, I will not hold back to say that the essence of this message is strictly for mutual benefit between you and I and nothing more.
I will be vivid and coherent in my next message in this regards, meanwhile, could you send me an email confirming that you have visited the site and that you have understood my intentions? I will await your thoughts via my personal email.
Thanks,
Best Regards
Lt. Jane Bowe”

The link in the body of the email actually goes to a legitimate BBC story from 2003 about US troops finding millions of dollars in a Baghdad neighborhood but this not always the case. Never click on links or attachments in emails like this as they are often viruses just waiting to be activated. The intent of the email seems to be a kind of “phishing” expedition to make contact with greedy or otherwise gullible individuals in a financing scam. The email seems to have originated through a UK-based Live Mail email server. This email itself is not dangerous but responding to these individuals in “get rich quick” schemes can be very dangerous to your bank accounts. Do not respond to these types of emails – simply delete them.

The second email that has been hitting inboxes recently is supposedly from the Internal Revenue Service and requests information like your social security number, bank account numbers, or pin numbers. Let it be known that the IRS will not contact you by email. This email scam tries to trick you into thinking you that the IRS is contacting you because of a refund, because you are under criminal investigation regarding your recent tax return, or it may refer to a non-existent tax form that you need to submit to complete your return. These emails may also contain links or attachments that contain viruses. Do not click on the links or open the attachments. The IRS is aware of the email scam and has posted information on its website where you can find out more. The address is:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html

In general, email scams are becoming more and more prevalent as the world’s economies continue to stagnant and people are trying to find a way to steal from you. It was commonplace to find misspellings and grammatical errors in these emails in the past but the scammers are getting better at writing “American” letters. Most of these scams can be traced back to Indonesia, Malaysia, some of the former Soviet Republics, and African nations, but they can originate anywhere in the world. Email servers like Hotmail, Gmail, AOL and Yahoo mail can be accessed worldwide. Knowledge is your best defense. If you’re curious about an email you have received, “google” it. Open a search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo and search for a line or two from the email. You may be surprised how rampant these things are. Just be careful and don’t get scammed.