Saturday 26 September 2015

3 Tips on How to Recycle Office Computers



 

Electronics, including computers, have valuable components made of metals, plastic and glass which are expensive to mine and manufacture. Recycling old office computers not only preserves natural resources but also helps reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions produced in landfills. Check out these tips on how to recycle your computers.

1.       Erase your data.

It is your computers you want to recycle, not your company’s private data. To protect your information from potential theft, be sure to use credentialed software that can thoroughly do the job of wiping your hard drives clean. Just deleting files from your computer does not erase them.

2.       Help your community.

If you want to help the underprivileged, you could donate your old equipment to a charity, as long as the computers are not too old to support up-to-date software. You can get a tax deduction for doing this.

3.       Look for a reputable recycling company.

Verify a company’s credentials to be sure they actually recycle responsibly. Computers contain many hazardous materials such as mercury, lead and cadmium which can be environmentally dangerous. They also contain valuable metals like aluminum, gold, and copper; sometimes computers you may think have been recycled have been shipped to third world countries to extract these metals.

You can check with the manufacturer of your computers as they often sponsor recycle programs, as do major retailers, but you may find it more practical to use the services of a local company. To learn more about computer recycling in San Jose, visit this website.

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