What happens to old computers when they die?
That seems to be a pretty logical question, given that the things are deemed obsolete in two years (or less). But what do you do with your old box? Trash it? Seems a bit of a waste. You can sell it to a Computer Renaissance-type store, but it’s moreso for their profit and less for the goodness of recycling.
If you’d like to donate your PC, there’s a nifty site called the National Computer Donation Database that’ll hook you up with the proper folks in your area. But if you’d like to truly recycle it, down to the components, it seems to be tough. There was a piece on Wild Chicago about a year ago spotlighting a factory in Chicago that did just that. They’d actually melt down the silicon, gold on connectors, and so forth and use them as other objects or sell them straight up. But these places seem rare.
It’s scary to think about how many computers are out there in the junkyards, though… and I know my old VIC-20, 64C, and 128D are among them! -pm
Posted in Technology