How to Recycle Your Computer

January 31 2012 by admin in computer recycler, recycling electronics |No Comments

Computers sure are handy when they are working but once they’ve chewed their last byte, things can get a little messy. Toxic chemicals, carcinogens and heavy metals are all part of what makes their clocks tick, and improper disposal can bring them all a little too close for human comfort. Computer recycling is nothing new, but getting your old electronics to the great motherboard in the sky can be tricky to do responsibly. For years, developed countries have been exporting tons of electronic waste for inexpensive, labor-intensive recycling and disposal, mostly to China. It’s been illegal to import e-waste into China for dirty recycling and dumping since 2000, but smuggling, corruption and China’s appetite for scrap keep it coming. An article over at Salon has some good tips to prevent your old electronics from being melted down over a rudimentary stove or being tossed into a landfill.One of the best ways to get clean recycling is simple: just ask questions. A reputable recycler should be able to tell you where hardware is sent, and if the company exports or uses prison labor. The recycler should also be able to tell you how it handles data destruction; you’ll want the recycler or reuse organization to wipe the hard drive for you so any personal information doesn’t end up where it doesn’t belong. If you are donating your equipment to a reuse organization, ask if equipment is tested before it is passed on for donation and if the company only ships working equipment. Ask who their recipient organizations are. If the answer to any of these questions is, “We don’t know,” or, “We can’t tell you,” it may be time to send your equipment elsewhere.

One of the easiest options is to use your computer manufacturer’s recycling program, though most major manufacturers charge fees and require you to do the packing and shipping. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a good guide to responsible recycling, finds many of the manufacture take-back programs wanting and publishes a report card on the environmental effectiveness of most of them.

The Rethink Program, hosted by eBay has a good computer recycling FAQ section and many useful links to recyclers, as do CompuMentor‘s Tech Soup site and the EPA’s eCycling website. Be aware, though, that the recyclers listed on these sites have not been vetted or approved by these organizations in any way. The Basel Action Network also carries a list of electronics recyclers that have signed their stewardship pledge, under which recyclers agree not to export e-waste or add it to landfill, or use prison labor, and to document where equipment, parts and materials go.

If your machine still functions (and not just as a paperweight), then seeing that it is reused is perhaps the best option. Companies like RetroBox and FreeGeek build computers out of salvaged parts; the latter has a list of like-minded organizations that can be a good starting place for recycling or reusing your machine. For a more complete list of NGOs, government agencies and manufacturers who recycle, check out the article at ::Salon.

Related computer recycling

    How to Recycle Gifts

    November 14 2011 by admin in computer recycler |No Comments

    By Bradlley Mckoy

    Gift recycling is perfectly acceptable nowadays. You can give away gifts that you have not used, or you do not need, or you know somebody else will appreciate them. However, you have to consider certain factors in recycling gifts to avoid embarrassments and hurt feelings, the worst of which can lead to broken relationships.

    Sentimental Value

    You cannot measure the worth of gifts especially in terms of sentimental value. Before you even think of recycling gifts, you have to think back to the occasion when the gifts were given to you.

    If they hold sentimental value for the giver, like a groomsman gifts perhaps, then do not recycle it. If it is a business gift with no discernible corporate logos, then you can recycle it. In all likelihood, you have many more of the item in your attic anyway.

    Usability Value

    If you cannot viably use the item without harm to yourself, then it probably cannot be used by the intended recipient either. Just because you do not need it does not mean that you can inflict pain on others with it!

    You have to assess if your intended recipient can actually use the items in everyday life. If your groomsman gifts are what you intend to recycle, be sure that others can use them, too. Unfortunately, groomsman gifts are often engraved with your name, which precludes recycling on your part.

    Personal Items

    In gift recycling, you have to be very sure that personal items are absolutely unused. Aside from insensitivity to others, you are practicing unhygienic gift-giving when you give truly-hand-me-down personal things. You want the recipient to say “Thank you, lots”, not “Are you nuts?” when he opens the gift.

    Used Items

    For items that others can still use, like a used laptop, you can give them as gifts to friends and family who need them but cannot afford to buy on their own. You have to be sure though that the intended recipient is on the same wavelength as you are on this need-but-cannot-afford area.

    Second Hand Only, Please

    If someone gives you a recycled gift, assuming that you know it is one, do not recycle it again. You might just end up giving it to the original giver! You would have unwittingly created an embarrassing situation! Unless, your idea of a joke is recycling recycled gifts, you have to avoid third-hand-me-downs.

    Think of this awkward situation: You receive groomsman gifts from your best buddy’s wedding. You recycle them because you saw no need for them, the groom said okay, and you think the intended recipient can use them. Your gift recipient thought otherwise and gave it to the groom! If you are best buddies, it probably is one for the book of laughs but situations can turn ugly, too.

    One of the best ways to recycle gifts is to keep track of who gave what. This way, you will not make the mistake of giving the recycled gift back to its original owner. Talk about a social faux pas!

     

     

    Related computer recycling


    Related computer recycling

      Recycle Those Flowers

      November 11 2011 by admin in computer recycler |No Comments

      By Benedict Smythe

      Nothing adds loveliness to a room quite like a bouquet of fresh flowers. Flowers evoke the nicest human feelings. It has become a special part of our weddings, debuts, graduations, proms, Christmases and all other special occasions and celebrations.

      Beautiful red roses reminds us of our romantic first dates. It makes us think of how lovely life is. So the next time you receive roses from your secret admirers and loved ones, don’t waste them. Just when you think it’s their time to hit the trash can may prove to be the best time to turn them into something special and lasting.

      If those roses in your vase are fully opened, the next thing that will happen is they’ll start wilting. This is the best time to make them into fragrant potpourris. Don’t wait until they are completely dried out in your vases. Making potpourris is a magnificent way of bringing that romantic rosy scent in any room.

      To make the potpourri, remove the petals of the fully opened roses. Dehydrate the petals by putting them in a warm oven for few hours or you can put them in a microwave on a high setting for just about three to five minutes. Just remember to put them in one single layer. Dehydrating the rose petals will dissipate its fragrance. But don’t you worry, putting a little rose oil to them will do the trick! This will restore its fragrance.

      You can also add other flower petals for variety. Once all the petals are dried, put them in a nice bowl or a basket. Nice decorative glass jars also make nice potpourri containers. If you want to give this as gifts, you can make sachet bags out of pretty old fabrics. Add rose oil in your potpourri every now and then to perk up their fragrance.

      If making potpourris is not your style, try pressing your flowers. This is one of the nicest things to do with flowers. More so, pressing flowers doesn’t require any special equipment or skills. All you’ll need is your flowers, absorbent paper like blank newsprint which are available in office supply stores, some pressure and warmth.

      To provide the necessary pressure to press your flowers, any flat and heavy object will do. Examples of this are old phone books. It is not recommended to put the flowers directly into the book’s pages as flowers tend to stain them. Start by putting your flowers in between sheets of absorbent paper. You may want to arrange them in the position you’d like them to be. Put this on a shelf or put a stack of book on top of it.

      To prevent bruising, you can also sandwich them using cardboard to make sure their thick and thin parts are pressed evenly. Wait for the flowers to dry. Drying flowers vary. Temperature, humidity and the type of flower being dried all play an important role. Small flowers dry quickly, it may only need 4 to 5 days to dry them while larger flowers may take more than 8 days. Store pressed flowers in between sheets of tissue papers in a warm dry place. Pressed flowers are perfect for any greeting card, embellishing scrapbooks and enhancing writing papers.

       

      Related computer recycling

        How To Recycle Paper

        November 8 2011 by admin in computer recycler |No Comments

        By Guna Seelan

        There are several differences depending on the certain classification of paper that is being recycled (newspaper, magazines, fiberboard). Recycling these products involves many processes as listed below.

        Pulping: Adding water then engaging mechanical action to divide fibers from each other.

        Screening: Using a screen-like material, with small holes so that the larger contaminants may be removed.

        Centrifugal cleaning: Removing the more dense materials by spinning the pulp slurry with a cleaner.

        Flotation: Letting air bubbles that are passing by to enter the pulp slurry causes the ink particles to cluster with the surface foam. With the contaminated foam removed, the pulp is adapted into a brighter material. Sometimes deinking is the term used for this process.

        Dispersion or Kneading: A mechanical action is enforced to breakdown the particles that may be contaminant.

        Washing: The water is ran through the pulp to removed the smaller particles still within the water.

        Bleaching: This is dependent upon the color of paper needed. For the most common (white), hydrosulfites or peroxides are used to removed the color.

        Papermaking: The newly bleached fibers are made into the new paper product using the same concept as the virgin paper was made.

        Dissolved air flotation: To reuse the processed water is cleaned once more.

        Waste disposal: The left over pupls and material that are no longer needed (sludge), is usally placed inside a landfill. Then to create energy, the materials are then burned to use at the mill or local farmers often use the materials as fertilizer for crops.

        Standards

        Paper is one of the most common recycling materials on earth. The average amount of recycling for each paper is 4-6 times due to the weakening of the fibers. To provide more strength the virgin pulp is mixed together with the paper being recycled.

        There is not a standard of the maximum percentage that a virgin pulp can be in recycled paper. Most recycled paper has anywhere from 10%-100% used paper in it. Many companies that receive government money, state governments that collect funding; therefore, a 50% post-consumer recycled paper is the standard for use. The EPA doesn’t control recycled paper being used outside of our government. The only duty they have it setting a minimum guideline to go by. There are three divions of paper the may be purchased for feedstocks, including: pre/post-consumer waste. The trimmings left over at a virgin paper mill are described as the mill broke. The material that was sent for customers to purchase but was not ready are pre-consumer waste, and the material thrown away after being used is defined as post-consumer waste.

         

        Related computer recycling

          Electronics Recycling – Promoting Green Revolution

          November 5 2011 by admin in computer recycler |No Comments

          By Martha Pauling

          Electronics has been around since the 1940′s. They have helped us developed better industries and productions compare to any other inventions of the century. It has been almost 70 years since accumulated electronic wastes has been building up in all landfills – causing pollution to the land, air, and water systems of the planet. But what can you possibly do to lessen your contribution to this build up? Read the facts below and instructions to help you understand the process of electronics recycling.

          Electronic wastes are electrical or electronic items that have been turned into surplus, became obsolete, or broken discarded items. With the many component parts in the electronic devices, there are harmful chemicals that have been found in these discarded devices that prove hazardous to both planet and people.

          Most of these electronic wastes have plastic casings packaging – these are hard to decompose and takes special treatment to be made useful again. Some electronic complex boards also have free metals like copper, silver, and even gold that can still be recovered. The lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury and other harmful chemicals in the control boards of these thrown devices are indeed toxic. But ironically, these same elements and other resources are valuable and rare. That is why, many manufacturers today are looking into electronics recycling to lessen their production costs in the long term and help save the planet from additional wastes.

          Many big corporations are taking the initiative to start their own electronics recycling efforts. Mobile phones manufacturers have been placing booths and drop off boxes to collect their obsolete and sometimes broken electronic products from their consumers. You can usually find these stalls in malls and public places like parks where environmental awareness is a key factor. The green revolution has been demanding good recovery plans for the big corporations who can set aside a budget for environmental help. Green revolution has prompted multi-national corporations to provide an environmental plan on how they will collect, recover, recycle, and re-use some of the resources found in their product lines.

          For an individual consumer like you, you can do your part as well in electronics recycling. You can minimize the convenient gadgets that you plan on investing and stick with what you have currently to help you do your productivity. Do not replace your laptop or mobile phone as quickly like fashion seasons. Participate in electronic item collection drives in your area. Be open for repair and maintenance for your other electronic items to minimize throwing out usable items in to the trash. Help in campaign awareness for electronic wastes management. Give out your electronic wastes to the right processing centers or segregation.

          You do not need to become an active volunteer against the big corporations to minimize electronic wastes. As an individual, you have the power of choice to do something about electronics recycling and this choice is only made by you alone. Being aware that you are doing a small part for getting the big picture seen can be more meaningful than just waiting for miracles to happen.

           

          Related computer recycling

            Next Page »