The recycling and repurposing old computers revolution has created many great opportunities for both home users and businesses, but it has created its share of problems as well. The rapid pace of technological change often means that computers are obsolete long before they stop working (or they just stop working).
That creates a dilemma for computer owners – do they simply throw their usable old PCs in the trash and add to the growing landfill problem, or do they try to find a new home for their old hardware? Many computer owners and businesses are choosing the latter approach – recycling and repurposing their old computers to help others while helping the environment.
The environmental impact of old computer hardware is a surprisingly large one to know more about recycling and repurposing old computers. Many people do not realize that a great deal of that old computer equipment ends up in the third world – where desperately poor people break that equipment down into its component parts in search of metals and minerals that can be reclaimed and resold.
While this may seem like a good idea at first blush, it is important to keep in mind that both CPUs and computer monitors contain potentially harmful elements like mercury and lead, and those elements could pose a significant danger to both those workers and to the environment.
Better Fates For Recycling and Repurposing Old Computers
Fortunately, there are better fates for old computers, and more and more computer owners are looking at those alternatives. Computer owners can make the most of their old hardware by donating that old equipment to an authorized computer recycling center. Those recycling centers remove the working components of the computers they take in while replacing the non-working components to create top quality computers for a fraction of the cost of a new system. This low cost allows those recycled computers to be donated to those in need or sold at a low cost to generate the funds needed to recycle still more computers.
One of the key components of this successful computer recycling has been the use of outdated Windows operating system software. While many modern users have no use for Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME, there are people who would love to have a working system running one of those old operating systems.
Final Words
By incorporating old software into those new computers recycling centers are able to create full computer systems at almost no cost to know about recycling and repurposing old computers. That allows many people – both here and abroad – to finally have access to the computer technology they need to land a great job and become a part of today’s modern technological workforce.