Recycle Your Old Electronics

How many old computer monitors do you have? What about old PCs, the ones that are way to slow to be of any use, but still have some data that you don’t want to just throw out? What about old TVs, VCRs and cell-phones? If you are like most households, you have a few of these things in the garage. And if you are a business, you probably have LOTS of these things in a storage room or spare office. Many just do not know what to do with them, so they hang on to these things or they just take them to the local landfill.

It is estimated that over the next 5 years, consumers and businesses will replace about 800 million PCs.

Well the Electronics Industries Alliance has setup a web site called E-Cycling Central and its goal is to help us figure out how to recycle and dispose of our old electronics. The focus of the web site is on recycling and refurbishing as opposed to disposal.

The site gives plenty of ideas if your old electronic equipment is still in working condition. For example, you could donate it to schools, charities or economically disadvantaged or disabled citizens. In many cases, the one making the donation is eligible for a tax deduction.

If you are worried about donating a computer that previously held sensitive data, their web site gives you some tips on how to make sure you donate only a clean machine.

So, the next time you are upgrading a piece of electronic equipment, have a plan in place to deal with the piece that is being replaced. Not only does it help the environment, but you might get a tax break ;).