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What Happen To Old Computers. The technical term for all this high-tech garbage is e-waste. It refers to products like TVs and computers (including keyboards, monitors, mouse's, printers, scanners and other accessories.
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The technical term for all this high-tech garbage is e-waste. It refers to products like TVs and computers (including keyboards, monitors, mouse's, printers, scanners and other accessories
E-waste contains a bonanza of toxic and hazardous components that, for the most part, are currently being shunted into landfills.
Much of the remaining portion is exported to developing nations, where many laborers, working under unsafe, unregulated conditions, recycle this e-waste.
STEPS IN THE RECYCLING PROCESS When we receive the computers to be recycled we begin by triaging the equipment to identify the type of equipment, determine its age, and assess its condition. The next step of the computer recycling process is to record relevant information from the computer in accordance with the statement of work and to enter that information in our proprietary database for our client’s disposition report. Once the computer is properly cataloged, physical processing then begins. Our clients may chose from several options for data destruction based on their security requirements. If data destruction needs to be performed as part of the computer recycling process it occurs now. Asset tags are removed from the computer and depending on the scope of work, computers that still have useful life may be reconditioned and sold through our computer reseller channels or donated to one of the many charities we support. If the computer has no or limited value as a whole unit, it is then sent through a de-manufacturing process where useful components may be harvested, and other base components like metals, plastics, and circuit boards are separated for further processing.
Further processing consists of accumulating the various types of materials, i.e. plastic, metals, and circuit boards and sending them to a smelting facility where they are shredded into bit sized pieces then melted down. Metals and plastics are recycled for future use and circuit boards have precious metals extracted to save the environment from costly and environmentally harmful mining operations. When the job is complete, the appropriate reports and certificates of recycling and destruction are sent to the client for their permanent records.
The dangers of discarded, old computers stem from what's inside them.
There is an even darker side as to what might await your discarded, old PC. In the U.S., even if you made a well-intentioned effort to properly recycle your computer, there's a 50 to 80 percent chance that your computer didn't end up where you thought it would.