RECYCLE - IT!

What are you doing with that old computer equipment of yours? Passing it on to someone else? Recycling it? Throwing it in the trash? While it may not surprise you that all of these are viable options, it may surprise you that one of them is illegal if you are a business owner, and may soon be for individuals as well.

Passing computers on to others is a time-honored tradition, and probably one of the best uses for that old equipment. It extends the useable life of the computer, keeps it out of the landfills, and often will provide opportunities for those who might not otherwise be able to own or use a computer on their own. The Weld County Computer Recycling Program, and the Christina Foundation are examples of organizations that facilitate this type of re-use of computers.

Recycling a computer involves actually taking the computer apart, and melting it down for the componenet metals, glass and plastics. Because of the many toxic chemicals and substances used to create computers and peripherals, this can be a very hazardous process. The environmental damage that can result from mishandled electronic equipment can be enormous. Few commercial recyclers are willing to take what has come to be termed "e-scrap" because of the difficulty of the recycling process. Often the need to recycle these toxic materials in an environmentally friendly fashion must also be weighed against the recyclers need to be able to make money on the process. This is usually referred to as the "Green vs. Greed" dichotomy, and it's not unusual for most recyclers to take a middle-of-the-road stance, being as green as they can while still turning a profit. There are currently only a very few (two that I know of) recycling sites in the United States that take a totally "Green" stance on e-scrap. They lose money. A great deal of e-scrap eventually winds up in third world countries where the words "environmentally friendly" have never been heard.

Throwing computers in the trash is still permissable in Colorado if you are an individual disposing or your personal computer. It is illegal for businesses to do the same, and efforts are underway to make it illegal for individuals as well. If you are reading this column on a "normal" CRT monitor, you are staring at 5-10 lbs of lead in the glass you're looking at. Bigger monitors contain more lead.If you are reading this on one of the newer flat-panel monitors, the good news is there is no lead in what you are looking at. The bad news it that there is mercury in there somewhere. Thousands of tons of e-scrap makes it's way into landfills every year, contributing to hundreds of tons of toxic substances making their way into the surrounding environment.

Regardless of how you currently dispose of your e-scrap, you can count on more and more restrictions being placed on it in the future, and it's never too early to start thinking about what your going to be doing with your current system.