Recycle, Recycle!

Computers and More

Yesterday, we sent almost one hundred computers, printers, monitors and battery backups to the recyclers. Because we are a computer company, we are mandated by the state of Florida to use a state-certified computer recycler. The nearest company is in North Miami.

In years past, we always had to transport all of the items to be recycled ourselves. Fortunately, new owners took over and are willing to stop at our place when they are on their way to pick up equipment in Jacksonville, FL.

From time to time, people ask us about recycling electronic equipment. I thought it would be helpful to answer some of the more common questions we are asked. Here they are:

How much does the recycler pay you for all the equipment you give them?

Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Although you can take copper and other metals to the recyclers and get paid cash, that doesn’t happen here. The recyclers simply take the equipment off our hands. In fact, if we recycle one of those old, old CRT (Cathode Ray Tube – like old TVs.) monitors, we have to pay them $5 to take it away.

What do you do with the hard drive from our computer? Does that go to the recycler, too? Doesn’t that expose my personal data?

Have no fear – we remove all hard drives from computing devices before we send them to the recycler. In fact, I was in the garage yesterday morning at 5:00 a.m. removing hard drives and finished just when the truck pulled up at 10:00 a.m.

If you remove the hard drive with all my data on it and it doesn’t go to the recycler, what happens to it?

When we remove the hard drive from your computing device, we label it with your name and the date. For the next 30 days we safely store your hard drive and do nothing with it – just in case you call because you need some data off it. After 30 days, Joyce’s dad comes and spends six or seven hours tearing hard drives apart. He pulls out the disks where your data is stored and destroys the disks. Your data is not going to fall into anyone’s hands!

Why can’t I just put my old computer out for the trash?

The idea of putting a computer out for the trash is bad on so many levels, I couldn’t list them all. Instead, I’ll share the two most important reasons to not do this. First, there are people who drive around just looking for computing devices that have been set out for the trash. Some of these people purposely do this with the idea that they might be able to steal data off old devices. Granted, some people are just wanting to find metal items to tear down and take only the metal to the recycler and get some cash. Still, you don’t want to take that chance because you don’t know who is honest and who is not. Second, if your computing device (including printers and scanners, by the way) does make it to the trash truck, it would be awful for our environment and for our landfills. In a three-word phrase: DON’T DO IT!