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Well, if its only old crap, just take everything to a SWICO Recycling collection point and leave it there.
At least if you happen to live in Switzerland.

Some/many/most (?) ountries have industry programs to recycle old electronics equipment.

E.g. swico (CH), Fost+ (BE)

from swico website :

"The Swico Recycling Guarantee has been in place since 1994. It guarantees that used equipment is taken back comprehensively from the following sectors: informatics; office electronics, consumer electronics, telecommunications; the graphics industry and dental industry.

Used equipment can be handed in free of charge for recycling. The recycling operations are financed by consumers who pay an amount in the form of an advanced recycling fee (ARF) when they purchase new equipment.

In 2003 some 30,000 tonnes of used equipment were professionally recycled. This means more than 75% of the material was returned to the raw materials cycle."

So, if you have stuff no worth ebay, there's free recycling disposal.

In Switzerland, the association SWICO is charged by the state to deal with electronics recycling of all kinds. When you buy an electronic device (even chainsaws count), a recycling fee is added to the price. Then, when the thing dies, you can take it back to any store in the country that carries similar stock. In reality though, even stores that don't sell any computers or monitors will take them back -- the company that picks up and recycles the stuff is the same anyway. The stores are required by law to cooperate and can't weasel out if you bring them a 15 year old 20" monitor and they only sell LED flashflight keyrings.

The fees are very moderate, I never paid more than 7 francs (5 EUR) for a computer, perhaps 15 francs for a rather big dishwasher. With computing equipment, the fee is calculated by the price of the item. Household machinery goes by weight.

Many companies, especially IT, still try to make a very small amount of money by selling off their inventory once it gets replaced, so it's not like we all just dump trucks full of laptops at Mom & Dad's Electric Toothbrush Wonderland. But once the thing refuses to boot, it's good to know I can take it back to any store.

This even covers items sold before 1994 (when recycling became The Law). We've had a few years of experience with this system, and I don't know of anyone who's unhappy with it so far. So: yay for mandatory electronics recycling.

In Switzerland, the association SWICO is charged by the state to deal with electronics recycling of all kinds. When you buy an electronic device (even chainsaws count), a recycling fee is added to the price. Then, when the thing dies, you can take it back to any store in the country that carries similar stock. In reality though, even stores that don't sell any computers or monitors will take them back -- the company that picks up and recycles the stuff is the same anyway. The stores are required by law to cooperate and can't weasel out if you bring them a 15 year old 20" monitor and they only sell LED flashflight keyrings.

The fees are very moderate, I never paid more than 7 francs (5 EUR) for a computer, perhaps 15 francs for a rather big dishwasher. With computing equipment, the fee is calculated by the price of the item. Household machinery goes by weight.

Many companies, especially IT, still try to make a very small amount of money by selling off their inventory once it gets replaced, so it's not like we all just dump trucks full of laptops at Mom & Dad's Electric Toothbrush Wonderland. But once the thing refuses to boot, it's good to know I can take it back to any store.

This even covers items sold before 1994 (when recycling became The Law). We've had a few years of experience with this system, and I don't know of anyone who's unhappy with it so far. So: yay for mandatory electronics recycling.

Here in Switzerland we have an advanced recycling fee since a few years. You can bring any electronic device to anyone who sells electronic devices. They have to take it back for free, even if the stuff you bring back is older then the new recycling system. Before people were trying to evade costly recycling fees by dumping things into the wood or the like. From a consumer point of few I like this very much because it sometimes was quite difficult to find the correct place to dispose off something.

But if the device is still working or easily repaired, reuse it rather than recycle it.

The fees (German)

An english overview over the system

...we have a similar system since 1/2003. The price of the device defines the recycling fee (German page), usually about 10$ per computer.
If we throw it away instead of returning it we'll have to pay per kilogram.

Same applies for other electronic household goods such as refrigerators, TV sets etc. Before this, you had to pay some twenty bucks apiece or by weight to get rid of it - all in all it's cheaper now.

See http://www.swico.ch/3d_recycling/html/recy04d_gebu ehr.html [german, mostly figures]