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Dell Offers Curbside Computer Recycling

Posted by timothy on from the new-source-of-ram-and-old-hard-drives dept.

schm00 writes "A Dell press release today announced an expansion of thier recycling program. For $15 they will arrange to pick up used computer equipment from your home and transport it to an EPA approved recycler. You can order pickup starting on March 25th. It's nice to see an alternative to the darker side of computer recycling."

8 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. For $15, why don't you donate this to charity? by ketamine-bp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They will be glad to pick it up from your home for free with thankful eyes and faces.

    Not trolling, but I don't really think this type of business service worth any mention in slashdot. FYI, I donate all now-useless-for-me computer parts to charity (I live in Hong Kong, though. so YMMV in the states or other nation.)

    1. Re:For $15, why don't you donate this to charity? by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I've recycled dozens of computers for charities, and recently helped a group install Linux on 300 refurbished (Pentium 75+) computers to be sent to Equador.

      You wouldn't believe some of the crap I've had to wade through. Broken monitors, burned motherboards, piles of 8086's.

      Most groups would rather live without a computer then take your old 386 with a green screen monitor. They need a computer that can run modern or semi-modern software, without a techie to help them deal with unfamiliar or primitive UI's.

      For disposal, $15 is a pretty good deal.

      --
      "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  2. Old stuff value by pdan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Old computers either still have enough juice to be usable, or are so old that they are gaining value for collectors (check prices of some Sinclair models). So charity or eBay seem to be better solutions than paying somebody to take stuff away.

  3. I've got an idea....... by MegaHamsterX · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Since most computers people are throwing out now are at least 486 level machines, why don't we get them back in working order, put a minimum Linux install on it with a browser and mail client and give them to people who can't afford computers. Most monitors are also usually repairable with a few dollars in parts, with the schematics it's usually something that can be quickly fixed.

    Is there an existing non-profit organization that could start a thing like this nationwide?
    Also, you could write you time off on your taxes at the end of the year if that mattered to you.

    Does this sound workable to anyone?

  4. Security by pdan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I work for the Lab ran by Departament of Energy. We have lots of old but still usable computers (on PII 500 level). The only problem is that they cannot be taken offsite for security reasons, and nobody wants them on-site. The security is so tight that when harddrive in one of new Dell boxes had to be replaced, the old broken one couldn't be taken by the serviceman (which is the usual policy).

    The problem is thas institutions like this have the biggest stores of old crap and nothing can be done with this.

  5. Don't. by TheOnlyCoolTim · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At my school, I help out with all the computer stuff.

    We get so much crap dumped on us as "donations." I get to deal with a lot of it.

    If I'm lucky, it will power on and boot up. (If I'm unlucky, it will be missing the CPU or the motherboard will be cracked in half.) Then, usually, the OS is fucked up enough that it needs a reinstall, so I get to search for drivers for random Dell crap from 1996.

    Usually I just scavenge mice, keyboards, any 168-pin memory, and CD-ROM drives if they are IDE.

    My favorite donation is when some asshole gave in a monitor.

    Upon being powered up, a huge 1" arc was visible inside the back. I am told that 1" through air means about 20,000 volts. If you looked at the screen, random points of energy seemed to be sparkling from deep inside. I figured it probably was about to give me face cancer, and something inside popped and started smoking, so I turned it off.

    Tim

    --
    Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
  6. Throwing out computers?? by fafalone · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There's got to be alternatives:

    -Give them to people who can't afford a computer.
    -Leave them running distributed computing programs in the basement (SETI@Home, etc)
    -Give them to me, and I'll take out the hard drive and add it to my array. Monitors would also be great, always need more of those. I'll even pay for the shipping if you want to get rid of it bad enough to pay $15!

  7. post it to a LUG by asv108 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anytime I have old hardware laying around the house that is not worth selling on ebay, I just post an offer to my local LUG mailing list, within 5 mins there are multiple offers to pick it up for free.