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Proper Disposal Of Old PCs?

Posted by simoniker on from the down-sewer-to-sea dept.

IMNTPC writes "Over the years, I've advanced from a 386DX-33 to a Celeron 1.3 Ghz system. I've slowly been accumulating enough old parts that now I think it's time to start disposing of anything that predates a Pentium 166. Does anyone know of a good place that will properly dispose/recycle of these old parts and PCs for little or no money? So far I've found pcdisposal.com, but anyone know of any others, either online or physical dropoff points in major metropolitan areas?"

3 of 409 comments (clear)

  1. You could... by tomstdenis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... say throw linux on it [or wipe the drive] and donate it to a local school. You could post a bulletin in your local newspaper [usually you can find ways of doing this for free] and offer it for free.

    I can imagine there are families out there that wouldn't consider a P166 [in working order] a "bad computer".

    So I'd say as long as your older machines still work clean on up and offer it to someone needy.

    That, or you could fill the thing with propane cylinders and explode it in a local abandonned quary. Make sure you tape it and post a url to your video later on!!!

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    1. Re:You could... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't mind if someone accepts donated ancient computers to use them at home, but don't donate them to schools. A "free" 486 or slower will cost more in lost administrative time than the price of a non-free low-end Duron system which can handle current software. Don't take teachers away from kids. They will do a much better job without your trash. Just because some schools' computer labs look like computer museums doesn't mean you have to add to the misery.

  2. Re:Schools don't want them by stuartkahler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A P100 makes a fine SOHO firewall..

    Actually, it doesn't. Back when a router cost $200, an old computer was a good way to run your net connection. Nowadays, you can get a router (with 802.11b AP and 4 port switch, no less) for as little as $30. The difference in electricity costs for running this 24/7 come to $5-10 per month. Not to mention the space savings, and the lack of noise or heat gain.