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klevin writes "Grist magazine's running an article on what to look for when the old PC's running out of gas and you want to avoid trashing the environment even further. Their suggestions include: upgrade instead of replacing, go for LCD monitors instead of CRTs and, if replacing, reuse the old one as an MP3 server on your home network."
...right here.
Or, if you're on the other end, you can also apply for a used computer.
The Army reading list
Of course, then there is always the issue of older machines being less power efficient; Perhaps reusing them could be considered not green at all :)
She loves me: 09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0 She loves me not: 09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688BF
Donate them to a charity. An MP3 server is really a waste of energy. I mean, come on... why not simply donate the pc to some charity that can give them to those less fortunate folks who could use them, and who don't need a P4 3.4ghz system to use email, do homework, and balance their checkbook...
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Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
I have one, its called a stereo. Really, for the 99.99% of the population that doesn't read Slashdot, who is going to actually do this? Nobody in the iPod generation for sure.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
turn them into smoothwalls for your friends and neighbors.
Seriously... I've recycled a bunch of old pentium-class machines that were headed for the landfill by setting up a "smoothie" and giving them away to ppl.
Doing my part to stamp out worms and viruses.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
goodwil has computer centers where they take your trash computers and build systems for the less privelidged...or..just the cheap for that matter. I've gone into their center to buy parts for my older machines before.
Computer re-use is the best option. Use 'em until they can't even pull firewalling duty.
...letting it go. Stop buying new CRTs now, folks.
The big culprits, however, are CRTs. Manufacturing those things is awful. My father's company once contracted with (Sony, I think) a Singapore manufacturer to remove and purify all the water from their industrial runoff from CRT manufacturing. Dad's company had been working on an ultrapure water system for the Shuttle, so they knew they could do it. However, the final product (a sludge) was so toxic that it would have cost more to dispose of than just diluting the wastewater and
I've wiped disks clean, installed new distros and open office, tweaked it to avoid glitches and then donated the resultant computers to a local homeless shelter. They use them as typewriters for the most part.
I hate to see perfectly good equipment go to waste. (Especially just because I wanted the latest and greatest!)
The recent announcment where Intel is building greener chips is an example of reduce...as is simplified packaging, reusable containers, using your own coffee mug instead of a disposable cup etc.
The next best thing is Reuse. I recently turned my old box into a file server for example. The downside is this machine is always on (i.e. I have two heaters in my basement instead of one). I can reduce my power consumption a bit by clocking it down...but not eliminate that electrical demand completely.
All in all I think a general awareness of the "Total Cost of Ownership" on a global scale will hopefully lead to more enlightened decision making. That some of the big players are taking part is a good sign.
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Keeping old machines in service is fine, but I'm not so sure about finding new uses for them for the sake of not switching them off..
On a similar note, new PC purchases. The library at my Uni has got a whole bunch of new Pentium 4s with WinXP in the library, for running a web client for searching through book records... nearby, the bank of ~20 monocrhome Wyse text-mode dumb terminals are still ticking away after something like 15 years? Meanwhile I'm running simulations on sub-800MHz PIIIs in the labs!
Ahh bureaucracy...
- Paul
I use the eBay program. People send ME $30, I throw a bunch of crap I don't want in a box and send it to them!
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
"... released a ... report on the environmental impact of computers, from production through USE and disposal." (emPHAsis mine)
A friend of mine just measured his power consumption on a 24/7 P166 MP3 server machine and concluded it costs 52.3 kwh/month ($6.14/month for him). Even if the monitor were constantly in use (~double the above numbers) he'd have to save $150 a year with NEW equipment (cost to make/buy + (cost to dispose x2) VS cost to run) to justify trashing the old. If he used a clever timer system so it was only on when needed, then he'd save lots more and REALLY have to work hard to justify new equipment.
The math seems very in favor of careful reutilization in most cases. You have to have something really sucky to justify getting a new thing and THROWING OUT the old thing. The materials almost always cost more to deal with than the energy consumed for use, apparently.
I'm thinking about it, therefore I might be.
There are a lot of limitations on what I can do with old computer equipment. True, CRTs contain all sorts of horrible stuff, but LCDs contain a lot of mercury, so they too will need to be reclaimed in a responsible way. It's not enough to put it on the curb with the correct sticker and claim that you are "recycling." It is likely that the thing is still going into a landfill, maybe a lined one, maybe not.
As for donations, the schools in my area won't accept anything less than a Pentium III, so the whole "the only need an old P75" isn't going to work anymore.
Recycling never takes off until the law says it has to. Until real recycling is a requirement, it just is not profitable enough to build that infrastructure.
Recycling old computer equipment here at the mission is a huge problem. We have a growing pile of old monitors and other computer equipment. This stuff comes to us through donations to our thrift store.
Unfortunately, most of the computer equipment that comes to us is useless. We don't sell it through our thrift store: we've found that no matter what we say, people expect technical support after buying a computer. For the most part we don't use the computers ourselves. We could start declining donations of computer equipment, but even that can be difficult to enforce... stuff has a way of slipping in anyway.
So for the time being, the equipment, especially the monitors, just keeps piling up. I've worked hard to convince my coworkers that it's wrong to just dump the monitors in the trash. Happily, this is a place where ethical concerns do count.
One idea I've had is to strip out the electronics from all the equipment and ship just the electronics to a recycler. We would trash the plastic cases. The idea is that we would drastically reduce the volume and weight of the material, thereby reducing shipping costs to something that might be profitable. Labor would be free: the addiction recovery program includes working full time at an assignment in the mission, and most of the guys are plenty handy with screwdrivers and other tools.
Has anybody has any experience with something like this? I think I could sell the idea if we even just broke even. Is there any hope for Preprocessing for Fun and Profit (especially profit)?
I've found that my posts don't format quite right w/o a sig.
One issue I see with choosing LCD panels over CRT displays is that of lifespan. It's not uncommon for a CRT to outlive it's "useful" lifespan. I've acquired several older CRTs this way from my previous employer.
15" CRTs that were deemed too small for desktop use, old-skool 21" CRTs that had too much screen curvature and were simply too big compared to newer 19" and 21" CRTs (that were also a fraction of the cost). All of these CRTs are four to eight years old and still functioning.
Comparing this with what my experience has been with LCD panels is that they have failure rates higher than that of CRTs. I've seen this mostly with notebook screens. This comparision isn't entirely fair, as notebooks receive considerablly more abuse than a desktop+CRT. However, LCD panels have backlights (usually a miniature florescent bulb) that will burn out eventually. On notebooks, these backlights are integrated into the panel itself and are not replaceable parts by themselves. I don't know if this is the case with desktop LCD panels, but I suspect it is.
So the question is, how does using LCD panels vs. CRTs really impact the environment considering failure rates and manufacturing defects?
And these LCDs aren't exactly Llyama or Sony displays either - try cheap Acer/BenQ/LGe.
Then again, I'm not on the sales/warranty returns and LCD sales have only picked up in the last 18 months in my area so I may have yet to see all the caveats.
As far as developing faults are concerned, LCDs seem to either work fine or not work at all.
Cheap CRTs, on the other hand, especially large ones, love to get cracked PCBs or imploded tubes when moving house. Also, they run hotter with higher voltages, and the repairs seem to be more involved; HV circuitry collapses, power supplies die, OSDs go crazy, HO transistor dies, caps dry up, diodes go open circuit, dry joints cause intermittent faults, temperature related problems, picture becomes distorted/washed out/unfocused...
Cheap LCDs are a lot nicer to pack up and send back for repair. Packing up a cheap 19" CRT is quite costly compared to sending back a LCD, or motherboard or HDD...
As far as useability is concerned, it seems most offices we're fitting out would disagree with you. A cheap LCD is much better on the eyes IMHO than a cheap CRT. Cheap, nasty, half-working CRTs that some employess put up with are particulary worse than any LCD.
- Paul
As far as I know, not much people know about this, but if you plan on using your old machine as a server this will probably come in handy. http://www.gnu.org/software/gnump3d/
California will add a recycling fee to the cost of new computers and televisions starting July 2004,...
Might I suggest that anyone seeking to purchase a computer in California after July 2004, to instead jump in the car and drive north to Oregon to make the purchase?
We have no idiot fees here and NO SALES TAX for anyone, on anything, at anytime. There are several well-stocked and knowledgeable PC stores in Medford just across the border. The trip is about 400 miles each way.
The drive from the Bay Area is beautiful on the Hwy 101 route (same highway number, but not the demon road of Silicon Valley) and goes through one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the Redwood National Park. There are interesting and inexpensive hostels to stay at in both Kalmath (1 mile north of Trees Of Mystery) and Ashland.
Even with high gasoline prices, the savings from not paying the idiot California sales tax and the new recycling fees make the trip worthwhile. Plus the beautiful scenery is rejuvenating experience for those who spend far too much time staring at symbols on a PC monitor.
Portland, Oregon is home to "Free Geek," a really neat PC recycling / refurb effort:
http://freegeek.org/
They charge $5 to recycle a PC or monitor. If it has usable parts, they strip them out and use them to build Linux-loaded PCs for schools, nonprofits, and the like.
Labor comes from volunteers. They will give you a PC for every six you build / refurb.
Stefan