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What Should I Do With My Tech Junk?
Thomas Matysik writes "I'm attempting to de-clutter my house and I've hit a rough patch: the computer room. I've got a bunch of wires, hardware and software that (I think) were useful at one point in time, but these days it doesn't do much more than take up space. Selling it seems like it'd be a huge hassle and it seems really wasteful for me to just pitch all of this stuff in the dumpster. I've considered giving it away to Goodwill, but I'm afraid that's not the right sort of outlet for this stuff. My question: what should I do with all of my tech junk?"
...and use the cash to fund more future tech landfill, obviously.
I've been working at home as a consultant (software engineering) for over 15 years. Doing a lot of embedded programming, I've accumulated lots of custom and COTS hardware over the years that I almost never use. The problem is the word "almost." On a rare occasion some suspected bug gets reported and I have to dig out some hardware that I haven't used in years and get it working again. After verifying that the suspected bug is really user error, I then pack it away in the basement.
So for me, I just keep everything. It's all worthless, anyhow. How much would someone pay for a Hayes 2400 baud modem? Or a 68040 based Mac running System 7? Or an 802.11 (not a, b, or g) Access Point? I also have early 802.11-draft wireless equipment if that sweetens the deal for anyone. :)
Turn them into a beowulf cluster, obviously.
And use them to sun some distributing computer projects, like folding@home etc.
It depends on where you live, but there may be a flea market specifically for this sort of stuff that you can give away for free. If you are within traveling distance to Boston, MIT holds an event called the "SwapFest" which is precisely that. You need to pay a small fee to sell, and then can give away stuff for free, or actually take money for the more expensive equipment. More info at http://www.swapfest.us/
I mean it, simply bring it to a recycling centre. Older computer junk often has more gold content than newer stuff and they sell it off to companies that can extract it. The older the junk, the better.
As for goodwill, don't bother with anything below P-III class machines or higher. Even that's starting to be stuff they don't take anymore.
Have you considered recycling it?
Similar programs exist elsewhere in the civilized world. STFW and you'll probably find somewhere nearby that will be happy to take your junk off of your hands.
What they will do with it is anybody's guess, but at least it won't be sitting around your house any more.
That's how I've gotten rid of most of my accumulated junk.
Rgds
Damon
http://m.earth.org.uk/
...one great strategy seems to be leaving all your tech "junk" in a conspicuous spot near the curb just before bed. Unless you're in an extremely quiet neighborhood, it seems there's *always* someone around who's interested in an old 486 tower or a Franklin Ace machine. I've used the same method a few times, and it seems that there's always some old-school hacker prowling the streets at 3AM hoping to score some vintage hardware or parts.
It's either that, or homeless people have learned how to eat 25-year-old 5 1/4" floppies of pirated Apple II games...
Adult arts and crafts too.
A motherboard and paint makes cool artwork.
Disk platters are good for all kinds of things.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Freecycle it.
I've come to really appreciate the power of Freecycle.
You give stuff away, so it's kinda like taking it to the charity shop, except that (a) the person who gets it is usually someone who really wants it, and (b) they come and pick it up, so you don't even have to take it anywhere.
And if you post it on freecycle and no-one is interested, then you can do what you were planning anyway and take it to the charities.
So consider freecycle for this. And if you're doing a mass clear-out as you said in your post, I'd suggest considering it for all the other stuff you're getting rid of.
I mean it, simply bring it to a recycling centre. Older computer junk often has more gold content than newer stuff and they sell it off to companies that can extract it. The older the junk, the better. As for goodwill, don't bother with anything below P-III class machines or higher. Even that's starting to be stuff they don't take anymore.
I agree with one exception: CRTs. I replaced two home CRTs with two nice LCD screens and wasn't sure what to do with them. Assuming no one would want them, I looked up recycling them which turned out to be pretty expensive.
Since they both worked, I took them down to the thrift store near my house and asked them if they'd take them. They said as long as they worked they would sell for $20 or so.
It'll disappear even faster if you leave it outside, marked "$10". You have to go inside though.
You need to find out what you have in there. CAT5 cables are good forever, where as it'll be kind of hard to give away a GeForce 2. You need to sort out the junk and ID as much as you can. Anything that holds some value can be sold or given for charity.
In the Baltimore area, there's the Greater Baltimore Hamboree and ComputerFest every spring. My uncle, an electrical engineer, took me once when I was in high school, and I've been back several times since.
It's a blast! Make sure you browse the outdoor tables, too. This place really exemplifies the adage "One person's trash is another person's treasure."
"Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
I recycle by burning all my old junk; turning crap directly into carbon. The more junk you have the better, preferably stuff that burns really well. If not just chop down a few threes and make a great fire that will melt anything that doesn't burn. By doing this not only do you save the environment the burden of driving the stuff to a landfill; you also have a nice backdrop for a summer party. What could be cooler than burning a heap of potentially toxic materials.
The Long Now Foundation
to form the white trash version of Voltron.
Monstar L
http://www.officedepot.com/promo.do?file=/promo/pages/0928_recycling.jsp
For a "nominal fee" you can drop it off there to be recycled.
Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"
Short answer is...at some point, you really do have to say fuck it, and throw it in the trash.
Once I've accepted that, my home suddenly isn't cluttered, has more space and room for me to actually use the stuff I do have that is useful!!
At some point, it IS worth it to throw it all to the curb, and let the garbagemen take it away.
At the very least, put the stuff you think might be useful outtside or on top of the cans. Down here in New Orleans...often that stuff will disappear overnight. I've left old monitors and computers and gear out overnight for the trash, and very rarely do I ever see it in the morning still on the pile. If the stuff isn't good enough for the dumpster divers, then off it goes to 'trash land'.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
For a lot of old computers there is somewhat of a cult following, so the obvious answer is to take the old computer and bundle it with the software and perhaps a few cables and sell it on Ebay or Craigslist. You may not think your C64 is worth anything, but there is someone who will pay $25 for one in good working order. You think your Apple ][ is nothing more than a paperweight yet someone else thinks it is worth $15. You say it would be too hard, but, you need to realize that there are a lot of people who collect and/or use old tech. Not to mention that if you strip out all the insides, having an Apple ][ as a case would be cool for a whitebox computer....
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Ive been working on computers since i was 12 (im 21) and 50% of everything i learned has been from computers people gave me. :( )
I think one of the most beneficiary things you could do is put an add in the paper for some kid to come and take it. Especially if its routers/switches, mobiles devices. You could give someone the chance to learn from equipment that they cant afford to buy (or their parents). I know that myself getting stuff like that helped me get the IT job i have today. And Every chance i get I try to pawn my computer 'junk' off on a kiddy so he has a chance to mess around with different technology. Some of the things I always liked to get:
- Sparc Stations (non PC platforms are like tech pr0n)
- routers/switches (anything to connected computers together, token ring? i never got any of that
-scsi (een if its old, its still the whole point, an old scsi storage unit, or tape drives)
- laptops, PDAs, (always fun to have)
- odd systems (486DX with Overdrive(R) technology) Even the old computers are still fun (386 with scsi ?)
- old servers (especially)
the plus side to this, is then you dont hav to worry about throwing it away, and you'll be Serving a full portion to a kids appetite for knowledge. Hope this helps
The great internet migratory box of electronics junk. Here
I saw something about this place on the Planet Green tv channel. The thing that I had saw on tv was how they recycle old cd's and make them into cd cases, but they take all sorts of unwanted electronics stuff.
Here is the site
http://www.greendisk.com/
Ha in my hood, you put ANYTHING to the curb and it's as good as gone. I put four broken office chairs to the curb (two of them were missing wheels) and they were gone inside of an hour. The scary thing is the vehicles that drive around and collect the junk. I saw a Ford Ranger once that had junk piled about fifteen feet high. The rear bumper was just about scraping the ground, and the washing machine that adorned the top of the pile looked like it was about to fall. We call them junk carts.
The high voltage power supply in a monitor can keep a kid entertained for quite a while.
Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
Goodwill is your best option. I've volunteered before at the Goodwill Computerworks here in Austin where almost all or most computer parts are shipped within the U.S. from all of their locations nationwide. They have a large warehouse and sort through everything, will test most components and have 3rd party businesses buy the scrap parts to extract the metals from, etc. They make sure almost all of the parts donated are recycled in an environmentally friendly way.
One of the promising links I saw was UM Computer Monitor/Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Recycling Program
Being a spelling & grammar Nazi is a sign you do not poses the intelligence to contribute to the conversation
Just as a follow-up ... anyone considering taking e-waste to a recycler should first check to see if the recycler is listed here as having been approved by the Basel Action Network (an anti-dumping group). The list includes "e-Waste recyclers that have agreed to adhere to strict criteria [...] The criteria require that no hazardous electronics equipment or parts (as defined internationally) will be exported to developing countries or be processed by captive prison labor, and that none of it will end up in landfills or incinerators."
As far as I know, it's the only (somewhat) reliable way to know that a "recycler" isn't just exporting the trash to the developing world. Many recyclers talk a lot about the environment, but don't give very many specifics about what actually happens to e-waste you drop off (besides vague platitudes like "in accordance with all State and Federal laws" which means little given how minimal most laws concerning e-waste are). That's because they may just be loading it into containers bound for the other side of the planet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Here's what I do. Put your stuff on the curb the day after the garbage truck shows up so it will sit there for the next six days. Put a note on it.
Air Conditioner: Free. Works but it's a bit noisy, but yours if you want it.
Lawn Mower: Free. A bit smoky, has a loose rear wheel. Yours if you want it.
Those are two I've done. Both went somewhere before the next garbage day. Just stick a note on it and say it's free, and what might be wrong with it. I'd try something like this:
Old computer stuff: Free. Outdated, but worked the last time I used it. Yours if you want it.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/about/soul/recycling.html
Staples offers in-store recycling for tech trash. There's a ten dollar charge for bigger stuff like monitors, printers, and PC's, but smaller stuff like keyboards, mice, and speakers are free. You'd be surprised at what getting rid of just the old keyboards and speakers did for my office. They also take only cell phones, pagers, cell phone batteries, etc. I've dropped off a few phones, sans SIM card of course.
Staples also has an ink and toner recycling program. It's gotten to be more of a pain in the ass lately, but it's still worthwhile. If you bring in an original HP, Dell, or Lexmark ink or toner cartridge, you get a $3.00 credit on you staples rewards card. Once you get at least $10.00 worth of rewards, you get a check in the mail.
You can only drop them off three at a time, but last month I able to turn our collection of used toner into $30+ dollar rewards check that I used on some supplies for non-profit I volunteer for.
There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
I'd love to think that there's some 8-year-old kid out there crouched in front of an old monochrome amber monitor yelling "XYZZY!" "PLUGH!" and "THESE TWISTY PASSAGES ARE ALL ALIKE!" instead of bitching about how all his friends have an XBox 360...
They have many links to local and national outlets to recycle computers and electronics, and many of them are free or low cost:
http://www.epa.gov/e-cycling/donate.htm
Mail it to someone! Check out tgimboej.org -- The Great Internet Migratory Box of Electronics Junk, conceived by the wacky cats at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.
Vacuum-bag your electronic junk.
Go out camping in a rugged area.
Dig a hole, and bury your stuff.
Gather some rocks and place them in a cool design on top of your electronics.
Cover the rocks with more dirt.
That should be enough to screw with the heads of future archeologists.
Then at some point your wife will demand that you get rid of some of that junk.
Considering the alternative, you will find it quite easy to decide what to throw out, and quickly, before bedtime...
-- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
I have just started taking old computers and fixing them up to give to families that do not have a computer. I have already fixed up eight of them and to see the kids faces is priceless. Anyone that would like to join the cause shoot me an email.
If you're in the US and you have small electronics (like obsolete video cards), you can get prepaid recycling envelopes at the post office. See here: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/pr08_028.htm Computer cables are a big question mark for me. Unlike building wire, they don't have enough copper to be particularly valuable. Every new LCD monitor seems to come with a VGA and a DVI cable, only one of which is typically used. That's a lot of cable to be instantly obsolete. Maybe I'll put all the VGA cables in a box and ship them back to Dell.
In some places this is against the law. I know where I live you are not allowed to put out your garbage until after 4pm the night before pick-up.
So put it out in front of a neighbor's house. At night. When God is sleeping.
I am not a crackpot.
Gazelle (http://www.gazelle.com) is a website that is trying to answer this. We want to provide a practical, rewarding way for people to finally rid themselves of all those old cell phones, digital cameras, and gaming systems that they no longer use, but can't seem to find a way to let go of. Too often when people think of recycling, they rush straight to smashing things into bits for parts. We believe that reuse should always come first. If your GPS unit still works, why not keep it in circulation AND get paid for it? If reusing isn't in the cards, then we'll ensure that it is recycled responsibly. We think of it as ReCommerce. Right now we'll make an offer for any item in the 9 categories we support: * Cell Phones * MP3 Players * Digital Cameras * Laptops * GPS Devices * Camcorders * Gaming Consoles * Satellite Radios * Portable Hard Drives
Go to Cornell University in Ithaca NY.
Go to Rhodes Hall.
Outside of the big lecture room, in the hallway, actually behind where the lecturer would stand are two counter tops.
Leave your computer hardware, software or books there.
If you see anything you like, take it with you. This is the sacrificial altar to the gods of geekdom. All are welcome to take or remove and tech/geek item you want. Much of it is reused by students making insane projects.
- I live the greatest adventure anyone could possibly desire. - Tosk the Hunted
There is a non-profit organization here at http://www.rebootcanada.ca/ which refurbishes old H/W for churches and the less fortunate. Not sure if they cover shipping, but they seem like a good place to ditch your junk. Otherwise you can send it to me, I LOVE legacy hardware. =)
Those of you who are concerned about contaminating the environment with lead, remember that the lead was in the environment to begin with. We have environmentalists screaming at miners not to take lead out of the ground, then they turn right around and scream at us when we try to put it back in somewhere else.
Cute. The problem people have is when toxic levels of lead accumulate in people's bodies directly due to irresponsible industrial practices and poorly managed municipal waste programs. But you knew that. Heck, in my town, we have an insane 'green' program whereby farmers are subsidized if they 'fertilize' their crops with industrial and municipal sludge from water treatment facilities. It hasn't been treated. It's raw. The only thing removed is the water. And guess what? We now have high levels of heavy metals and other random chemicals in our produce, fish and livestock. How's that for brilliant?
When people smarten up, then I might accept over-simplified "It came from the ground" comments. Until then, I'll be keeping a close eye on the brain-damaged clowns who run industry and government. --I don't want to eat lead just because the people in charge of my food and water supply apparently already have.
-FL
Sorry, but wasn't there an internet video about putting your junk in a box that was totally about something else?
you should read everything on the internet as if it had "but I'm probably talking out of my ass" appended to it.