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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. :)
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.
That's how I've gotten rid of most of my accumulated junk.
Rgds
Damon
http://m.earth.org.uk/
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.
It'll disappear even faster if you leave it outside, marked "$10". You have to go inside though.
Compared to even today's bargain hardware, stuff 5-6 years old doesn't even have the processor power to justify the electricity/waste heat/noise.
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
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.........
You have to be a total moron to use old computers for distributed computing. The amount of electricity you waste and heat you generate is ridiculous considering you can replicate the computing power of dozens of older systems with a single new box which uses the same amount of electricity as a single node of the old systems.
Sure, there's something to be said for using them as an educational tool, but again, you're still better off getting a newer high powered box and just running a virtualization environment on it to mess around with distributed parallel computing environments.
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
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.
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...
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.
Which is precisely why you see so much illegal dumping in areas where the local or state government tries to enforce pay-to-recycle schemes.
It's Human Nature; People will gladly recycle if they can just leave it by the curb to be picked up. But if they have to take time out of their busy days (and really, who isn't incredibly busy anymore?) to drive their old whatever down to the designated recycling center, make sure it is sorted properly by type and/or material, lug it from the car into the center and possibly stand in line waiting to have it taken, then they find they have to pay? Nope, most folks will either try and hide the "recyclable" junk in with the rest of the trash, find a lonely country road and dump it in the ditch, or in the case of old PC stuff, simply hang onto it for a stupily long amount of time.
This happened in microcosm in my area. A local upscale township tried to enforce a pay-to-recycle program on it's residents. Just to be clear, these were the local semi-wealthy. Tenured College Professors, Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen and Executives. Well educated and active citizens. Not your stereotypical poor slouches from crapsville who don't know jack about recycling. The town used to just take everything, and had no recycling plan. Pressure from local activists to start a recycling initiative and some newly elected leftist town government members pushed through the pay-to-recycle scheme and law against NOT recycling. Within a week of the new plan and law illegal dumping and incidents of recyclables mixed in with the regular trash skyrocketed through the roof. People were simply unwilling to take the time and pay the extra money to bother with recycling. Even in the face of potentially large fines. This went on for well over a year, and only escalated over time.
The township tried making everyone switch to clear plastic garbage bags, so that the garbagemen could see if there were recyclables. People just put the recyclables inside white kitchen garbage bags or paper bags and then put those in the clear bags. Or they ignored the clear bag law and continued using black plastic bags. The town offered to give people special recycling bins and to take the recycling away for them for a monthly fee (read: special tax) THAT went over like a lead balloon at the next town meeting.
Eventually the outcry from the residents and from the garbagemans union (about being forced to become "garbage cops") forced the town to rework it's plan. They made a deal with the local recycling company: The town recieved special recycling bins from the recyling company, and then distributed those to the residents at no additional charge. They then set up a special team of recycling trucks (re-purposed garbage trucks) that just collected recyclables from the bins, and would then take them to the center. The private recycler took care of sorting and recycling the junk. In the end, the town ended up turning a small profit after about a year due to the large amount of recyclables turned in at the private recycling company. Illegal dumping dropped off to the minimal level it was at before the forced pay-to-recycle plan, and most of the surrounding towns, including my own, have adopted the same type of plan. Why not? It works.
Oh, and the morons that thought up the stupid pay-to-recycle scheme? Voted out of office the next election cycle. Ain't Karma grand?
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
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.