Do You Reuse Before You Recycle?
By Chris Rodinis
December 11th, 2012
www.eweek.com
blog.ewastewiz.com
Donating Used Computers is Responsible
The EPA recommendation to government agencies as well as businesses small and large is to reuse outdated used computers as much as possible, rather than sending them straight to the recycler. The EPA strongly suggests to everyone to donate used electronics whenever possible. The 21st Century Classrooms Act for Private technology, legislated in 1998, allows tax deductions to large businesses that donate used computers to public or private schools. Two criteria must be met: first, make sure the receiver of the donation can use it, and second, make sure all the important data is wiped clean from the machine.
For consumers and some small business there are companies with websites whose purpose is to buy back ALL of one’s used computers, cell phones and more. Sites such as www.mobixa.com and www.techsoup.org (donations) are two good ones. Bigger companies can work with IT asset management companies like EwasteWiz, to make sure the maximum amount of electronics is being repurposed.
Considering that as far as carbon footprint, energy consumption and pollution go, reusing is absolutely the greenest form of managing e-waste. Even if one does not get the “goodwill,” karma by not donating, one will definitely get the green karma by remarketing.
The refurbishing of computers creates jobs in an industry that is growing and important to communities nationwide.
Reusing Tech is Greener Tech
Being green is more than abating global warming. Being green is about the nation’s dangerous addiction to overseas oil. Being green is not only about landfills at full capacity, but also about not having suitable locations for new landfills. Being green is about pollution everywhere and about how unprotected bare handed low paid workers are “demanufacturing” or incinerating without clean controls. During this overseas incineration, toxic clouds are spread by prevailing winds to the far corners of your neighborhood.
So we all are trying or should be trying to reduce. Next we must reuse. Only after doing our best to reuse is sustainable recycling acceptable. Think about it, the logistics of recycling are complicated and fraught with fraud. Take back programs claim to be green but when the e-waste goes “downstream,” manufacturers have only a vague idea of the ultimate outcome and damages caused. Therefore, while the recycling industry strives for improvement, the safest bet on being green and sustainable is to reuse, repurpose, refurbish, resell or remarket.
A recent trend in IT computer asset management is that end of life recycling issues and expenses are better handled at a time when the assets are new. IT asset managers are factoring costs over the entire IT lifecycle to include revenue first from reuse then as a last resort, recycling.
Moreover, there is worry not only about the environment. Now, securing the data is so critical that extreme measures must be taken to insure secure data disposal. So much information is stored in the computer memory that when lost, one does not lose a little, one loses an entirety of very important and confidential data.
End of Life is New Life to Ones that Need
For an individual, selling a used computer on Ebay is always an option. Or, repurpose it into a file server, web server or even as a home security controller. Donation possibilities include schools, churches, libraries, prisons, homeless shelters, community centers, and the Salvation Army.
Reuse achieves the goal of realizing maximum value. By using creativity, smarts, and a little imagination, computer users can do amazing things with used computers. Years ago everything was reused because that was just plain old common sense. Why trash or dump an item when it can still be used? Why take on the expense of something new when that money is more wisely spent elsewhere?
Really the heart of the matter is waste, waste per capita, and e-waste in general. E-waste is toxic and energy hogging. Now that Zero Waste policies are beginning to be launched in big cities like Los Angeles, a reuse policy is the most beneficial and most green policy there is.
Besides reusing everything; if you need to recycle some old computers, you are welcome to contact: www.EwasteWiz.com