How do you recycle a computer?

Computers have become an important - if not essential - part of our lives in their various forms from the desktop PC complete with a tower, monitor and wired mouse to the more modern Apple Mac with its slimline look and wireless extras, all the way to the laptops and tablets that people are using here, there and everywhere.

The problem is, when they come to the end of their lifetime - as all gadgets inevitably - how do you dispose of them? Some will say, “Easy, just throw it in the bin or in a skip”, but that’s hardly the most eco-friendly way of removing it from your home. So how do you recycle one?

You can turn to some companies that will actually buy your old machine and devices from you. It’s a really clever and useful way of disposing of your old PC or laptop - and making some money back too, which you can either put in the bank or towards an updated model.

An alternative is to ensure that you ask the company you’re buying your computer from whether they’re part of a recycling scheme, which, if they are, they will do for nothing. (If you’ve already bought your computer it could be worth checking the documents that came with the purchase). Another, similar option is to find out if your local council run some form of scrappage scheme - a bit like the one in the United Kingdom where the government helped to scrap cars over a certain age. Your council may do this, but there may be some form of collection charge as it is technically outside their current refuse collections. A simple phone call can’t hurt though can it, especially when it could be a quick and easy way to make room in your home and save the environment?

If you think that your computer is in a perfectly good condition, and the only reason that you’re disposing of it in the first place is because you’ve bought yourself a shiny, new model; then contacting charities that work with disadvantaged children or families at home and abroad could be really rewarding. Many are contactable online and will provide information on how they can help others and you can give someone else the chance to use a perfectly good computer that they might otherwise never be able to afford which could help them to find work or with their education.

Whichever method you choose to adopt in disposing of or recycling your old computer or laptop, be sure to remove any information you might have stored on it. There have been examples in the past where people have forgotten to completely clear the computer and have had their data stolen. One highly effective way of doing this is to restore the computer to its factory settings which will send it right back to how it was when it was brand new with no documents, files or programs installed other than those added by the manufacturer.