Disposing of old computers etc.

Cleaning out the attic and there are probably 10 plus old computers up there. Some are dead but more than a few just obsolete. 
    Plus printers, simulators,  games, backup energy ,   etc. 30 + years of electronics. 
I know I have to take to the county recycling center. But that's going to be expensive. 

are there cheaper solutions?  

In reply to frenchyd :

How old are they?

There's definitely a collector scene for anything from the 80s and early to mid 90s. Depending on what you have, you might actually get money, not pay money.

If you've got anything from the 80s I might be interested .

What he said.  Take a rough group picture or three and someone might be able to ID some of the treasures.

In reply to BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) :

I think I gave away my really old ones because others would take them.  

You have to pay to recycle electronics?

Best Buy recycles old electronics. I took some old cell phones and tablets up there not too long ago.

Goodwill recycles old electronics.

Pull the hard drives and destroy them yourself.

Everything else, drop it off at Goodwill.

ProDarwin said:

You have to pay to recycle electronics?

Yes $50 each 

In reply to frenchyd :

That's a fantastic berkeleying scam they're running. 

Our local Best Buy quit doing the recycling I think. Goodwill still takes them, they partner with Dell to recycle it is what their website says. I have a couple of broken LCD monitors I've been too lazy to get rid of except the one time I took them in for recycling is when I found out Best Buy wouldn't take them anymore.

RevRico said:

In reply to frenchyd :

That's a fantastic berkeleying scam they're running. 

Yup. 
 

I bet if you threw it up on CL or FB, "free, must take all" you'd have it gone before tomorrow. 

^What he said, just pull the hard drives and put a drill through them.

I guy near me takes older computers and puts linux on them  and gives them away to the needy.....

Old backup power units often just need the batteries replaced, which are available online, HD, etc. The one my computer uses is over 10 years old, just with new batteries.

Like others have said, depending on the age, there's a collector market for some of the older machines. Stuff from the 80's and 90's is really taking off and is huge right now. I wish I kept my old Gateway 2000 tower from 1995 because of this. Take some pics!

Heck, depneding on what you have I might be interested. Those beige 80s-90s towers are needed for my V A P O R W A V E machines.

frenchyd said:

ProDarwin said:

You have to pay to recycle electronics?

Yes $50 each 

This is mind blowing. Even the crappy Southern county I live in doesn't charge for that. Or tires, or appliances or any type of trash. Drop it in the appropriate bin and move on. What do your taxes pay for if not services like trash disposal. 

Got any of them Commodore 64's??? 

I want one of those. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I do actually. With a butt load of accessories and some software. 

All in boxes still, I don't remember what all is there. I'll try to get pictures soon

My dad kept one of his first PC clones, a Sanyo MBC550.  With two 5.5" floppy drives.  About 1982, I'd guess.  

What's it worth?

Frenchy, Hennepin County recycling charges $10/computer, not $50.  In addition there are some other options for recycling computer stuff in our area, in some cases for no charge (although some places have temporarily suspended recycling due to Covid-19):  

https://www.hennepin.us/green-disposal-guide/tvs-computer-monitors-laptops

The last time I took electronics to be recycled locally, they paid me. It wasn't a lot, but it was better than nothing.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Add monitors,  keyboards, games,   etc. I've got decades of computers. At a time when common knowledge was a 2 year old computer was hopelessly obsolete.   
 

I think you are in the Minneapolis area. Dell does e waste days every now and then at the Edin Prairie office. Not sure how close that is to you. 

RevRico said:

In reply to frenchyd :

That's a fantastic berkeleying scam they're running. 

Sure is.  Our county doesn't charge, but it's a 20 mile trip to the dump.