Junking a Computer?

Poop, I knew a guy here in Portland that ran a company that ground up old circuit boards and then melted them down to the get the precious metals. He had a factory setup here in the industrial area of town, did pretty good for himself doing that.

Freegeek does something similar, only they re-use some of the computer parts to build systems for people who otherwise can't afford it. They do this with volunteers coming in and testing parts and pieces, then they have people who want computers to come in and learn to build the systems themselves and then they install Linux on the boxes. All in all, good things all around.

turboswede wrote: Poop, I knew a guy here in Portland that ran a company that ground up old circuit boards and then melted them down to the get the precious metals. He had a factory setup here in the industrial area of town, did pretty good for himself doing that. Freegeek does something similar, only they re-use some of the computer parts to build systems for people who otherwise can't afford it. They do this with volunteers coming in and testing parts and pieces, then they have people who want computers to come in and learn to build the systems themselves and then they install Linux on the boxes. All in all, good things all around.

NO WAY MAN! IT'S A CONSPIRACY!!! j/k. Good to know, and very cool on the volunteer part.

Craigslist FREE section for yahoo freecycle... or put it at the side of the street... it will be gone QUICK

Alley recycling FTW. My buddy keeps a big trashcan in his garage for cans, sets it next to the trash when it's full, and it's gone the next day. Easier than driving to the recycler.

I wish more folks would set aside some of their potentially useful junk instead of tossing it in the dumpster. I've pulled so much good stuff out of the trash it's not even funny. And I'm not even looking for it, I just happen to see it.

I found BEER in the dumpster. Who throws away 5/6 pack of beer? And good beer at that. Boggles the mind.

When I last was at the local Goodwill (small dropoff center) they refused any type of electronics. Seems some idiots donated computers in the past (with non-erased harddrives) only to have them resold and their identities stolen (from the harddrive data). They decided to sue Goodwill. Classy. I'm sure they have designated electronics recycling facilities, but you may not have much luck at the local dropoff locations.