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How to get rid of your old computers and still be green

With the New Year upon us, many of you have either upgraded your old PC’s for shiny new ones, or are thinking about it. So what should you do with that old PC leftover? Well, starting January 1, 2010, in Oregon it is illegal to dispose of computer, monitors, or TVs in the garbage or at disposal sites, such as landfills, transfer stations, and incinerators. This new Oregon law is part of the 2007 legislation that also created a free state-wide recycling program, Oregon E-Cycles. The purpose of the ban is to require reuse and recycling of unwanted electronics and reduce the amount of harmful electronic waste that goes into our environment. Recycling electronics saves energy, conserves resources, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Unwanted electronics, known as e-waste, is currently the fastest growing waste stream in the United States.

Violating this new law will cost you. If you leave any computers, monitors, or TV’s into your garbage, your garbage hauler will leave them with a tag directing you to proper recycling program options. The Oregon law states that anyone who violates the ban could receive a penalty up to $500 for each violation. Each computer, monitor, or TV that is disposed of improperly is considered a separate violation.

So, whatever you do, don’t just throw it in the dumpster! Not only is it an environmental hazard that you will be fined for, but you don’t want complete strangers getting access to your old files, passwords, financial information, and emails. Some people make good money reselling personal data not wiped off of a discarded hard drive.

The law that created the disposal ban, also created the Oregon E-Cycles that provides free recycling of computer, monitors, and TV’s at any of the program’s 220 collection sites. Anyone can bring seven or fewer computer, monitors, or TV’s at a time to a collection site.

To find an Oregon collection site near you, visit www.oregonecycles.com or call 1-800-5-ECYCLE. If your business has larger volumes of these items, you can set up recycling services by visiting the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) website at www.oregon.gov/DEQ.

Finally, you might want to consider donating your old PCs to a charity, such as Youth For Technology (www.youthfortechnology.org ) or Computers With Causes (www.computerswithcauses.org). Many of these organizations will clean your hard drive to prevent identity theft, and you can write off the donation on your taxes! Δ