Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Blogs

    Hardware Tips

  • Keep your PC's internals and externals in tiptop shape by following the sage advice of Contributing Editor Kirk Steers.
  • Subscribe to this blog

Hardware Tips: Is There Gold in Your Attic? Cash In Your Old PC

Kirk Steers

Recycle It

If your old PC doesn't qualify for a trade-in or donation, recycle it. Computers, monitors, and peripherals contain lead, mercury, and other nasty chemicals that demand special handling. Throwing your system in the trash is not only a very bad idea, it may also be illegal: California and Massachusetts are among the states that have enacted laws prohibiting the disposal of a CRT monitor in a landfill.

If you're buying a new PC or printer, see if the manufacturer offers free recycling; Dell currently includes a coupon for free recycling with each PC or printer. Click here for details.

Dell, HP, and IBM will recycle computer products from any manufacturer for a fee ranging from $10 to $34 (see the chart below). For information on free and low-cost recycling alternatives, check the Web sites of the Electronic Industries Alliance and the National Recycling Coalition.

Click here for past Hardware Tips columns. Send your tips and questions to kirk_steers@pcworld.com. We pay $50 for published items. Kirk Steers is a PC World contributing editor.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No
 

Deal Breakers

Special Offers for PC World Users

Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft

  • Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
  • High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?

People who read this also read:

All PC World Blogs

PC World's How To Buy Laptops Guide

Sponsored Links