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Junk Your Old PC--Safely

Discarded PCs pollute our landfills, but there's an easy solution: Recycle your old computer or donate it for a tax break.

Michael Gowan

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My closet has turned into a graveyard for old computers and PC parts: Timeworn towers, dusty notebooks, and moldy monitors gather dust in its dark corners. Someday I might get so fed up that I'll toss them out with the rest of my trash.

But besides contributing to the mountain of waste at the landfill, I'd be committing a crime against the environment: PCs, cathode-ray-tube monitors, and the components they're made of contain harmful toxins that can pollute the earth and water.

If I lived in Massachusetts, dumping my old monitors would actually be illegal. In April, that state became the first in the nation to outlaw dumping CRTs in landfills.

So what are your options when you have a PC or component that has outlived its usefulness? You could try to sell it, but the open market can be harsh on old PCs. Instead, consider donating or recycling that old computer or monitor.

Reducing the Mountain of Hazardous Waste

In 1998, an estimated 21 million PCs became obsolete, according to the National Recycling Coalition. The future looks even more bleak: Studies conducted by the group predict that as many as 500 million computers will become obsolete by 2007. While some may get handed down to children or reused in some other way, many more computers will get trashed.

The problem, according to Lauren Liss, commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, is that the materials used to make computers and displays can harm the environment and your health when they're dumped in a landfill.

CPUs contain chromium, which damages DNA, and mercury, which harms the nervous system and kidneys. A typical CRT monitor contains five to eight pounds of lead. While you're using the monitor, the lead shields you from radiation. But if the lead gets into the ground or water, it can cause developmental problems in children who are exposed to it.

To prevent these hazards, you need to dispose of your PC properly. If it's in decent condition, you can donate it to a charitable organization. But if it's so old and decrepit that charities don't want it, you need to find a recycler that handles electronic equipment.

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