What do you do with obsolete computer equipment?
 

I recently upgraded to a better system and have two printers and a tower that are pretty much useless. I thought about donating them but that's just passing the uselessness to the next guy.


I know there are places that take old equipment, but what do they do with it? Does 99% end up in the trash after they grab a simple component?


Just curious.

I put it in a box in my garage and look at it for years and never get rid of it

This is the perfect thread to ask.

If anyone has a DV deck sitting around I’ll be glad to use it before you trash it.

Gotta get these tapes onto a hard drive before it’s too late.


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We have a county place to recycle. I usually pull everything off the hard drive then break it up.


Groves
https://www.amazon.com/Dazzle-DVD-Re...7034589&sr=8-9

We have a similar recycle program, but doesn't it just end up in a landfill? Are they paying someone $15/hr to separate the metal and plastic?

no idea. Its hennepin county so anything crooked is possible

Staples will accept most old electronic waste. They may charge for some stuff like CRT monitors or tube TV. Call them and they'll give you a quote if there's any charge.

This is why my car is on my driveway and not in my garage...

Throw it out in the Dumpster Fire out behind the Broncos Stadium.

I do my best to pass it on shortly before it becomes obsolete and use any funds, if any, gained from them to put towards the new rig.

That said... that old computer could still have life if you had any need for a storage server or a media center PC (depending on its age).

Target practice.

My wife had a laptop that died within days of the expiration of the warranty. Took it to an outdoor range in Missouri and went at it with my Garand. The first shot must have hit the battery, because it started burning. The second shot basically blew it apart - flaming chunks of shitty computer went everywhere.

It was very therapeutic. :)

We've got a federal prison here that dismantles all of them and sorts out the materials for recycling.

Why break it up? There's software out there that can wipe a drive to DOD specs. Just nuke it with 1's and 0's and send it on its way, whether you're recycling it or donating it. Places like Goodwill and several charities will take older computer equipment off your hands.

To me-most of the time old electronics-especially computers are worthless.

My Father in law kept trying to give me his old computers. Hell no. Same with 15 year old Tv's
Our school sold 4 year old Macs for 200 each. Just not worth it to me.

Well hard drives are an exception for me. I always keep old drives, especially if they're new enough to be solid-state. The older platter-based I usually burn. The SSD's I wipe all 0's a few times and then use them for external storage on some other machine like my PS5. I just have a thing against ever giving someone, especially a stranger, a drive that could be data-mined.