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Computer and Electronics Recycling

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Digital TV broadcast conversion got you stumped?  Want to recycle or donate that old TV?  Check out our list of options and links for more information.
Legislation was passed in 2008 to require a computer manufacturer that in any calendar year manufactured or had manufactured computer equipment in excess of 500 units which were sold (or offered for sale) in Virginia under its brand or license to implement a recovery/recycling plan for those computers at no charge to the consumer.  Information on the legislation, and its requirements on computer manufacturers, can be found beginning at Section 10.1-1425.27 and continuing through Section 10.1-1425.38 of the
Code of Virginia.  
   
The Act goes into effect July 1, 2009.  Each manufacturer must file its recovery plan with DEQ in order to continue to sell its products in Virginia after the effective date of the legislation.  If a manufacturer's recovery plan is not in place (and on file with the Department of Environmental Quality) by that date, the manufacturer's computers can not be sold in the state. 
For a listing of Computer Manufacturers that have notified the Department of a recovery plan in place, click on the Virginia's Computer Recovery and Recycling Act Information link to the left of this page.
 
EPA releases guide for electronics recycling operations

Oct. 31 -- The U.S. EPA has developed a new guide for electronics recyclers on how to run safe and environmentally protective recycling operations.
The agency developed the Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices for Use in Accredited Certification Programs for Electronics Recyclersö to promote better environmental, worker safety, and public health practices for electronics recyclers.
The R2 Guide lists 13 principles to help electronics recyclers ensure their material is handled safely and legally in the U.S. and foreign countries, according to the EPA. It calls on recyclers to establish a management system for environmental and worker safety, develop a policy that promotes reuse and material recovery over landfill or incineration, and use practices that reduce exposures or emissions during recycling operations. The principles also call for recyclers to use diligence to assure appropriate management of materials throughout the recycling chain, including materials that are exported to foreign countries.

Visit mygreenelectronics.com web site for information on eCycling and a search engine for eCyclers in your area.  The web site was established by the Consumer Electronics Assn. of Arlington, Va.

Goodwill's FREE Computer Recycling Program

Goodwill of Greater Washington has partnered with Dell Inc. for Reconnect, to offer FREE recycling for any brand of computer and computer equipment in any conditionn.  If you have a computer or computer equipment that you wish to recycle, visit www.dcgoodwill.org/shop.php?SHOPmain=shop/retail.html to find one of Goodwill's Donation Centers or contact David Remick at david.remick@dcgoodwill.org for more information.  Goodwill offers computer recycling in most of its Virginia operations.  Please call your local Goodwill store for directions and participation information.

Office Depot Offers Electronics Recycling at all of their Stores

The Office Depot is providing boxes to customers for a nominal fee to collect unwanted electronics.  The electronics recycling program is called Tech Recycling Service and is available throughout the country. Go to:

Tech Recycling Service at Office Depot

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Computer and electronics recycling has moved to the forefront of recycling program discussions across the U.S.A. EPA has initiated a number of programs and promotions geared to raise the public's understanding of the need to capture this material, and as an alternative to disposal, to have it properly managed through reuse, re-manufacturing or recycling systems. Improperly managed electronic materials may release hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium into the environment. Many manufacturers have set up take-back programs or funded regional collection programs to facilitate the recovery and proper management of their products.  Virginia seeks to promote the responsible management of electronics waste in accordance with federal and state regulations. Access the following web site for additional information on EPA's Plug-In to eCycling Program: http://www.epa.gov/plugin. A number of ongoing electronics recycling collection events have been established by Virginia localities. For information about electronics recycling options in your community, visit www.deq.virginia.gov/recycle/contactlist.html for your locality's recycling program contact.

Dell offers customers free computer recycling

The no-strings-attached program does not require customers to buy a new Dell product in order to recycle an old one. Dell will pick up any of its branded electronics, such as computers and printers, at no charge from customers' homes. Those wanting to recycle their Dell product can go online at www.dell4me.com/recycling, enter a product identification number, print out a prepaid shipping label and schedule home pickup.

Best Buy to accept electronics nationwide for recycling

Beginning in February, all Best Buy stores will accept up to two electronic systems per day from customers for recycling.  There will be a $10 charge for accepting computer monitors or televisions which will be offset by the issuance of a Best Buy gift card for the same amount. (Click on the Best Buy link above, and then search for "recycling" on its web site.)

A Issues CRT Rule - Universal Waste Designation (PDF)

The Rethink Initiative (EPA)

Virginia eWaste Management Program Notices

Security Guidance for Consumers donating or turning over Computers for Recycling

Potential Security Issues Regarding Personal Information Stored On Computer Equipment That Is Collected, Recycled, or Reused
 
Removing Personal Information is Important
 
Recycling old and unwanted computer systems is good for the environment! However, before you take that old computer to the recycling center or ship it back to the manufacturer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are not also inadvertently giving away your personal information. Computers can collect and store information related to daily use such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information, confidential emails, and website sales receipts. Computers are also excellent at storing seldom used documents such as tax returns, medical records, and resumes.   If you do not adequately remove your personal information prior to disposing of your computer, there may be unintended consequences such as identity theft, financial loss, and/or embarrassment.
 
Methods to Remove Personal Information
 
Simply reformatting the hard drive or deleting files does not permanently erase the information stored on the drive. The next person who takes possession of your computer could use a relatively simple and free software package to recover data you thought you had erased. Properly removing your personal information from your computer prior to disposing of the system is a critical step in preventing identity theft, financial loss and/or embarrassment. The two methods for removing information from a hard drives are overwriting and physical destruction.
 
Overwriting - Overwriting of data means replacing previously stored data on a drive or disk with a predetermined pattern of meaningless information such as a string of 1s or 0s. This process will write a 1 or 0 on every part of the drive or disk no matter if that part of the drive contained data. The overwriting process should make at least one pass over the entire drive to reduce the chance that personal or financial data could be recovered. Additional passes will further reduce the potential for data recovery, although a single pass will defeat most software recovery attempts. The Microsoft Windows XP installation CD, Microsoft Windows Vista installation DVD, and the Apple OS-X Installation DVD contain disk management tools that can be used to overwrite the data on drive. In addition, the following software programs can also be used to overwrite the information on the hard drive:
 
ActiveDisk                                  http://www.killdisk.com/eraser.htm
Active@KillDisk                            http://www.killdisk.com/
DBAN "Darik's Boot and Nuke"         http://dban.sourceforge.net/
DriveCleanser                              http://www.acronis.com/products/drivecleanser/
Eraser                                        http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/
 
 
Physical Destruction – Physical destruction can be used to prevent the recovery of personal or financial information from defective or obsolete hard drives. The goal with physical destruction is to damage the hard drive disk platters. To perform physical destruction, remove the hard drive from the computer and disconnect any cables or mounting brackets. Drilling multiple holes into the hard disk platters will preclude use of the hard drive and provide reasonable protection from recovery of the data written on the drive. The hard drive can also be subjected to physical force by pounding with a large hammer that will disfigure, bend, mangle or otherwise mutilate the hard drive so it cannot be reinserted into a functioning computer. If you choose physical destruction as the method for reducing the risk that your personal or financial data could be recovered, please be careful and be sure to wear safety equipment, like goggles and gloves.

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