Recycling Your Computer The inevitable has happened! Your computer has finally died! A new one is on its way to you but what do you do with the old one? How do you dispose of your old computer in an environmentally friendly way? The answer is Computer Recycling! The Importance of Recycling Computers We know that recycling is important but it becomes even more so for electronic products. Computers and monitors contain many toxic metals that can seriously damage our environment. There is the added factor when dealing with the disposal of computers that they contain our personal information that we may not have the knowledge on how to completely remove it. The Advantage of Recycling Computers The benefits of recycling your computer are many. If you choose to recycle through a responsible recycling company you can be sure that your personal information will be removed from your computer in its entirety. Other benefits to recycling your computer are that you will be content in the knowledge that your computer will not be having a negative effect on the environment and the toxins contained inside will be kept away from the water supply. In addition to this the metals used in the manufacturer of your computer can be reused which inevitably reduces the amount of raw materials that need to be extracted through mining. Often a computer that has been recycled can be used again. Even if parts are broken there is a chance there is a replacement component that can be used to get it working again. Many recycling centres will donate this type of old computer after removing any personal information to charities who then sell them on cheaply to people and organisations that otherwise would not be able to afford one. When selecting a recycling centre try to find one that works closely with a charitable organisation. Computer Recycling - How does it Work The first stage for any responsible recycling centre is to remove all personal and financial data from the computer. The next stage would be to harvest any reusable parts from the computer that can probably be used in the refurbishing of another computer. All un-reusable parts of the computer are then organised into types and materials to enable them to be sent to a factory where they can be smelted down and then be used in the manufacture of other things. The metals on the circuit boards can also be removed to be reused which keeps them out of our environment.