Computer Recycling

[tramtwo]

As some of you know I manage a warehouse for a non profit organization. We get hundreds of pieces of computer equipment donated every month. (This is one that I am using now.)
Some of these items can be made use of and resold, to provide funding for the program. Most of the items however are beyond repair and must be discarded.

What I would like help with is some ideas to make good use of this discarded equipment. There is all sorts of stuff, anything that you can think of an electronic nature. I have a buyer for the real old stuff, like the Commadore 64 (The Personal Computer with Professional Power), get about two of these a month. The other items are just trash, a waste. Most of it is too old to donate to schools ect., so what do I do with it?

[Abremylin]

I am interested in your NPO can you relay a website, etc. so I get check out what you guys are doing. I live in bush alaska and the closest thing we have to what you are doing is the Rotary Club. Do you have any charter organizations, have you considered it, are you a charter yourself?

Anyhoo I do know, at least in Alaska, that it is a requirement that electronic equipment must be discarded in the haz-mat area, especially CRTs. You may want to check with your legal department on proper disposal of those units.

As for added value usage of the obsolete equipment I have a couple suggestions.

Cases: Boat anchor, fishing weight, housing material (surrounded by cement, like the tin can house), melted to make ammunition.

Floppys, CDROMs, HDs, Memory and Power Supplies: Ebay

Motherboards: School science projects, electronic training facilities, soder practice, etc.

Another avenue of investigation is to see if there are any schools in the area that would like to help you find a method for added value usage of the equipment. It amazes me what kids can come up with in the name of earning extra credit. My concern would be safety of the disposed units (sharp edges, pointy objects, etc.)

Good luck and I hope to hear from you.

[tramtwo]

http://www.bridgehouse.org/Index.htm

Those all sound like some good ideas. I am really looking for a process, as labor is limted and there is only one of me.

We have thought about ebay. But we are talking about hundreds of items a week, outside the scope of what we could do at this point. :/

[enat66]

Well you could always sell bundles of stuff on ebay, just make the buyer pay for shipping and have the minimum bid be enough to cover the ebay listing cost of a couple of items. You probably won't sell everything but it could help do away with somethings.

Also...you can use old cases as step-stools

Also try to find computer geeks in the area who wish to play around with old systems...someone will want it.

[ThunderChicken]

You could make me up a quick computer. I want a turbo button.
maybe 25 MHz clock and 8 MB RAM!!!
(need 8 MB to get on internet)
Stuff like that....Then again, Nevermind :O
Some schools use older computers for programming..

[zipulrich]

Simply have Jason change the web page from reading

"We do not accept the following items:

Monitors that do not power up at all
Pentium processors less than 133 Megahertz."

to "Pentium processors less than 2.53 Ghz."

[tramtwo]

I've tried they won't change it. Man you should see some of the stuff we get... I mean it is amazing that poeple still have 286's that they donate.

[yuppicide]

Wow! I'd buy a Commodore 64 if you had a 1581 drive to go with it and maybe a JiffyDOS chip.

[tramtwo]

I could come up with all of that, plenty of buyers for the good stuff!! Even had a PONG game come through, worked like a charm.

[ThunderChicken]

What I'd do if I was TramChicken, I'd make as many of the old "desktop" cases, the big chunky ones... Fill em with sand and sell them as patio blocks. maybe out a window and a few LEDs

Glowing Patio Blocks....That'd make some money!

[tramtwo]

Yes it would. Why don't you give me your address and i will mail them to you to be overhaulded. We'll split the take 50 50.

[ThunderChicken]

I'll consider it....

Aww dang..If I tell you my address, I'd have a ton of glowing patio blocks, but no ISP!! Wait 'til I move out.