Anita Hamilton’s article, How Do You Junk Your Computer?, explores life-after-death for outdated and worn-out computers. Hamilton takes us inside IBM’s Asset Recovery Center in Endicott, New York, one of the largest PC junkyards on the planet. In today’s world of technology, planned obsolescence is a concept that, itself, seems obsolete with the rapid pace of change that sees the machine bought today often obsolete tomorrow. Thus, enormous expenditures on computer technology require that sound business managers are able to recoup as much of their investment as possible when the technology needs replaced.
Enter IBM’s Asset Recovery Center. Hamilton (70) explains that the core materials are not that valuable in a computer system “the average used system is worth a measly $6 in raw materials”. However, another method of extracting value from outdated computers literally yields a gold mine – recycling. Processors often have gold tips. Main circuit boards are made from copper and studded with silver and gold connectors. Steel frames, aluminum and copper heat sinks, and plastic cases all, too, have significant value when it comes to recycling.
Hewlett-Packard has taken matters into its own hands and now operates its own 200,000 square-foot complex in Roseville, California, where, according to Hamilton (70), the recycling of old computers “retrieved more than $5 million worth of gold, copper, silver, aluminum and steel”.
The momentum behind recycling continues to mount as computer manufacturers recognize the value in recycling old machines. This momentum includes efforts during the manufacturing process which make the recycling process less costly and complex, like replacing the metal screws and strips that used to hold the plastic housing together with snap-open panels.
The impact of recycling computers is significant from an environmental
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