Obsolete technology really bothers me.
Today I'm considering the fate of the following:
1 - 15" Dell CRT Monitor, still works great
1 - 17" Dell CRT Monitor, still works great
1 - Gateway computer tower, runs Windows 2000, has a CD drive, a DVD drive, a floppy drive and a Zip Drive
1 - Blue and White G3 Mac
I think the next hazardous disposal in our town isn't until October, but these are slated to go. What bothers me the most is that, at one time, each of these were top-of-the line machines that cost a fortune and made huge profits for the companies that put them out. Now they're just wasted space. I've replaced them with a larger flat panel Dell monitor, so Dell continues to make money, even though everything they've made before 2009 is obsolete.
That's not right. Why are we, the consumers, responsible for disposing of these highly toxic machines, when we didn't make them, and we did not profit from their purchase? Dell (to name one, but all computer manufacturers) should be charged with buying back obsolete equipment, and disposing/recycling them at their own expense. It may cut into their profits in the short run, but it would be a better solution that what we have now.
I tried for a month now to obtain a converter so that I could at least attach a DVD player to the larger monitor. The converters themselves are hard to find (no brick-and-mortar company has one, they're only online), and cost almost as much as the DVD player does. I have newer monitors, so it's not really a necessity, I just hate wasting something that cost that much money.
And I stub my toes on them a lot when I walk around my apartment :( --JB
HP does this. In 2010, they say they recovered 30,000 tons of hardware for reuse and remarketing, and recycled 121,000 tons of electronic products and supplies. They estimate they avoided approximately 225,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions through recycling activities.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/product_reuse_and_recycling.html
All this WITHOUT the Government telling them they HAD to! Weird.
Awesome, thanks Balin!
ReplyDeleteThis came through in today MacRumors website: Apple will now begin accepting old products for recycling at all of its retail stores worldwide, reports The Associated Press. While the company has had a recycling program for quite some time, the terms for trading in a product would vary by device category.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, those looking to trade in a Mac or iPad for recycling were limited to filling out an online form and shipping it with a prepaid label, while those looking to drop off an iPhone or iPod could bring it into an Apple Retail Store or ship it to a recycling center.
Now, customers are welcome to bring in all products to any of its retail locations, where the company will recycle them for free. While all devices will be accepted for recycling at no charge, those who bring in products that are in fair condition will also receive a store gift card.
Apple made changes to its recycling program in 2011, expanding the program to include more devices and older computers. Last year, Apple also introduced an iPhone trade-in program that allowed customers to trade in a device for a gift card that could be used toward the purchase of a new iPhone, which has since expanded to multiple countries.
The move comes as Apple launched its "Better" environmental campaign yesterday ahead of Earth Day, which included a video detailing the environmental efforts of its Apple Campus 2 project. Apple will celebrate Earth Day at its retail locations around the world by giving its logos green leaves and having its employees wear special green shirts. The company will also reportedly hold an event at its main campus in Cupertino, California.