Today I'm going to talk about how to improve the environment we live in. As Jonathan Skillings reports, the problem of computer junk has become increasingly serious, considering the ubiquity of computers nowadays and the fact that the average work computer has a life of only three to five years. Because computers are constructed using both precious and toxic metals, they are inappropriate for landfills. Even if you could find a landfill that would take your old computers, it's a labor-intensive process to separate the valuable from the dangerous. The problem is that, while many talk about recycling PCs , few are actually doing much about it.
Some organizations sell or donate old computers to their employees.
That's a worthwhile endeavor, but if you choose to do that, don't forget to wipe out all the data on your hard drives. If you don't, you may be releasing old documents and programs unintentionally. On the other hand, if you leave the drive intact on purpose, be sure to transfer the licenses for any software on the computer to the new owner. You can also donate your old computers to a worthy cause. The agencies in this directory facilitate donations of used computer hardware to schools and community groups.