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Monday, June 24, 2013

Guidelines For Computers Recycling In Austin

By Lana Bray


Electronic waste, especially from computers, is becoming quite a problem in Austin. Consumers can now buy more electronic appliances more often due to their cheap prices, while technological advances make it possible to have better and more powerful appliances in markets. As a result of this, there is so much computer waste out there. More than 20 million outdated computers are discarded every year in US only. Hence, resident need to be guided on how computers recycling in Austin should be done.

Also referred to as e-waste, computer equipment that has been discarded is made up of printers, monitors, circuit boards and hard drives. Since such items contain toxic substances, they should by no means be thrown out together with household rubbish, and should be considered hazardous waste.

E-waste usually ends up in developing countries most of the times, and the quantity of electronic appliances being dumped overseas is somewhat shocking. In some parts of Africa, Asia and South America, pollution from heavy metals and hazardous materials in attracting a lot of international concern.

A single personal computer can contain about 2 kilograms of lead, with the complex materials mixture making them quite difficult to recycle. Austin residents can dispose of their computer waste through either taking the items to a professional facility for waste disposal or returning them to their manufacturer. They can also donate them to a non-profit organization.

Makers of electronic equipments are more and more including e-waste management into their policies involving the environment. They also run schemes for recycling computers whereby the appliances are ripped apart and then sorted according to their type or material. Elements such as steel and aluminum are then recycled to make new products such as car accessories and plastic toys. Then, non-reusable substances are discarded in an environmentally friendly way.

The recycling plans assists in reducing the amount of waste that is dumped into landfills. Also, once they have been recycled, they decrease the volume of raw materials needed to make new products, while at the same time making it possible for residents of Austin to conveniently recycle them. The process of disposing waste professionally does not differ much from that done by manufacturers, only that the residents have to part with money for the disposal. There are quite a number of companies dealing with waste disposal, but one should confirm if they comply with the necessary legislations.

In donating to charities, several organizations operating for non-profit collect the waste products for recycling or re-manufacturing. The items collected include PCs and computers, whereby they either purchase them at throw away prices or get them for free. Those who benefit most from them are countries in the developing world.

If a city resident plans to donate their personal computers to charity, they should be sure to check that correct security measures are set in place. Such measures will prevent unauthorized alteration, access or accidental destruction or loss of personal data. Reformatting of a hard drive is not enough to destroy all data permanently.

In the process of computers recycling in Austin, coming up with waste management strategy on the part of the non profit organisation is vital. The strategy would involve the next step when then recycled appliances become obsolete.




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