Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Lisa asks…
is there anyone websites or services that buy broken computers and electronics like an xbox?
i have a laptop with a broken hard drive and im not gonna bother replacing it. i also have a red ring of death xbox that is out of warranty and again i dont feel like fixing. i want to recycle them but get something out of it if possible.
The Expert answers:
Ebay . I see broken xbox’s all the time on there… Just make sure to list it as broken.
William asks…
Recycling Old Electronics?
Is there anything I should worry about when I recycle these to my school?
An old laptop that doesn’t hold charge anymore and won’t turn on.
Damaged/Old Cellphones
Nintendo product
Is there anything I should do to these items before donating them?
The Expert answers:
Your notebook would have a lot of personal information that you should not want anyone to have access too. You would have phone numbers and possibly text messages stored in your phone. I would remove the HD from your notebook and shoot it with a rifle of sufficient size. The cell phones are a problem. If they are not working, you probably can delete the info and save bogus info over the deleted info. You may just want to shoot the cell phones several times or mash them flat with a sledge hammer.
Mary asks…
Where do I dispose of/recycle used Epson printers in Singapore?
There’s nothing on the company’s website on this. I suspect it’s the same for all other irresponsible electronics company. I feel that I would like to do a small part to make this world greener.
The Expert answers:
You don’t need to dispose those cartridges, all you need to do is to sell it to a person who buys empty ink cartridges to recycled.
Sharon asks…
I’m losing my job and no one around is hiring what do I do from here?
The company I have worked for the past 5 years is closing down due to the economy. They recycle electronics and there is just no market for the stuff anymore. I love working here and this is where I met my husband. Now I will have to find work elsewhere and most of the other companies around here that I am qualified to work at are either not hiring or also closing what should I do now?
The Expert answers:
Your wrong. Every place is hiring! Maybe you will have to work as a receptionist or a janitor for a while until you can adjust and get a better job, but people are hiring! Never say they are not. Even the big companies are hiring! Don’t give up. Keep searching and be persistent.
Donna asks…
is there gold in electronics and how do you get it out?
i want to know if there is gold in electronics that i can recycle and what kind of electronics is it in
The Expert answers:
I found this online. Given about 1 square inch of gold plated connectors and with plating at about 50e-6 thick for gold plating on a circuit board edge connector, use the following:
1 sq in * .00005 in * 16.39 cu cm per cu in * 19.3 g per cu cm * .03222 troy oz per gram * $925 per tr oz = $0.47 per board
Not worth the time if you ask me.
Susan asks…
what do you do with portable electronics that do not work?
I have a bunch of stuff that doesnt work and I feel bad about throwing it in the garbage can, because of all the recycling feedback I’ve got. but I as far as I know only plastics, aluminum and paper is to go in my recycle bin. What do I do with my broken VCR, My broken CD player and Others… They have electronic components that may be hard for the enviroment if they’re mixed up with the rest of the garbage? help lease. I just want to be environmentaly friendly
The Expert answers:
Well first I would put them on craigs list or ebay, sometimes people want to buy the parts. (You could make some mooooneeeyyy). But if you really want to do dispose of it, the best thing to do is to put all of it in the recycling. They will be filtered out at recycling plants and melted down
Daniel asks…
can you take the old electronics to be recycled at bestbuy?
i was at bestbuy the other day & this guy had some tv’s & a vcr on the cart as i was walking in the store. i asked him what he was doing with them he said im going to recycle them. I said can i have them he said yes i’ll thke them to your car i also have more stuff in my car i said ok great he had speakers a turntable 2 receivers powered sub & surround sound speakers all for free & it all worked
today i was there again at a different BB & i seen some old lcd Screens & a PC & Printer I asked the guy who worked there if i could have them he said i dont know we just throw them out you have to ask someone else. so i did but she said No we have to send them out for recycling
so i was wondering what if i just walked out with them & act like they were mine & just said i changed my mind i want to give them away. they can’t really prove there not mine would that be stealing i mean after all its just junk to them what could they say Could i go to Jail
is there a better way to go about it has anyone else had luck with getting Old Electronics from them
let me know thanks
The Expert answers:
BB accepts most kinds of used electronics for recycling, but the odds of convincing them to let you as an individual take something out is close to nil. Items brought in for a repair estimate usually get a pink sticker attached by security. Without the sticker it’s not leaving. See the first 2 links below.
There is a whole industry that has grown up around e-waste and working or salvageable items are often resold either through liquidators or on Ebay. If you try a searching for some of BB’s house brands (Dynex, Insignia, Rocketfish, etc) on Liquidation.com you can see some of the accounts that are used. I know someone who has bought pallets full of salvage items and he told me that occasionally some items appear to be “post consumer”.
Politicians have got into the act by passing laws about the handling of items designated as e-waste – especially by businesses.
There’s also the added concerns about data security with old computers.
Intercepting items (as you did) sometimes works and the risks can be minimized by being polite and not “pushy”. You don’t want to be perceived as “soliciting”.
A safer approach is to join one or more Freecycle groups that are active in your area (out of the nearly 5000 local groups worldwide). It costs absolutely nothing to join and participate and everything is free. Other members of the group post items that they no longer need but wish to keep out of landfills. While most of the things you’ll see offered are household goods and clothing, there are often electronic items as well. I and several of my friends regularly repair computers and other items as a hobby and then give them away simply because we can.
The last link below will help you find groups in your area.
Don
John asks…
what are the reactions to recycle the electronics?
Beyond the fact that most of them doesn’t get recycle, I need to find simple information about recycling electronics.
I would appreciate if you source your answer.
The Expert answers:
Recycling electronics is a complex interchange of physically separating those items that can be handled more cheaply apart and then dealing with the mass of lead, tin, gold, copper, and plastics that make up the innerds. There can be no simple statement of chemical reactions once you get past the physical breakdown.
Maria asks…
Recycling Electronics?
Hi. I’d like to know where i can recycle all of my old electronics. I have 2 massive bulky TVs and some other junk i’d like taken off me for free and possibly an incentive to me. These electronics may or may not work anymore. Thanks
The Expert answers:
Hi bulky old tv usually end up down the rubbish tip in there recycling bin which you have to deliver, the rest maybe in a pawn shop. If any of it still works if not in the recycling bin or the dustbin.
Sell it if it is still working and current.
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