One programme in the US is called Computers 4 Community, which you can read about at AllenTechAdvising.com. Old and even broken communities are either given to families who cannot afford to buy one. If the computers cannot be fixed, they are recycled appropriately. This usually involves breaking the computer apart and reassembling working parts to make a “new” computer. Parts that are too old or cannot be fixed are sent to places which can deal with them. Computer monitors can be sent to China, for example, where factories have the technology in place to re-smelt the monitor tube to make a new one.
Computer monitors contain toxic substances and should never be thrown away with the usual rubbish collection. Increasing numbers of localities are banning computers from landfills for fear or lead or other contaminants entering groundwater supplies. This is because the monitors, like television screens, contain cathode ray tubes (CRTs) that contain a substantial amount of lead. However, a few companies that have the technology and processes to separate the lead from the glass used in monitors, enabling the recycling of cathode ray tubes.
CD-ROMs and floppy discs are also a source of pollution. Burning discs in incinerators releases toxic emissions, and discs in landfills can do the same. The simplest way to recycle unused discs is to erase and reformat them for re-use. One company in the United States buys unsold software discs to recycle in this way. As for used consumer discs, the recycling process is a little more complex. To fully protect them against data and purity corruption, these discs must be broken down, mixed with new materials, and remade.
Consumer and government pressure is putting pressure on computer manufacturers to create recyclable machines and parts. Several design considerations can improve recyclability. One is to minimise plastic material composition, and to use similar classes of plastics that have the same recycling method, to facilitate sorting. Another is to avoid resins, paints and plastics that contain no toxic compounds or heavy metals. Advances in chemical and materials engineering are making this increasingly possible. Naturally, by using recycled materials in their products, computer manufacturers are supporting the recycling industry and encouraging its continuation.
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