The quick pace of computer innovation has given us more powerful systems at lower prices. Every time we upgrade our computers to gain the latest and greatest, we are left with an older used computer that no longer meets our needs.
The easiest thing to do is to just put that old used computer system in a closet, basement, or some other out-of-sight location. There are better solutions, particularly if the computer in question is still working and is less than five years old.
The worst thing you can do is put the computer in the trash. Landfills are not the place for harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, and mercury, found in most digital equipment. With plenty of other solutions available, there is no reason to simply throw an old computer away.
You could find someone else who can appreciate and use your old computer. A computer donation to a nonprofit organization, like Giving Center, is a good choice.
Usually, if your computer is more than five years old, it is unlikely charities can make use of it. It can become difficult to find software for these systems and, with the number of computers being donated, some charities no longer need to accept slower machines.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Create a brief description of the system including brand, processor, hard drive capacity, audio or video specifications to the best of your knowledge. That also means all the accessories you are including.
- Contact the charity to determine if the computer will be of use. Exceptions can be made. To see if you can donate computer with Giving center, fill out the online donor contact form.
- If are able, also provide the charity with a complete, fully-operational system including the keyboard, mouse, cables, documentation and any other hardware you are including in your donation.
- Package everything carefully to mitigate damage.
- Do not forget the receipt. Charities are required to give you a receipt of donation upon receiving your generous donation. Giving Center is able to provide you with all necessary receipts and tax documentation required for a tax deduction.
Remember, the more complete the system is, the easier it will be for the charity to put the computer to good use.
When To Recycle?
If your computer is too old to rejuvenate or donate to charity, you should recycle it. Technology recyclers accept older equipment, assess its potential, and can break it down and dispose of the dangerous materials safely.
It is critical to choose carefully. Like many industries, small groups of bad businesses have sprung up offering recycling services, but in fact, they often dispose of obsolete systems to regular dumps or send them to computer “chop shops” often found in third-world countries. In these chop shops, computers are stripped of all useful materials using methods that do not protect either the environment or the workers. The rest of the materials end up in a dump.
As with most industries, the recycling business has several associations and organizations that rate and establish standards and practice guidelines that must be followed.
Most computer manufacturers do offer recycling services at minimal cost and, in some cases, for free. Some can even provide shipping labels and instructions on how to send the computer back to them. Others also accept computers from different manufacturers for a small fee. Take Dell, for example. Dell does not charge to recycle any of their products. Dell will even recycle other systems for a small charge when you buy one of their products.
TAX BENEFITS
Most charitable donations can be tax-deductible and computers are no exception.
As with other donations, it is important to keep good records of every transaction. Be sure to get a receipt from the organization you have donated to. Placing a value on the computer is usually up to you, it is important to find a reasonable fair value. IRS regulations generally allow you to deduct the fair market value of items donated to a qualified organization. Make sure to check with your tax professional for advice on the tax implications of computer donation.
Preparing Your Computer for Donation or Recycling
Making sure you rid your computer of personal data is an essential step. Charities, recyclers, and refurbishers usually wipe hard drives clean before sending them on. But, for your peace of mind, you should permanently delete your data yourself.
Emptying the recycle bin and deleting the files is not enough. When you delete a file from a hard drive, the operating system only deletes the information that lets you know where the file is located. Restoring data after a file is deleted can be easy, even for non-experts. Overwriting data with randomized zeros and ones is not good enough either. Nor is reformatting the hard drive. An expert can usually restore data even after the drive has been overwritten or reformatted.
However, there are relatively simple and permanent data erasing solutions are available and some of them are free. These specialty software permanently remove files from your hard drive and does not leave a trace that could be used to restore them. This is done by writing random characters and binary data to the drive.
Even if you feel you do not have any secret or personal files, you still should run an erasing application before you make a computer donation. Critical information such as passwords are stored on a hard drive.
Donating your old computer to charity helps people in need, can keep dangerous stuff out of our landfills, improve your mood and can even put some money in your pocket.
