qondio.com/dbrq

Computers are disposable products

By Anthony Ashard

Having worked in the second-hand trading of computers and domestic appliances for most of my adult life, I have witnessed marked changes in the way that all home electronics are now becoming seen as just disposable products, that once a fault develops with the product or they are upgraded, they are simply discarded most ending up on landfill sites.

Computers in recent times have also fallen into the disposable bracket and are now proving cheaper to replace than to have repaired.

It's mainly due to the ever plummeting costs of budget computers and especially budget laptops - printers scanners being sold at supermarkets for silly prices.

One solution to preventing these computers hitting landfill sites so quickly is to offer them to charity and recycling organisations. However many charities are wary of taking on old systems for fear of poor performance and/or corrupted hardware.

Click here For facts and Figures on E Waste and Recycling PDF

Reports indicate that between 20-50 million metric tons of e-Waste are produced worldwide each and every year. Quite simply put, we do not do anywhere near enough to prevent this enormous amount of waste.

Driven by consumer markets and product price depreciation, the average computer technology becomes redundant within six months of initial launch, which drives us to spending our hard earned money on the ever advancing tide of disposable consumer electronics.

I've never owned any new retail purchased computers, and most of the electronics I own is reconditioned. I do this as a point of not adding to the piles that are constantly building up. Is everything you buy new?

I know it's a nice feeling to have something that no one has owned before, boxed, pristine and covered by a guarantee. But ask yourself, what happens to the e-waste you're getting rid of?

Pre-owned electronics and computers are a valuable gift to many families and schools worldwide that otherwise could not have afforded them.

Contributor's Note

If you have any suggestions, ideas or schemes that you know of or are participating in to help reduce the massive waste of potentially re-usable electronics and computing equipment.
Your comments and/or feedback are welcomed.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this...

PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE

CTEK Solutions.co.uk
Friendly PC Support 'Jaws' Compatible
www.ctek-solutions.co.uk

Hi Anthony,
Did quite a bit of the recycling bit myself there for awhile. It has certainly advanced to the stage where people have a bad reaction to the thought of a second hand computer. I winder if there might be a collection agency that will distribute them to the lesser economic areas where they would be really appreciated still.
Reg

Reg Whelan Feb 1, 2010 20:47

I've had new computers exactly twice. I had one old hand me down laptop that the guy told me "It'll be good for maybe six months" that I pounded literally to death ... in about five years and 25 novels. I've had much better success with refurbs -- they've been through shakedown and they are the survivors, they're the particular machines that don't come out of the factory pre-flawed.

So there's another practical reason not to buy new. I've also donated or recycled the dead ones when I could, smaller groups and organizations are more likely to want to mess with used equipment and salvage it for useful parts even if it's not running well.

But I tend to beat them into the ground with very heavy use too, and there were other times when I was the end of the line, like that one laptop that lasted five years. It got to the point where it was literally falling apart, some keys didn't work, I was mousing in substitutions by cut and paste to continue to write on it. The frame had come off the monitor and it still worked.

But if you want to not have to recycle and upgrade as often, get a Mac. There are rarely used Macs on the market because Mac users never bother getting a new one. Those last and last.

robertsloan2 Feb 1, 2010 22:07

Also, keep in mind something else about using older machines. If you get into Linux and get hold of an obsolete but still-runs PC, you can install a flavor of Linux and probably get it to perform like a much later generation computer. Linux is a great good thing for organizations that need computing and need to be able to make use of old equipment bumped down to them.

Installing Linux for them before the donation so the machine's actually useful is also a kindness.

robertsloan2 Feb 1, 2010 22:10

Anthony, nice Intel. I must admit I came late to the world of computers. Although I can now find my way around the Internet easily enough my technical knowledge is pretty much zero. That being the case the first one I bought, and this, my second were both brand new. I do take your point though about recycling. Only 3% of batteries are recycled, the rest end up in landfill, which is why the law has now been created so that all shops selling batteries have to have a container so that customers can use it to throw their old batteries away. The last compputer I had I did place in the special section set aside at our rubbish tip so it could be recycled.

odls Feb 2, 2010 06:06

Hey Robert The Linux info was great. I actually did have a new computer once, a Commodore Vic20. PC well I've had new parts but never a new computer.LOL
Reg

On my website CTEK-Solutions, I have written a review relating to using Ubuntu as an alternative to MS Windows.

Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

I'm on my second laptop computer. I gave the first one away to my church. The problem, I guess, with technology is that by the time you buy something and get it home, it's practically already obsolete.

A generous offer indeed, perhaps more effort by retailers should be made to re-allocate used & reconditioned hardware.

Wouldn't you think, in this time of need, that computer retailers would encourage turn-ins. They might even train tech school students to refurbish these computors and then donate them to needy school districts. All, a tax right-off for the retailers.
Thanks for sharing, Anthony.
Best to you, my 100,000 plus friend.
Frederick

frederick Feb 2, 2010 18:52

This is a great article Anthony. I donated my old computer to a local school. It was still functional. It could still browse the internet, do word processing etc.

riskreward Feb 2, 2010 21:12

I would love to meet the people who have the time to go out and weigh how many metric tons of ewaste there is every year.

The copyright for this content entitled "Computers are disposable products" has been specified by the contributor as:

This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.