Recycling Your Computer After Its Life Is Over

Posted by: Adriana Noton  /  Category: Recycling

Your computer has died, and there is no hope for its resurrection. You have already replaced it, but now what do you do? What options are there for disposing of your old computer in a safe and environmentally friendly way? The answer is computer recycling.

Why Recycling Computers Is Important

Computers and other consumer electronics items make up around two percent of all of the materials in todays landfills. We already know that recycling in general is important, as the landfills are not getting any smaller, but recycling computers and monitors is especially important. These items contain lead and toxic metals that can cause serious damage to the environment, particularly if they end up in the water supply.

Additionally, your computer contains personal information that you may not know how to completely remove. You do not want a computer guru finding it in the dumpster and taking your personal information off of it. This can lead to identity theft and a lifetime of problems.

Advantages of Recycling Your Computer

Recycling your computer responsibly carries many benefits. First, by working with a responsible recycler, you are ensured that your personal information is completely removed from the machine. This will protect you from dumpster divers who are just waiting to find a hard drive to tap into.

Another benefit of recycling your computer is the fact that you will be doing your part to protect the environment. You will be keeping the toxins that are in your computer out of the landfills and away from the water supply. Additionally, the precious metals and other materials used in these electronics must be mined, which takes a tremendous toll on the environment. By recycling your computer, you ensure that these precious materials are reused, reducing the amount that must be removed from the earth through costly mining efforts.

In many cases a recycled computer can actually be put to use again. Even if a major part of your computer is broken, there are other components that can be used to rebuild other computers. This can provide an affordable computer for an individual or organization that otherwise would not be able to access one. Often these computers are donated to charitable organizations, so in this way you could be helping the community simply by recycling your broken computer. When you choose a recycling center, choose one that works closely with a charitable organization.

How Computer Recycling Works

The first step in a responsible computer recycling program is wiping all information off of the computers hard drive. This ensures that your finances and personal information are protected. Then, the recycling program should look at the machine to see if there are any usable components. These are harvested to be used to build new machines. Any non-usable parts are broken down into their basic components, such as metal or plastic, and further processed.

The recycling center will then take these basic components and organize them according to the type they are. These parts will then be sent to a smelting facility to be turned into tiny pieces and melted to be made into other things. For instance, plastic can be melted and used again in another computer or for a completely different plastic item. As part of this process, the precious metals that are in circuit boards are extracted for reuse. This keeps them out of the environment.

Today, only 18 percent of all computers and other consumer electronics that have reached the end of their lives are recycled. This means that 1.84 million tons of this type of waste ends up in the landfills. By recycling your old and used computer, you can ensure that you do not add to this sad statistic.

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What to Look For in an Outdoor Chandelier or Lamp

Posted by: Megan Watts  /  Category: Environment

The use of an outside chandelier or other lamps provides a very real enhancement to the surroundings of a home. Finding the right light set can be an arduous process, especially if it’s your first time buying one.

There are some rules of thumb that you’ll want to follow when buying any form of outdoor lighting. This article will take a quick look at the most important ones, with the goal of making things easier for you when it comes to buying your lights.

The base of any outdoor lamp is quintessential to your purchase, especially if it’s intended for an outdoor setting and not a sun room. You need to find a lamp with a weighted base, or else you’ll run the risk of buying a lamp that falls down due to wind.

Make sure that any shades that come with an outdoor lamp happen to be weather resistant. If they’re not, you’ll learn the hard way, as they’ll the look of them will not only fade quickly, but there may be damage to the core of the lighting unit.

The wiring of any outdoor chandelier or lighting unit will be integral too. Keep in mind that unless you’re getting solar powered outdoor lighting, you’ll need to have an electrical outlet to plug into somewhere nearby.

As you can see, the process of finding an outdoor chandelier, lamp, landscape lighting, or any other form isn’t as simple as just finding any ordinary lamp and putting it in an outdoor setting.

There needs to be sealed wiring in the unit that you buy, and the switch should be coated with rubber, or else weather runs the risk of ruining your lamp.

As long as you follow the above rules of thumb, there’s a great chance that whatever you buy will last you a long while. Enjoy your units, as the rest all boils down to style and price.

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Why Can’t You Buy A Solar Hot Tub?

Posted by: Patty Kopner  /  Category: Energy Conservation, Solar Energy

Solar power is good for supplying energy but will it work for heating a hot tub? A hot tub needs constant energy to keep the water warm and so if you live in a place where there is a lot of sun, perhaps the sun could be used to heat it. Unfortunately, while this sounds like a good idea, in practicality it doesnt work too well.

The first problem is that not enough people live in a place that gets constant sun. Only the desert states have that amount of sunlight and that is not enough demand for this type of hot tub for manufacturers to make money. Also, since there would be no sunlight at night, you would still have to keep the water hot during those dark hours. This would mean that the hot tub would have to run on electricity as well.

Nevertheless, a hot tub that can be partially powered by the sun sounds like a great idea to many people. If you can get the right solar panels and have enough knowledge to hook them up to the hot tub and have them contribute to the energy source, it is possible to have a makeshift solar tub. Again though, totally using the sun to heat it will not work because there just isnt enough sun to get the job done.

One thing you might want to buy is a solar hot tub cover. Every hot tub needs a cover because it will help keep the energy in and keep the water hot. A cover with a solar panel on it will work better than just a regular cover and keep the water warmer. Solar hot tub covers are available online at certain places but they are hard to find at real brick and mortar stores.

Heating a hot tub with solar energy is something that has not been perfected yet to make it a viable option. For this reason, if you want one you will need to figure out how to make your own. At best it seems, the sun can be used to help heat the water but not as a stand-alone power source. Saving money and helping the environment can go hand in hand some times but in this case with hot tubs the technology is not available yet at a cheap enough price.

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