Responsibly Disposing of Computer Equipment

It's a sad fact of life that, as an unrepentant geek, it's not always possible for me to balance my love of technology with my desire to keep the natural world as healthy as possible. Most of our electronic devices have become cheaper to replace than to repair; and many devices that can be repaired on a budget, such as desktop computers, will still have a limited useful lifespan.

Most electronics contain components that are at best non biodegradable and at worst toxic for our environment. What's a geek to do? Some states in the U.S. have laws against dropping garbage electronics (called e-waste) in landfills; as for those that aren't yet enforcing e-waste recycling at the state level I'll say this: just because you can dump your electronics doesn't mean you should. But I'm not here to lecture anyone on environmental responsibility. For those of you that want to do right by your planet, I wrote this article to suggest ways to recycle, reduce, or reuse your computer equipment and other electronics.