Old IT never dies...:

Old IT never dies...: ZDNet Australia: Insight:

"Westpac's solution has been to send these systems, of which there are between 8,000 and 12,000 annually, to charity group WorkVentures. One of several organisations in Australia set up to receive and revive outdated IT inventories, WorkVentures employs nine people in its Mascot, New South Wales, facility. There, systems from Westpac and several other corporate partners are stripped to parts, then reassembled into refurbished units that are onsold to the general public at around AU$299 each including an Internet starter kit, modem, and other equipment."

This WorkVentures programme is one way we can recycle old working computers and allow people who can't afford a computer a chance to get one. Let's face it, you end up having to upgrade more often than you want to because you want the latest technology and the fastest access blah blah blah. My current computer is a mish mash of old ones but has a new monitor and printer. I am still using one of my original keyboards. I just bought an adaptor and away I went because I love this keyboard!! I don't need anything whizzbangy but I do like things to go and at a reasonable speed.

But I have a dead monitor in the garage. It burnt out on one really hot day over a year ago. It'll cost too much to take it to the dump. I haven't got enough other stuff to organise a council rubbish removal and they may not take it anyway because e-waste is hazardous waste...so what do you do with dead bits? What are we doing with all the dead computer bits which must be mounting up and while I'm at it...batteries? Will somebody please streamline the recycling of batteries and computers as they have with our other waste?

There are things under way...but it's not really fitting in with normal living. There has to be a better way.


Computer Waste



Three signs you need a new computer



E-waste