To Recycle Or Not to Recycle Laptops

The reasons why people rid of old laptop computers can be different – obsolete models, broken or malfunctioning parts, or the combination of many factors. A fast developing technology makes computers outdated at a very quick pace. An additional factor, why people are prone to look for the replacement of currently owned laptop, is low prices. Decreasing prices make it affordable to replace the old computers more often with the latest improved ones.

A laptop computer is a complex system. Since it consists of many parts, the probability that one part can be out of order within a finite period of time is quite high. To make it more clear, let’s do a simple math for a single notebook. If probability for one part to fail within one-year period equals, for example, only 0.01%, and the notebook has, for instance, 1,000 parts, the chance of failing one of the parts in a single laptop is around 10% (0.01*1,000). Now let’s assume there are 10,000 laptops that people bought in a city. Since the probability that one laptop in each group of 10 has 100% chance to be broken, we get 1,000 broken laptops annually. We could estimate the number of broken laptops worldwide every year. This number is huge – the millions of broken laptops.

Besides the complexity, laptops are pretty fragile devices. A small defect or even damage can be easily introduced by users. So what would you do if only some particular part of your laptop is broken? What if laptop’s warranty has expired or does not cover the part replacement? Would you try to find some place to repair? Despite the obvious benefit of repairing – money saving, some people say that it is easier to look for a new laptop. Of course, it is up to user if it is time to say good-bye a non-fully functional or defective laptop. But if you decided to throw out your old PC, think about recycling.

Why is it vital to recycle old laptop computers? When computers decompose, dangerous chemicals contaminate the water supply and the air. The disposal of old computers is a serious problem. If even a very tiny battery can make soil seriously contaminated and causes a water pollution, a much bigger laptop battery creates much more troubles, not to mention about other parts of computer. Additional problem is a growing demand for laptops because their production pollutes the Earth.

First of all, if your computer is still functional, consider donating it to someone, to a charity, or budget-limited organization. If you are buying a new laptop, sometimes the option is to recycle an old one at store. Now many manufacturers offer different computer recycling programs. If your computer is still in a good shape, they may even refurbish it and re-sell. Nevertheless, most components inside of the computer contain valuable resources that can be reused.

Computer technology is moving now at a breakneck speed, sometimes diminishing the importance of environment protection and care about our green planet. Fortunately, more and more laptop users become ecological-minded. They understand that recycling helps converting used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials and reduces the pollution of the Earth. Some of them have found places to repair; others have learned how to replace a broken LCD screen, keyboard, and other parts on their own.