Not your normal techy blog this week we are going to get dirty! Since I was a young boy I loved taking things apart. I have dissected more microwaves, toasters, radios and computers than I can remember. When I attended ITT Tech we had at every break room and bathroom a Tall white box with the Green Recycle logo on it. It was a treasure trove for me to look into and sometimes see a laptop that just needed a new screen or a keyboard. I thought how can someone just throw this away are they NUTS?

I have become a stickler in the last 15 years or so about saving and recycling or even repurposing old computer hardware. Let me be clear (Best Obama voice) I am NOT a hoarder ok! But I do love it when I have parts for everything I need at my disposal. I love it even more when I can donate computers to charities or people in need.  There are people who are struggling just to keep the lights on and I can give them an opportunity in a box.

Recycling is a household name and good or bad we all play a major role in the continuation of this beautiful world.  In Cape Coral, Florida where I live we have all been assigned garbage bins. We have the tan one for non-recyclables and the green one for all the rest. It was made easier for us and has become so popular that it is now just another way of life for us. I like to collect a large amount of recycles and make one drop-off every few months or so at the local drop-off point here in the cape.  I have also made it part of my business since starting in 2011. We provide “for free” a pickup and drop-off for any current or previous customer.  Since I started going to the local recycle drop-off, I have recycled close to 1000 pounds of “techie waste”.

I don’t want to come off as Mr. Green peace or a hippie or hipster or whatever label we stick to them these days, but I do admire the spirit of them. Choosing to recycle those 20-30 pounds of tech waste every time you buy a new computer is a big deal people. I wish that other companies would follow suit. Can you imagine if ALL of the big box stores recycled your old computer or TV for free if you bought a new one from them? It would be fantastic walking into best buy with that 12 inch bathroom TV with the hangar for antennae lol.

If you have any techie waste meaning cell phones, cameras, printers, old tube monitors, new led monitors, desktops, you name it RECYCLE IT PLEASE. If you are not sure how or where, get on the internet and search for “local recycling”. It is so easy and beneficial to the next generation and so on and so on. You don’t have to become a super recycler overnight but start somewhere. At least think about it and ask your local techs if they can help. I’m sure there are plenty of other nice guys out there as well.  If you are worried about your personal information getting used here’s a cool tip. Remove the hard drive from your old pc then either run a drill bit through it several times. Beat it up with a hammer or take out that old shotgun from the closet and turn that drive into something you can see through. That last one is my personal favorite btw you can make a whole day of it at the range with your kids.

Brent Simpson

Owner/Operator of Mr. PCfixer

(http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-recycle-your-old-computer/#!N7zfm)