By now, most people in the UK are used to recycling their paper and plastics on a daily basis, thus doing their bit for the environment. How many of us though consider recycling larger household items when they come to the end of their usefulness? Technological gadgets are almost out-of-date as soon as you take them out of the shop these days, and laptops are no exceptions.
Most people keep their laptops for an average of around three years before they decide they need some new functionality, better features or just a computer that runs at a decent speed. The problem is that laptops cannot just be thrown away in the bin; they are full of chemicals that will leak out of the casing if they are dumped in a landfill site, creating many problems for the local environment.
These chemicals can soak deep into the ground, affecting the water supply in the surrounding area and even killing birds and small mammals that find themselves exposed to the harmful materials. Most laptops that are no longer needed find themselves buried in landfill sites, despite the fact that it can take centuries for the durable plastic casing to break down to the point that it no longer poses a risk to the environment.
Luckily, there is now an alternative. Just because you don’t need your laptop any more doesn’t mean that it’s useless to everyone. Some charities will happily take unwanted laptops and PCs off your hands, while other companies are more interested in the parts inside which can be removed from the casing and used in repairs. Check out the Internet to see if there are any recycling opportunities near you or, failing that, find a company that will pay you to post them your old and unwanted laptop and give it a new lease of life.
refurbished laptop computer says
Funny, just by judging those laptops by the photo, I can really say that those laptops really need to be recycled.
Sell My Laptops says
As a laptop recycler in the UK we find it hard to believe that laptops are still finding their way to landfill.
It seems mobile phone recycling is becoming the norm and we need this to progress to laptops. There are many companies in the UK (ourselves included) that can pay you cash for your old laptop regardless of it’s condition.
You have nothing to lose if you are throwing your laptop away. Why not recycle it, help the environment and make some extra cash in the progress!