Don’t just throw away your old computer

Forgive Angela Haas for sounding harried. Her phones won’t stop ringing.

“It’s schools, it’s businesses, it’s . . . whatever,” she said, describing the callers and trying to gulp down lunch at the same time. “Of course, we’re in a busy time, now. It’s busy always, but now, particularly so.”

Haas oversees Web Innovations and Technology Services, a burgeoning computer reclamation and recycling firm on East Holly Avenue in north St. Louis. WITS takes in discarded electronics and makes them usable again, rescuing them from the landfill to give to people still trying to thumb a ride on the Information Superhighway.

The calls flood in just after New Year’s, when businesses and households elect to chuck their aging equipment for the new stuff Santa left behind. Consequently, WITS produces huge numbers: The nonprofit, all-volunteer enterprise recycled more than 500,000 pounds of technology between last June and December. A special post-holidays drop-off program early last year, for example, netted nearly 400 computers.

“That number may double this year,” said Haas, who has another post-holiday collection starting soon. “In fact, if it doesn’t, I’ll be very surprised.”

Amazingly, though, those numbers are a pittance when framed against the big picture. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates upwards of 250 million computers nationwide will slide into obsolescence over the next five years, yet little more than 12 percent of them will be recycled. Those throwaways can damage the environment by leeching their toxic contents -- lead chief among them.

Why all this garbage? On average, computer processing speeds double every 18 months, so that state-of-the art PC you unwrapped Christmas morning will look fairly average compared to newer models unveiled next holiday season. Furthermore, that “average” system of yours will cost only half as much as when you bought it.

Americans hate the moniker “average” with the fire of a supernova -- if only because the neighbor next door just bought something better. As a result, most home computers become discards after about two years, though they easily could last at least six or seven.

We at Tech Talk aren’t about to pass judgment on this pattern of behavior, mainly because we’re guilty of subscribing to it ourselves. But discards have their place, and that place isn’t a landfill. Before casting aside an old or unwanted computer, ask yourself:

Do I really need a new computer?

Most people want faster processor speeds -- 1 gigahertz or more -- when all they really need is more memory, and that’s easy enough to buy online or at a nearby computer store and install. (For tips on installation and some Web links to memory-chip retailers, visit Cheap Computers Guide -- see the link in the upper right of this story. Laptop devices are somewhat more complex to upgrade than desktop models and may require service by the manufacturer.) Other upgrades, like installing a larger hard drive, can be a tad more challenging -- and anathema to most home users. http://www.cheap-computers-guide.com/computer-memory-install.html

If you’re not sure how to answer this question -- you know only that the computer performs below par -- ask around. Talk to friends, family members and the tech-support staff at your workplace. Maybe they’ve already been where you are and can offer advice.

Online support services like the Bedford, Mass.-based PlumChoice (http://www.plumchoice.com) also assess computer needs. Whereas most tech support comes over the phone or through your front door in the form of a service technician, PlumChoice does all its work online, remotely accessing client computers and providing “virtual” support.

The secret is secure desktop sharing software, which service clients must first download and install. For security reasons, PlumChoice technicians have limited control over a client’s computer; they communicate via phone or online chat but also can move the client’s cursor to point out instructions.

“The first thing we do is figure out the status of the computer by looking at it through your Internet connection,” said Ted Werth, PlumChoice’s CEO. “From there, we can give recommendations in 15 minutes” at a cost of $23. “If a computer is four years old or older, we suggest that you probably shouldn’t consider any new upgrades and maybe ought to look at getting a whole new computer.”

What should I do with my old computer?

Maybe it’s still useful. Web surfing and e-mail are the chief uses for any home computer, and neither task requires much hard-disk space or additional memory. Consider moving the computer into the kids’ bedroom or the kitchen, or move it into a spare room for guests to use during overnight stays.

Other possible uses: as a “jukebox” computer for storing favorite CD songs; as a “photo album” for stashing digital images and video files; as a workstation for a home office; or as an “experimental” computer for practicing things you won’t try with a new device.

But if keeping the old device is out of the question, don’t just pack it up and ship it off. First, take time for security -- yours. Quite often, discarded computers turn up in other people’s hands with hard drives still packed with personal information. In 2003, two Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate students gathered more than 150 old hard drives found on eBay and at local computer stores and discovered that out of the 129 functioning drives, nearly 70 still contained retrievable files including private medical records, love letters and about 5,000 valid credit card numbers.

Dan Fuller, president of EPC Inc. in St. Charles, another firm that recycles computers, advises against putting too much faith in off-the-shelf data-erasing software packages. “They only do part of the job,” he says. Reformatting the hard drive isn’t a sure alternative either, as doing that affects simply the disk’s “file-allocation tables” -- road maps, of a sort, of the hard disk’s storage space -- but won’t overwrite or delete the disk’s contents.

Fuller suggests letting the recycling firm wipe the hard disk. Most recyclers do it for free or a small fee to meet federal security standards set by the Defense Department. Other techniques like “degaussing” -- demagnetizing the disk’s platters -- do the job but leave the hard disk useless, reducing the computer to just a box of spare parts, though the value of those parts shouldn’t be underestimated.

Bill Briggs, vice president of Laclede Computer Training, another St. Louis-based recycler, recommends asking the recycler what they intend to do with the computer. “If you’re uncomfortable about where it may wind up, you can have them assure you they’ll wipe the hard disk, or just ask for it back,” he said. “They’ll have no problem returning it to you.”

Once the hard drive’s clean, the possibilities for recycling are endless. Some wind up on eBay; some in museums, if they’re remarkably old or unique. WITS’ Angela Haas tries putting her used computers in the hands of the needy. Volunteers who devote 40 hours of work with WITS receive a computer for free. Extra hours volunteering may also earn them a printer or scanner.

“We ask everyone wishing to donate to please bring in all the computer’s original software and manuals,” Haas urged. “And please bring all the cables, cords and adapters. The computers are more useful when we have everything that came with them.”

WITS’ third-annual post-holiday electronics collection project starts Monday and lasts through Feb. 1. All electronics and home appliances are welcome from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays at 645 East Holly Avenue. A $5 fee for TVs and computer monitors disposal covers lead disposal costs. Donors also can ask for a letter from WITS stating the tax benefit of their donation for their financial records.

WITS volunteers also make house calls throughout the year and will pick up items in bulk from a home or office for a donation of $40 per computer. For more information on the post-holiday recovery effort, or to make an appointment for pick up, call 314-382-1650.