Old Computers Can Be Recycled

When your computer or TV becomes outdated, you might be tempted to just throw it away, but there’s a much better solution.

Goodwill is known as a place where you can donate unwanted items, but maybe you didn’t know they will also take your old electronics so they can be recycled.

That’s a lot better than throwing them in a landfill, where toxins can leak into the ground.

“There’s a lot of dangerous items – as far as like a regular CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor, there’s a lot of dangers like radiation, lead – there’s a lot of things in there we don’t want kids to handle,” says Goodwill’s Jason Wiggins.

When someone brings in their old electronics, says Wiggins, all of the items are sorted and packaged into certain categories, including printers, wires, computer monitors, and laptops.

After they’re sorted, Goodwill sends these items to be recycled in Austin. “An example would be – let’s talk about the ink cartridges. A lot of people don’t know that the ink cartridges can be used to make manhole covers,” says Wiggins.

Boxes at Goodwill’s recycling center are filled with everything from old computers to even VHS tapes.

The problem is, many of these boxes are only half-full right now, and Goodwill officials want these boxes to be filled to the top.

And here’s a reminder. “Anything electronic – we will take it. If we cannot use it or we cannot recycle it at that time, we guarantee we will find a method for it,” says Wiggins.

That way, not much is wasted.