Where does all of your old computers and unused parts go? They first get donated to a third world country and then when it malfunctions, the parts are just thrown into a ditch and allowed to sit there without being properly recycled. Many large companies are exporting their ‘old’ PC’s to third world countries like Nigeria to avoid the recycling costs.
I didnt realize that there were a lot of fees involved to recycle these old parts. I’ve actually never thrown away a PC. They have always been sold to a friend or just given to my grandparents. So I did a little research. Many local schools will take PC’s and give a nice tax deductible. But when large companies send their parts to other countries, they are looked upon as a charitable company and receive good press. What they are really doing are avoiding the recycling costs to properly get rid of the junk. Yes, I know, poor countries do need to catch up and use PC’s, but they don’t last as long and then eventually get dumped in a dried up river bed. Toxic chemicals from the monitor seep into the ground.
A report says that an estimate 500 containers of used electronics enter the country each month and each one carries about 800 computers, for a total of 400,000 computers. Nigerians are actually getting about 75% junk that is not repairable. Amazingly, the United States is the only developed country that is not ratified in the Basel Treaty intended to limit the trade of hazardous waste.
So if you want to make an honest buck, figure out a way to recycle all these pieces of junk at low cost and you can solve the world’s dead computer problem and become a millionaire. Who says trash doesn’t pay?
