Computers and computer-driven devices are made of various components toxic to the environment. This makes them a main contributor to electronic waste (e-waste), and a major disposal issue.

Certainly, sending them to the trash, and subsequently to a landfill, is enough to make any environmentalist cringe. But storing them in a corner of your basement isn't helping things either. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimates that 75 percent of obsolete electronics are currently being stored, which one day will result in a massive disposal issue for the country and for the world.

With continued innovations in technology, there is an increasing opportunity to recycle computers, limiting the number that end up in local landfills.

Computers are made with a variety of elements: plastics, glass, steel, gold, lead, mercury, cadmium and fire retardants that can be recaptured through recycling and used again. If thrown away, computers can release toxins to the environment, potentially polluting the groundwater we drink and the air that we breathe.

Recycling the resources in computers also eliminates the need to obtain these elements from nature, and thus decreases production impact on the environment.

Reuse is as good as recycle. Many computers are built in a way that allows them to be repaired or upgraded, which means they can be reused. With little effort, these computers can be refurbished and made as good as the ones currently on the market.

Programs exist nationwide to help consumers recycle out-of-date or non-reusable computers. And it’s easy to find a school, charity, or organization in your community to whom you can donate a computer for reuse (which is generally tax deductible).

Visit www.earth911.org for help with both options.

And remember to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Information for this Earth Tip was found at earth911.org.