BusinessTN

Computers are the centerpieces of modern-day business operations, and the possibility of faster, more powerful computer equipment can mean a sufficient increase in efficiency and productivity for any company. Unfortunately, such upgrades have a downside as well, producing significant amounts of electronic waste in the form of outdated, incompatible, or unusable computers that need to be disposed.

While dumping a solitary residential computer into the dumpster isn’t illegal, it can be harmful to the environment. Computer monitors contain toxic substances such as phosphorus, mercury and cadmium. In a finished product, these materials are harmless because they’re trapped inside, but when computers are crushed in landfills, these hazardous materials are exposed to the environment, says Eric Buechel, founder and owner of Advanced Recovery of Tennessee, a computer recycling company located in Crossville. “The computer monitor itself contains a cathode-ray tube (CRT) that is 28% lead,” Buechel says. “When the monitor is crushed, the lead and other materials found in the monitor are reduced to a substance finer than talcum powder and can easily contaminate groundwater.”

Businesses can present serious environmental risks, especially when disposing of multiple computers at once. Whether a business is getting rid of five or five hundred, computers pose a real threat to the environment. And with the lightning-quick pace of technological innovation, computer equipment is being replaced more rapidly, and the issue of computer disposal is becoming more of a concern. While there is no national consensus governing large-scale computer disposal, several states such as California and Virginia have outlawed large-scale dumping of CRTs into landfills, considering it hazardous waste. Others, such as Tennessee, encourage more environmentally friendly alternatives.

There are several computer recycling companies throughout the state, like Buechel’s Advanced Recovery of Tennessee, that assist businesses with their computer recycling needs for a nominal fee (between $10-$15 per monitor, plus an optional pickup fee)—a sum that’s often cheaper than major computer companies, which charge upwards of $25 dollars per monitor. Computer recycling companies break the computer into its smallest components of integrated circuits and semiconductors and sell the parts to companies that can reuse them in new materials, Buechel says.

These companies also work with city governmental entities to provide one-day pickup events for the community. For example, a program sponsored by the Public Service Division of Knoxville provides residents and businesses of Knoxville and Knox County with the opportunity to conveniently and properly recycle their computers for free (up to two computers at a time), says John Homa, a solid waste reduction specialist in the division. The computers are then sent to computer recycler 5 R Processors in Clinton, Tenn., for processing.

Other methods of computer disposal include donating old hardware to local charities. Jericho Road in Memphis redistributes used computers to schools, nonprofit community agencies and ministries, while The Literary Council of Kingsport’s computer recycling program collects donated computers and recycles them for use by low-income students and families, according to executive director Kris Mueller. Such donations are often tax-deductible; however many such organizations have strict guidelines governing the type of equipment that they will accept for their programs.

Also, when donating old computers, it’s important to completely erase all personal information from the hard drive. Pressing delete or moving a file to the recycling bin isn’t enough, Homa says. Though residential users can purchase software that completely “wipes” the hard drive clean, businesses may want to think twice before trusting these programs. For every program that claims to erase information from a computer, there are two more created to “undelete” it.

Improperly disposing of computers can lead to anything from identity theft to the assessment of penalties stemming from violations of data protection laws. To be as cautious as possible when donating used computers to charitable causes, or disposing of computers in general, computers should undergo a certified degaussing process that safely and permanently erases all saved data. For this, the services of a professional should be solicited.

Whatever the method, the recycling of computers is beneficial all around. The environment is spared more hazardous waste, and businesses are relieved of the clutter and expense of storing old, unused computer equipment. There’s even the possibility of further tax breaks. This past March, senators proposed legislation that would give tax breaks to individuals and businesses that safely dispose of computers and other worn-out electronic devices—even more evidence that computer disposal is becoming a greater concern.

"There’s so much land available in Tennessee that we tend to take it for granted,” Buechel says. “It’s so easy to forget that we have to take care of it.” And properly disposing of computer equipment, be it through recycling, donation, or environmentally safe destruction, is one small way that businesses can do their part.