Sell It For Cash Online
There are many organizations online that can buy back a computer if they can see a future use for its components. This includes smaller companies as well as big manufacturers like Apple.
This option may be best if your computer is non-functional because of a single break or recent problem. Newer computer models are the best fit for an online reseller.
Old Hardware New Uses
While you may want to keep your computer armed with;only the most powerful hardware, theres no reason you cant make use of parts you replace. Obsolete is not the same as broken, and with a little ingenuity, you can get a lot of mileage out of spare parts. If you find yourself with a lot of parts;on hand, you can cobble together a basic computer to use as a home file server. A functional home server doesnt require high-end parts, and it will provide you with abundant;file space to store any data you have. It is possible to;find some uses for nearly any individual piece of hardware, too. You can convert an old internal hard drive into an external hard drive, for instance, with an external enclosure.
If you want to get really creative, you can do a lot more with old parts than simply find new ways to incorporate them into your computer. By combining old fans, for example, you can construct a makeshift air filter. You can even use hardware to make art pieces or do-it-yourself projects, such as digital picture frames made from old computer monitors. With a little creativity and an aesthetic appreciation of wires and circuits, you can use these old parts to create furniture and paraphernalia with a cyberpunk style.
How To Recycle Computers For Cash
If you drop your old PC off at the local junk yard, you wont get any money for it and they may even charge you to dispose of it.
Instead of paying someone else to take your old computer or other electronic device, consider one of these ways to make money by recycling your old PC or other old computers you can get through other avenues such as the ones listed below.
Want a quick and convenient way to sell your old electronics, check out which is a reputable site with a 4.5/5 Trustpilot score.
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Time To Upgrade Your Computer Phone Or Other Gadgets Here’s How To Dispose Of The Old Stuff
Computers, smartphones, tablets and so on are an integral part of daily life, but as they become obsolete more and more quickly, we’re faced with the growing problem of disposing of all our e-waste properly. Electronic products thrown into landll leak toxic materials into soil and water, resulting in contamination of the food chain, while rare and non-renewable materials are wasted instead of being re-used.
On this page:
If You Recycle It Ask How Before Tossing It In The Trash
One of the easiest ways to recycle a computer is to look into the company that produced it. That company may have a program where it will either pay shipping for you to send it the broken, non-functional computer or they will at least take it back for free to make use of it as long as you foot the shipping bill.
If you choose to recycle your own computer, make sure you contact your own local health or sanitation department to learn how they prefer for you to dispose of hazardous waste.
Some tech-related stores like Best Buy accept a limited number of electronics to recycle. Computers may or may not be one of those items but consider them if your local trash service charges money to recycle computers.
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Use It For Its Hard Drive
In case your old laptop features a very large hard drive that you could benefit from , you can use your old laptop to create network-attached storage .
Its a network where you will be able to access, add or remove files directly from any device or computer connected to your network. Therefore, your old laptop will be considered as a storage unit that will just need to be constantly running.
You can think of it as cloud storage, where in this case the storage is physical.
Turn It Into A Digital Photo Frame
For the serious DIY-er, there’s nothing quite so satisfying as stripping down a laptop to its bare parts, then turning one of those parts into something cool — in this case a digital photo frame. After all, that big, high-resolution screen should be put to good use, right?
There are lots of online tutorials devoted to this subject; I recommend the aptly named Digital photo frame from laptop on Instructables. It’s pretty straightforward: take apart the laptop, put the screen into a frame, mount the guts of the PC behind the frame, now running a photo-frame software. But there are many other ways to go, so hit up your favorite search engine for more options.
Oh, and seeing as you’ve already stripped it for parts, put that hard drive into an external case and use it as a USB drive!
Do you have any other ideas for repurposing old laptops? Share them in the comments!
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Dont Let Your Old Computer Collect Dust
If you have a few outdated laptops collecting dust in your home, youre not the only one. In a survey conducted in the spring of 2016 by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, more than half of the subscribers who purchased laptops since 2012 confessed to letting them linger around the house long after theyd been replaced. This is called the pile of denial. And it is best to sell or recycle your electronics as soon as you know youre done using them. This is because electronic depreciation happens fast, so by the time a device gets to a recycler or put up for sale online, nearly all of the initial value is gone, making it even more difficult to refurbish or sell.
And this raises a good question. How do you go about finding a new home for an old computer or laptop? Here are a few options to consider:
Sell Your Old Hardware
If you are set on getting some value out of your outdated computer, and if the store credit given by branded recycling plans doesnt seem adequate to you, you can always see if someone is willing to purchase your tech. Hunt down used computer retailers near you and check to see if they will extend what looks like a reasonable rate to you. Pawnshops are one great option, although its important to note that you may not get a solid return from them. Online services like eBay and Craigslist also offer a helpful platform to connect you with possible customers; of course, they expect all sellers to do some legwork.;
If you happen to choose the commercial route, remember that you most likely wont get a significant profit. As discussed earlier at the top of this article, computer parts become outdated almost immediately. The only thing that lowers their value faster than their usefulness is their resale price. A few systems maintain their valueMac laptops and some enthusiast desktop parts are noted for it but most decrease promptly.
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Getting Rid Of The Laptop
Can You Throw A Computer Or Laptop In The Trash
Throwing personal electronic devices such as computers, laptops, and tablets into landfills and dumps can cause irreparable harm to the environment. Theres a small chance that the e-waste you throw in the garbage will be separated and recycled properly, and an even smaller chance that someone might salvage it before it gets collected.
Once it ends up in the landfill, it may sit there for years. The toxic metals and flame retardants contained inside can slowly leak out, damaging the soil and local water supply. As the metal and plastics that form the computer do not break down naturally, the computer will continue to burden the surrounding area by taking up valuable space in the landfill.
To ensure this doesnt happen, youll need to make sure it goes directly to a recycling facility.
The recycling facility will then use mechanical shredding and a high-tech separation device to take out the usable metals. Plastics and other materials will also be separated out and reused where possible.
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International Organizationsworld Computer Exchange
The World Computer Exchange works closely with more than 945 partner organizations, a consortium of 23 strategic allies, and a number of informal allies throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
This organization accepts working items only, including Intel dual core and quad core;desktop and laptop computers, and AMD computers. Apple devices such as desktops and laptops under 6-years-old are accepted at their Boston chapter only.
Monitors must be flat screen monitors and only 17, 19, and 21. Working tablets, cell phones, keyboards, mice, cables, power cords, parts, and scanners are also accepted.
Contact World Computer Exchange in advance to schedule a delivery time at their nearest chapter.;
How Do I Donate My It Equipment
We partner with many corporate donors to collect vast amounts of redundant stock, from switches to servers, its likely our IT Team can find a way to reuse your equipment. If youre a business considering an IT donation please contact our team to discuss the process and schedule a collection.
For individuals who want to donate one-off items, you can send these through our postal donation process, drop in-store or at one of our two donation stations. We always recommend that you delete any personal data prior to donation, please see our mobile prep device guide if youre unsure of how to do this or contact our team if you need further advice.
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Use A Transfer Cable To Transfer Your Data
If you don’t want to subscribe to cloud storage services or spend the money on an external hard drive, there is a relatively cheap option that lets you transfer your data between Windows XP all the way up to Windows 10.
This Windows transfer cable from Plugable costs about $50 and uses two USB-A 3.0 male connectors to plug into each PC. Once the PCs are connected, the included software will move you through transferring your files, settings, user accounts, and folders.
If both PCs don’t have USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 option is available from Plugable. Note that using a transfer cable does not create a backup of your files when they are transferred.
Yes You Should Recycle Your Old Camera
If you’re still holding onto camera relics from the early 2000s, we’ve got a few places that will take them off your hands.
Best Buy and Home Depot accept cameras and camcorders. Lowe’s also takes cameras. And, of course, Earth911 and Call2Recycle are options for the breadth of your used electronics.
Large TVs may seem like a pain to donate. But Best Buy, for example, lets you drop off your TVs at retail locations to be recycled for just $30.;
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Try Selling Parts To A Computer Repair Or Rebuild Shop
Many communities have a repair shop where computer experts can fix common issues or send computers away for major repairs. These stores sometimes also buy computers that are overall non-functional but have functional parts.;
You may not get much cash for these items. However, selling them does declutter your home, and they may be willing to give you advice about discarding the rest of the computer safely. They may even take the whole thing off your hands and use it to fix other computers in the future.
Suggest A Community Computer Reuse Organisation
If you know of an organisation or project that we have not yet listed, please get in touch with us through the form below. Were looking for groups that accept individual donations, for reuse in the local community.
Please note that we cannot list schools, organisations or projects unless they have publicly accessible information about their initiative, such as a webpage.
If your school needs computers, please make your request to TechforUK;or Business2Schools. If you need help starting your own scheme to receive donations, see Nominets Reboot Project.
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Donate Its Brain To Science
Remember ? It’s still a thing. In fact, it started being a thing so long ago, you might not recognize the name. SETI@home connects your PC to a distributed network, harnessing its processor to help analyze radio telescope data. In other words, now your leftover laptop can help with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
All you do is download the Boinc software , then choose SETI@home from the list of available projects.
If aliens aren’t your thing, Boinc also enables this kind of “volunteer computing” for things like medical research and climate analysis. The only cost to you is the electricity and bandwidth needed to keep the laptop running.
Cool Ways To Reuse An Old Laptop
Breathe new life into your dusty relic of a portable PC.
OK, maybe not this old.
Everything old is new again. That applies not just to bell-bottoms and cassette tapes , but also your old tech.
You’ve already learned how to repurpose an old tablet; now let’s focus on that laptop you’ve kept in the back of your closet these many years. Even if it’s a slow, virus-infested mess, you might be surprised at how much more life you can squeeze out of it. You probably won’t have to spend any money, either.
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Where To Donate Your Computer
Here, we list computer reuse projects across the United Kingdom that accept individual donations, for reuse in the local community. The local dimension is important to us, as it ensures that laptops will be delivered fit-for-purpose. And that potential follow-up help exists nearby.
Depending on the project, your own volunteer time and knowledge can make a real difference! Ask a project near you. And many projects are looking for cash donations.
Lastly, if you have time, learn more about thorough data erasure on our Wiki. Projects do this for you, but you can use our Wiki to learn more and verify the process with the group you are donating to.
Electronic Recycling Services In Ottawa For Homeowners
Technology is life-changing.; It connects us to friends and family and powers our world.; It also delivers information right to our fingertips with the speed of light.
Every now and then, a new gadget appears in the market that is faster, cooler, and more powerful than the last one.; We have become addicted to new technology and we just cant resist getting hold of the best one whether we already need it or not.
We dont want to just throw them in the trash so we stash them away somewhere.; Before we know it, we may have a room full of old printers, televisions, telephones, cellular phones, computer monitors, or copier machines.
But what do we do with the devices we dont want anymore? ;Have you tried dumping your old computer in the curb and been told you cant? It is about time you find out about e-waste recycling and how you can benefit from it.
Individuals like homeowners can obtain free computers recycling Mississauga and electronic recycling Ottawa to get rid of all kinds of e-waste.
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Turn It Into A Security Webcam
Just like the screen, your old laptop probably has a webcam. Depending on the quality , you can use it as a webcam and set it anywhere youd like.
..a perfect way to use your old laptop to keep an eye on your dog or cat, monitor kids, your driveway, or just anything
With software such as iSpy, you get to turn your laptop webcam into video surveillance and cut costs on purchasing a CCTV.
Its a perfect way to use your old laptop to keep an eye on your dog or cat, monitor kids, your driveway, or just anything that comes up to your mind.