It’s best to recycle your old computers and other technology items, when you don’t need them any more. Here are some tools and places to know about for e-recycling:

Earth911 offers a nationwide search tool to give you ideas of who recycles technology items near you.

The Consumer Technology Association also offers a decent search tool.

Most computer manufacturers offer free & easy recycling options. You can usually locate information about those by Googling for the manufacturer name + “recycling”. Some examples: Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo, & Acer.

You can also usually take unwanted tech to your local landfill, but you’ll want to be aware of any fees they might charge before you drive there. You can usually expect the highest fees for CRT monitors, since our country has a bit of a problem handling those.

One final suggestion: in my region, the non-profit organization Blue Ridge Hospice accepts most electronics at their thrift store locations. Whether your electronics are working or nonfunctional, you can donate them to BRH and they will take care of them appropriately. They even offer to destroy hard drives, to ensure your data is not used elsewhere. Check out their website or their Facebook Page for more details and reach out to them if you have questions.

If you’re in a different part of the USA, you might call your local thrift stores to ask if any of them offer e-recycling like Blue Ridge Hospice!