7 ms·

Responsibly recycle your used Dell and non-Dell equipment for free

49 points by CTOSian 5y ago

delgaudm 5y ago
That's cool. I wish the page included any info one should consider before shipping of a computer containing potentially sensitive information on it.
- icegreentea2 5y ago
  Heh. Their terms and conditions are actually relevant for once. > NOTICE REGARDING CUSTOMER DATA: You are responsible for removing all confidential data or data subject to applicable Data Protection legislation that may be stored on the Computer Hardware. Before pickup by the carrier, You are responsible for: > (a) Deleting the data on the hard disk drives and any other storage devices in the Computer Hardware such as mobiles memories; > (b) Backing up or transferring any data prior to deletion (if you want to keep the data); and > (c) Removing any removable media, such as mobile cards, diskettes, CDs or PC Cards. Dell does not accept liability for lost or confidential data or any software.
- speed_spread 5y ago
  I'd also be interested in some detail of the recycling operation. Are components reused when possible, and if so, under what selection criteria? If instead they are recycled for base materials, what processes are used for extraction and waste disposal? If all I'm doing is exporting the problem to a corrupted country with lax environmenmtal laws, then it's not helping at all.
- throwaway47372 5y ago
  The country list doesn’t include United States?
foreigner 5y ago
"No pickup days are available for this location". What parts of the world are supported?
- Symbiote 5y ago
  EU countries plus the UK are listed. It's probably Dell's implementation of the legal requirement for them to recycle electronic devices. (WEEE directive.)
  - donalhunt 5y ago
    But not Ireland (which has a large Dell presence).
woofie11 5y ago
I kinda wish this stuff was saved in a warehouse somewhere in a deep cave. In a post-apocalyptic world, even a z80 microprocessor can put our tech tree 1000 years forward.
- vorpalhex 5y ago
  There are a few companies using old salt mines for preservation. I am sure they'd be happy to include a tech time capsule if you reached out to them.
- Zenst 5y ago
  If you showed somebody 1000 years ago a z80 - they would probably think it was jewellery - a broach of some-kind. So how much knowledge would carry forward 1000 years from now, after all the tooling needed to reverse engineer a cpu like the z80 and working out how it is made, is going to be a huge effort. Besides, I'm sure many would argue that a 6502 would push it forward a few years faster.
  - umanwizard 5y ago
    Now I want to watch a movie about a post-apocalyptic society where one's social status is based on the size and rarity of one's CPU-jewellery collection.
    - Zenst 5y ago
      Oh I'm sure if Lady Gaga did it once, it would be chaos. I still recall living thru the era of https://blog.heritagepartscentre.com/blog/2016/03/15/remember-being-beastied/ https://blog.heritagepartscentre.com/blog/2016/03/15/remembe...
      - crtasm 5y ago
        Didn't know that bit of history, thanks. "The band made a brief comeback in 2004..." Err, I saw them live in 2007 and their last album was 2011.
  - 5y ago
mxuribe 5y ago
There is a story to tell here beyond just conventional recycling computers... One could be on the digital divide. For example, there are plenty of computers that may not even need recycling which could be given new life by installing a lightweight linux distribution. This opens up opportunities for folks on the tough side of the digital divide...because perfectly functional computers can be repurposed for lightweight use and donated to folks who can not afford computers. Another approach could be for Dell to acknowledge to donor, "hey, we noticed that yo wish to recycle that computer...did you know that your machine can run Ubuntu, and maybe given new life? We even sell you a $10 support package for ubuntu, etc.?" Maybe this is not always possible, but there are cross-selling opportunities for Dell and Ubuntu here. (I say ubuntu not to exclude other linux distros but simply because Dell already sells computers loaded with ubuntu, so there's precedenct for support.) I'm sure there are other options beyond the above...because just having a web form for conventional recycling almost feels...i don't know "disposable"? Am i crazy for thinking this?
- trangus_1985 5y ago
  I would love to see what the environmental impact of recycling a computer (and acquiring a new one with lower power consumption) versus buying a new one. I suppose that makes more sense for business than home, though.
  - kop316 5y ago
    On my thinkpad x200, I seem to use ~11-12 Watts doing normal usage. For newer laptops, what would be the expected usage?
    - tpxl 5y ago
      Similar, but with a much better perf/W. That's the biggest problem with old hardware. I'd love to be able to run old servers with dual cores and such in a big cluster, but 60W for an old CPU with 10% of the performance of a similar modern CPU is just not very attractive ):
    - icegreentea2 5y ago
mrfusion 5y ago
Dude you’re getting a Dell!
mrtweetyhack 5y ago
ebay
aurizon 5y ago
The usual recyclers usually used extract most saleable hard drives, cards and memory. Some of these components have a long life in other places = $$, many recyclers fail to scrub, however responsible data practices should have this data well encrypted - but not always. Dell will contract to scrub drives but may not sell them?? Downstream recyclers will sell these. There is a large smelter, the Horne Smelter, run by Glencore https://www.glencore.com/what-we-do/recycling/operations https://www.glencore.com/what-we-do/recycling/operations There are others. These take mixed computers, printers etc and smelt them in a huge retort with flux and other materials. The steel is extracted, so is the copper, zinc, gold and other trace metals, They have an up-to-date fume scrubbed smelter with minimal pollution. The scrubbed fume dust is processed for other trace metals and then turned into a glass that is crushed and used for rockwool, asphalt etc,
formerly_proven 5y ago
Industry loves recycling / crushing machines because it removes working inventory from circulation. It's a very simple tactic to boost sales and the exact opposite of what is ecological. Reuse, reduce, recycle.
- tpxl 5y ago
  Remember the Sonos "recycling" program? Deliberately brick old devices to get a discount on a new device.
  - mavhc 5y ago
    Did they unbrick them once you returned them and make even more profit?
    - Closi 5y ago
      Nope, no return you just throw the perfectly good equipment in the bin. The hardware was still really good and perfectly usable, just intentionally bricked by Sonos. Ultimate waste. A shame as I have lots of sonos equipment and otherwise I think they are great and their kit has good support and lasts a long time.
  - LegitShady 5y ago
    I was looking for some speakers recently and ended up getting very traditional tower speakers instead of anything sonos because I'm confident they will continue to work pretty much forever.
    - beamatronic 5y ago
      Home Audio, in terms of speakers and amplifiers, was "solved" in the 1980's and 1990's. A lot of this equipment will last for decades, is serviceable, and isn't dependent on the cloud.
      - peterb 5y ago
daneel_w 5y ago
Is your laptop still working? Then don't give it back to Dell. Sell or give it to someone else who can use it for another year or two.
- mey 5y ago
  Check out FreeGeek if you are in Portland. Offer it up to your local Buy Nothing group. I am sure our HN ppl can recommend other places to send functional computer gear before sending it for recycling.
millzlane 5y ago
Not available for US? They have an option to send old batteries back to them after a replacement but OOW machines are SOL.
- CaliforniaKarl 5y ago
  https://corporate.delltechnologies.com/en-us/social-impact/advancing-sustainability/how-to-recycle.htm#/ https://corporate.delltechnologies.com/en-us/social-impact/a...
_nickwhite 5y ago
I think there should be a big message that says "Non-USA Consumers Only". If Dell were to offer this for the USA, my company/IT Department would ship them dozens of products a year to recycle, maybe hundreds when laser consumables are factored in.
garyfirestorm 5y ago
I have a 2011 Dell machine that I don’t know how to dispose. This is exactly what I am looking for. I don’t understand why there is so much cynicism in comments here. No one is telling you to recycle your 2 yr old machine.
shadilay 5y ago
not available in USA...
timw4mail 5y ago
I thought all the Dells went to Goodwill at the expense of all the other brands...

49 points by CTOSian 5y ago

That's cool. I wish the page included any info one should consider before shipping of a computer containing potentially sensitive information on it.

icegreentea2 5y ago
Heh. Their terms and conditions are actually relevant for once. > NOTICE REGARDING CUSTOMER DATA: You are responsible for removing all confidential data or data subject to applicable Data Protection legislation that may be stored on the Computer Hardware. Before pickup by the carrier, You are responsible for: > (a) Deleting the data on the hard disk drives and any other storage devices in the Computer Hardware such as mobiles memories; > (b) Backing up or transferring any data prior to deletion (if you want to keep the data); and > (c) Removing any removable media, such as mobile cards, diskettes, CDs or PC Cards. Dell does not accept liability for lost or confidential data or any software.
speed_spread 5y ago
I'd also be interested in some detail of the recycling operation. Are components reused when possible, and if so, under what selection criteria? If instead they are recycled for base materials, what processes are used for extraction and waste disposal? If all I'm doing is exporting the problem to a corrupted country with lax environmenmtal laws, then it's not helping at all.
throwaway47372 5y ago
The country list doesn’t include United States?

foreigner 5y ago

"No pickup days are available for this location". What parts of the world are supported?

Symbiote 5y ago
EU countries plus the UK are listed. It's probably Dell's implementation of the legal requirement for them to recycle electronic devices. (WEEE directive.)
- donalhunt 5y ago
  But not Ireland (which has a large Dell presence).

woofie11 5y ago

I kinda wish this stuff was saved in a warehouse somewhere in a deep cave. In a post-apocalyptic world, even a z80 microprocessor can put our tech tree 1000 years forward.

vorpalhex 5y ago
There are a few companies using old salt mines for preservation. I am sure they'd be happy to include a tech time capsule if you reached out to them.
Zenst 5y ago
If you showed somebody 1000 years ago a z80 - they would probably think it was jewellery - a broach of some-kind. So how much knowledge would carry forward 1000 years from now, after all the tooling needed to reverse engineer a cpu like the z80 and working out how it is made, is going to be a huge effort. Besides, I'm sure many would argue that a 6502 would push it forward a few years faster.
- umanwizard 5y ago
  Now I want to watch a movie about a post-apocalyptic society where one's social status is based on the size and rarity of one's CPU-jewellery collection.
  - Zenst 5y ago
    Oh I'm sure if Lady Gaga did it once, it would be chaos. I still recall living thru the era of https://blog.heritagepartscentre.com/blog/2016/03/15/remember-being-beastied/ https://blog.heritagepartscentre.com/blog/2016/03/15/remembe...
    - crtasm 5y ago
      Didn't know that bit of history, thanks. "The band made a brief comeback in 2004..." Err, I saw them live in 2007 and their last album was 2011.
- 5y ago

mxuribe 5y ago

There is a story to tell here beyond just conventional recycling computers... One could be on the digital divide. For example, there are plenty of computers that may not even need recycling which could be given new life by installing a lightweight linux distribution. This opens up opportunities for folks on the tough side of the digital divide...because perfectly functional computers can be repurposed for lightweight use and donated to folks who can not afford computers. Another approach could be for Dell to acknowledge to donor, "hey, we noticed that yo wish to recycle that computer...did you know that your machine can run Ubuntu, and maybe given new life? We even sell you a $10 support package for ubuntu, etc.?" Maybe this is not always possible, but there are cross-selling opportunities for Dell and Ubuntu here. (I say ubuntu not to exclude other linux distros but simply because Dell already sells computers loaded with ubuntu, so there's precedenct for support.) I'm sure there are other options beyond the above...because just having a web form for conventional recycling almost feels...i don't know "disposable"? Am i crazy for thinking this?

trangus_1985 5y ago
I would love to see what the environmental impact of recycling a computer (and acquiring a new one with lower power consumption) versus buying a new one. I suppose that makes more sense for business than home, though.
- kop316 5y ago
  On my thinkpad x200, I seem to use ~11-12 Watts doing normal usage. For newer laptops, what would be the expected usage?
  - tpxl 5y ago
    Similar, but with a much better perf/W. That's the biggest problem with old hardware. I'd love to be able to run old servers with dual cores and such in a big cluster, but 60W for an old CPU with 10% of the performance of a similar modern CPU is just not very attractive ):
  - icegreentea2 5y ago

mrfusion 5y ago

Dude you’re getting a Dell!

mrtweetyhack 5y ago

ebay

aurizon 5y ago

The usual recyclers usually used extract most saleable hard drives, cards and memory. Some of these components have a long life in other places = $$, many recyclers fail to scrub, however responsible data practices should have this data well encrypted - but not always. Dell will contract to scrub drives but may not sell them?? Downstream recyclers will sell these. There is a large smelter, the Horne Smelter, run by Glencore https://www.glencore.com/what-we-do/recycling/operations https://www.glencore.com/what-we-do/recycling/operations There are others. These take mixed computers, printers etc and smelt them in a huge retort with flux and other materials. The steel is extracted, so is the copper, zinc, gold and other trace metals, They have an up-to-date fume scrubbed smelter with minimal pollution. The scrubbed fume dust is processed for other trace metals and then turned into a glass that is crushed and used for rockwool, asphalt etc,

formerly_proven 5y ago

Industry loves recycling / crushing machines because it removes working inventory from circulation. It's a very simple tactic to boost sales and the exact opposite of what is ecological. Reuse, reduce, recycle.

tpxl 5y ago
Remember the Sonos "recycling" program? Deliberately brick old devices to get a discount on a new device.
- mavhc 5y ago
  Did they unbrick them once you returned them and make even more profit?
  - Closi 5y ago
    Nope, no return you just throw the perfectly good equipment in the bin. The hardware was still really good and perfectly usable, just intentionally bricked by Sonos. Ultimate waste. A shame as I have lots of sonos equipment and otherwise I think they are great and their kit has good support and lasts a long time.
- LegitShady 5y ago
  I was looking for some speakers recently and ended up getting very traditional tower speakers instead of anything sonos because I'm confident they will continue to work pretty much forever.
  - beamatronic 5y ago
    Home Audio, in terms of speakers and amplifiers, was "solved" in the 1980's and 1990's. A lot of this equipment will last for decades, is serviceable, and isn't dependent on the cloud.
    - peterb 5y ago

daneel_w 5y ago

Is your laptop still working? Then don't give it back to Dell. Sell or give it to someone else who can use it for another year or two.

mey 5y ago
Check out FreeGeek if you are in Portland. Offer it up to your local Buy Nothing group. I am sure our HN ppl can recommend other places to send functional computer gear before sending it for recycling.

millzlane 5y ago

Not available for US? They have an option to send old batteries back to them after a replacement but OOW machines are SOL.

CaliforniaKarl 5y ago
https://corporate.delltechnologies.com/en-us/social-impact/advancing-sustainability/how-to-recycle.htm#/ https://corporate.delltechnologies.com/en-us/social-impact/a...

_nickwhite 5y ago

I think there should be a big message that says "Non-USA Consumers Only". If Dell were to offer this for the USA, my company/IT Department would ship them dozens of products a year to recycle, maybe hundreds when laser consumables are factored in.

garyfirestorm 5y ago

I have a 2011 Dell machine that I don’t know how to dispose. This is exactly what I am looking for. I don’t understand why there is so much cynicism in comments here. No one is telling you to recycle your 2 yr old machine.

shadilay 5y ago

not available in USA...

timw4mail 5y ago

I thought all the Dells went to Goodwill at the expense of all the other brands...