Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
One way to reduce the environmental impact of batteries is to use
rechargeable ones. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates
that one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the U.S. today are
rechargeable. Over its life, each rechargeable battery may substitute
for hundreds of single-use batteries.
Computer Recycling and Disposal
Working personal computers can often be donated to charitable organizations that recover
and restore them so they can be reused by others in your home town or halfway across the
world. Even a nonworking computer can often be repaired to working condition. For that
reason, and to protect your privacy, you should erase the data on your hard disk before
disposing of a computer.
Nonworking computer parts should be discarded at local recycling or hazardous-waste
disposal centers, rather than thrown in the trash, because they may contain components
that can be reclaimed. For example, circuit boards contain lead solder, and some of them
have coin-style batteries as well.
Monitor Disposal
As you learned in Chapter 2, “Input and Storage Devices,” CRT stands for cathode ray
tube; it's the older, boxy type of monitor. LCD monitors have largely replaced CRTs, but
there are still CRTs in service that are now reaching the end of their useful lives. Therefore,
CRT disposal is a very timely topic.
CRTs contain many environmentally harmful elements, including the phosphorous
coating on the inside of the monitor glass. Phosphorous is volatile, and it can explode
or start a fi re when it combines with the oxygen molecules in water. Therefore, in most
regions, it's illegal to dispose of a CRT with your regular trash. You must take it to a
community recycling or hazardous-waste disposal facility, or pay a recycling company to
dispose of it for you.
LCD monitors include circuit boards that contain a small amount of lead, and they're
treated similarly to desktop PCs in their disposal.
Toner Disposal
The toner used in laser printers and photocopiers is carcinogenic, so proper disposal of toner
is a matter of public safety. Toner cartridges should be returned to the manufacturer or
another company that reclaims and recycles them. Handle toner cartridges with some respect
to keep the toner from spilling on you, and to keep it out of the air where it could enter a
person's lungs. (That's why you shouldn't use a regular vacuum cleaner to clean up toner
spills—the air fi lter isn't fi ne enough to catch the toner particles, so they get back into the air.)
