Rescuing computers from your job that would have been thrown away is a win for you and the planet, as you get free devices and the items are kept out of landfills.
As awareness grows about the environmental harms of e-waste, more employees and consumers have started calling out companies for wasteful practices and convincing their employers to let them keep unwanted gadgets.
What happened?
In the r/HomeLab subreddit, an employee posted that they had saved eight Dell computers headed for the trash from their workplace and planned to build a home lab with them.
"Snagged 8 optiplex machines before they were taken to be destroyed (with permission from my boss of course, and with no hard drives)," the original poster said in a comment.
The OP explained that the computers were still in excellent condition, but their company had recently upgraded to laptops because many employees wanted to work from home.
"Makes me feel old when 7th and 8th gen systems are being retired and junked," someone said.
"To be fair there's no reason to trash these systems. They are still more than capable office machines and the 8th Gen PCs even fully support Windows 11," another replied.
"I can't believe that a 7th-gen i5 is considered e-waste in the US," someone else shared. "Maybe I'm from a third-world country, but that doesn't change the fact that a 7th-gen i5 is perfectly fine for everyday tasks. It should be in a school computer lab."
Why is e-waste concerning?
While some companies, such as the OP's, recycle old electronics, the overall recycling rate for technology is still abysmally low. According to the World Health Organization, around 62 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2022, with only 22% being recycled. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing sources of waste globally, posing a risk to both people and the environment.
A significant portion of e-waste is shipped from rich nations to poor, developing countries for recycling, per WHO. Many, however, lack formal recycling centers. As a result, workers — often women and children — are frequently exposed to dangerous chemicals and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and dioxins, which can contribute to cognitive and respiratory illnesses.
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Giving me money back 💰 Due to the toxic materials in e-waste, it can also harm the environment by leaching chemicals into soil, air, and water, threatening animals and ecosystems.
Plus, e-waste leads to massive economic losses from valuable materials like gold, silver, copper, and iron being squandered. According to the green tech company Sircel, the failure to recover electronic waste contributes to an estimated $57 billion in annual losses of crucial raw materials.
Is the company doing anything about this?
While the original poster didn't say where they work, Dell offers a program called Dell Reconnect, which provides customers with discounts when they recycle old electronics and computer supplies.
Other major brands, including Target, Apple, and Best Buy, offer similar programs and will recycle items that aren't eligible for store credit.
What else is being done about e-waste?
The startup Trashie launched a Tech Take Back Box, which allows users to send in unwanted gadgets for recycling in exchange for perks like movie tickets, food discounts, travel credits, and more.
There are plenty of ways to make money on your old electronics and keep gadgets from piling up in landfills. If your employer is planning to throw out outdated computers or other devices, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can keep them — you could save hundreds or thousands on tech while doing the planet a big favor.
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