Ask HN: How do you responsibly dispose of an old laptop?

6 points by rlue 6y ago ↗ HN

I've found some other threads on HN suggesting that you find a way to donate your old laptops. Mine is a 2008 MacBook, and I suspect that few organizations or even individuals would want an eleven-year-old machine.

Are there any organizations, forums, subreddits, etc. where I might find people interested in making use of it? If not, are there ecologically responsible recycling programs I could send it to?

6 comments

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RandomGuyDTB 6y ago ↗

I don't know about any organizations you can donate it to but if you don't find anyone and you gotta get rid of your machine, it looks like you can find someone to recycle it here:

http://e-stewards.org/find-a-recycler/

eesmith 6y ago ↗

Since it's an Apple product, Apple also recycles - https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in :

> Apple Trade In lets you recycle any Apple device (including devices from Apple-owned brands) at any Apple Store and on apple.com for free. That includes your batteries and old electronic products as well as free, on-demand packaging recycling for our commercial, education, and institutional customers. When we receive your device it will be thoroughly inspected to determine if components can be recycled or reused. Whether recycled or reused all activities relating to the processing of your device will be managed in an environmentally responsible way.

rlue 6y ago ↗

This option appeals to me the most. I'm relying on some cognitive shortcuts here, but I assume that due to its scale alone, no one is in a better position to recycle (or find recyclers for) Apple products than Apple itself.

Thanks for this!

tssva 6y ago ↗

Best Buy will accept computers and just about all electronics for recycling at no charge. You can check out the companies which recycle particular types of products for them at https://www.bestbuy.com/site/recycling/recycle-guidelines/pc... and researcj if they meet your definition.of ecological responsibility.

fucking_tragedy 6y ago ↗

Send me it.

networked 6y ago ↗

Put the laptop on eBay or its local counterpart as an auction with the starting price of $1. A working laptop from 2008 is pretty much guaranteed to sell like that. Whoever cares enough to compete with the other buyers and to pay money for it is likely to have a purpose in mind for the laptop. They may want to use it themselves, give it away as a gift, take it apart to fix other laptops, or (refurbish and) resell it.