Recycling your e-waste

My central Ohio office is closing very shortly. In the process of closing, we're going to be getting rid of quite a lot of servers, old generic machines, and other miscellaneous hardware.

I worked with a recycler last time I had extra hardware, but I'm not going to post the name of the company, because I was really unimpressed with them. I asked for certificates of destruction for over a year before they stopped responding to my emails.

This time, I'm looking at going other routes. The top of the list so far is FreeGeek, a not-for-profit organization that takes older hardware, refurbishes it, and donates it to local nonprofit organizations. There are a few local chapters, including the one in Columbus, OH. They guarantee that hard drives are wiped, and they'll take any equipment, regardless of whether it works.

I can't say I have a lot of free time, but if I did, and I was going to be around more often, I'd love to volunteer there. I don't see a NJ chapter, so maybe there's a need up there where I'm headed.

If there's not one around you, there is probably another worthy cause for you to volunteer for in your area. See this April article from LinuxJournal for more options.

Give the gift of knowledge to people who know less than you, and for once, I don't mean your bosses. ;-)