Most people don’t realize just how important the second ‘R’ in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is and how it plays an essential role in the three ‘R’s. It seems that the last ‘R’ gets all the attention in promoting what’s good for the environment. Really it should be all three in the order they are presented. The first ‘R’ (Reduce) is important, and why it is first. If you can go without or reduce what you need, then that helps in reducing the load on the next two ‘R’s. The second ‘R’ (Reuse), which is key as it reduces the need for the requirement of the first and last ‘R’. The last ‘R’ (Recycle) should be the last resort, you are essentially disposing of the item, just in a more responsible way rather than burring or burning it. Which is what eventually happens when you put something in the garbage.
If have not read yet, see: Don’t abandon all hope ye who enter here
The industrial revolution made it possible for more things to be available for more people, which in turn improved the quality of life and hence more demand by the people, and the cycle continues. However the side effect of this is that the ‘stuff’ eventually wears out or there is more stuff than needed. The original solution to the unwanted stuff was to throw it away. At first that meant literally throwing it out away from your home to be burned and/or buried later. This might of worked where the home was in a remote location away from other homes. However, in towns and cities, this was not going to work. Hence garbage collection. Having the garbage taken away for you allowed for ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and people never gave it a second thought to just throwing something away (the disposable economy).
I think the three ‘R’s concept started in the 1970’s as people back then were starting to see the issues of more garbage being generated. Because once an item is thrown away, it is no longer available for use and has to go somewhere. The problem is, even almost 60 years later adoption of this concept is still low in north america, ironically where this initiative has started. Many European and some Asian countries have a high rate of adoption, so it is possible to be done effectively and efficiently.
A new problem in the mix is that now products are manufactured with planned obsolescence, difficult to service, and are made of stuff that is toxic to the environment. This makes the three ‘R’s more important than ever and even more so with electronics and computers. Because of this, now there’s a new way to look at the second ‘R’ (Repair or Reuse). This is why PCsavant started this crusade to have computers diverted from becoming e-waste. Yes, recycling is better than just throwing it away, however, not better than keeping it out of any waste stream in the first place.
How is the second ‘R’ (Repair/Reuse) is the best option?
Once a computer is manufactured, it is too late for the first ‘R’ (Reduce), however, the second ‘R’ reduces the need to manufacture another one to replace it, satisfying the first ‘R’. Repairing/Reusing the computer keeps it from becoming e-waste. Once a computer or electronic item is in the e-waste stream, just like trash, it can’t be used for anything else, not even for replacement parts. If a computer is irreparable or truly not reusable, its parts can live on to repair another computer. Only the components that can’t be reused should move on to the e-waste/recycling stream (ex: dead battery).
Why is PCsavant so set against the third ‘R’?
Actually, PCsavant is not against recycling, it has its purpose. PCsavant is just against recycling a computer when it can still be useful to someone, even if just for donor parts. You heard the saying; One mans trash is another’s treasure. This hold very true with electronics and computers.
Before you write off that computer, why are you considering replacing your computer?
Is it because a certain operating system told you so (Microsoft Windows) or is it performance issues? If the prior reason, first make sure to check on the items the OS says is incompatible with the upgrade. For example, your computer might have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0, it might just be turned off. Check your hardware manual or search the computer specs on the internet. Another option is to use a more compatible OS for example Linux Mint or Zorin OS (both are Windows user friendly).
If a performance issue, things can get cluttered up after a while. Try reinstalling your OS or try a different OS as previously mentioned. If that did not work, consider upgrading the hardware. If none of the options work or it’s just not feasible for you, then it time to consider the next option.
If you have a computer that you truly have no use for;
You can either sell it (for parts if not working), sell it at a pawn shop, take it to a used computer store, take it to a local repair shop (specify they can sell it or use it for parts so that it does not go strait to the e-waste), donate it to a computer club/user group, post it on Freecyle, or donate it to a thrift store. There are many options before considering e-wasting it. BTW: Before doing any of these options, I recommend you (or someone doing it for you) erasing or removing the storage device first.
There you have it, please seriously consider the second ‘R’ (Repair/Reuse) before resorting to the LAST option of recycling (e-waste).