As Earth Fest approaches (or any time!), take the opportunity to do a little environmentally-friendly spring cleaning and purge some of your tech clutter.
But did you know computer components contain toxic or hazardous elements—like lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and more—that can leak into the ground if you don’t properly dispose of them?
So don’t just throw your old computers, monitors, printers or even power adapters in your household trash. Safely and securely recycle them—for free!—by bringing them to the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) Help Desk (1210 W Dayton St) during regular onsite hours.
DoIT will accept
- Computers*
- Monitors (no screens or monitors over 25″—measured diagonally across the screen and including the bezel)
- CD drives
- Hard drives
- Printers
- Power adapters
- CDs/DVDs
*IMPORTANT: DoIT can only accept personal computer components. For university-owned equipment, see SWAP for details on how to properly dispose of the item.
Please refer to the Personal computer recycling program FAQ for more information.
DoIT cannot accept
- Hazardous waste or contaminated items
- Batteries that are not an integral part of the system being recycled (battery recycling is available at Union South)
- Lead-acid batteries
- Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems
- Damaged batteries of any kind
- Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) that have been removed from their cases, or CRTs that are cracked or broken
- Telephones, including smartphones/cell phones (smartphone/cell phone recycling is available at Union South and in the 333 East Campus Mall lobby)
- Toner and ink cartridges (toner and ink cartridge recycling is available at Union South)
More information on campus recycling can be found on the Office of Sustainability website.
Frequently asked questions
DoIT partners with Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations Inc. to provide an environmentally-friendly, on-campus alternative to putting those old computer parts in the trash.
Is it secure?
Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations Inc. adheres to the standards and requirements set forth by several governing bodies, including workplace safety and e-recycling organizations that verify they are processing IT equipment and private data safely and securely.
Should I delete sensitive information from my computer?
Absolutely! If there’s any concern about having the information on your computer fall into malicious hands, we recommend deleting information from your computer prior to recycling it. Remember to delete sensitive information, back up necessary files and remove all transportable media prior to delivery.
For more information about securely erasing hard drives, please see the Personal computer recycling program FAQ and How to remove your personal information before you get rid of your computer (Source: Federal Trade Commission).
Once a computer is delivered for recycling, DoIT cannot return it to the owner. Participation in this program constitutes a relinquishment of all rights to the hardware and other computer materials delivered to DoIT.