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By Jesse Berst,
Editorial Director
ZDNet AnchorDesk,
ZDNet News
You'll be throwing out lots of things over the next
several weeks. Christmas tree. Boxes. Wrapping paper. Perhaps even an
old PC -- if Santa comes through with a new one.
But what should you do with that elderly 486 or
trusty-but-slow P-100 box? I've got three suggestions for what you can
do.
You'll have plenty of company as you make your decision.
One estimate I've seen says some 40 million computers will be retired
this year. Click
for more. Thy can't all end up in landfills. Here's what you can do:
Recycle It
IBM has a new program to help you recycle your old
PC. Big Blue accepts any computer -- IBM model or not. Those still functioning
get refurbished and passed on to a charity. Those too far gone get disposed
of in an environmentally friendly way.
The catch? It'll cost you $29.99 per machine. A
small price to pay, since most of the money goes to cover shipping costs.
Click
for more.
Re-Purpose It
Try one of these new jobs for that desktop you no
longer call number one:
- Downstream it to grandma so she gets hooked up
with email
- Make it part of a home network as you share a
broadband connection Click
for more.
Donate It
You can donate your PC to any number of worthy organizations.
Here are some suggestions:
- CompuMentor
does the same
For businesses, use these guidelines to know when to
say goodbye to a PC:
What will I be throwing out this year? My back, as I heft all that holiday
residue to the recycle bin.
How will you recycle your old PC? Let me know by
hitting Talkback below. Or go to my Berst
Alerts Forum where the discussion is already under way.
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