User:HiltonWibert227
From NANOG
Do you live in Calgary and have a laptop computer that is no longer serving you, or is too expensive to fix? If you do, you may be wondering where to recycle it. Calgary computer recycling services vary in how they process the computers. Some Calgary computer recycling services focus on reuse rather than recycling the constituent metals. Computer reuse is always a better environmental option than computer recycling because of the energy and residual waste that results from recycling.
Recycling in the province of Alberta is handled by the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) which naturally handles the processing of Calgary's electronic waste. The most convenient locations to drop off your electronics, is at specific Future Shop, Best Buy and Staples locations. There are 4 locations in northwest Calgary, 6 locations in the northeast, 4 locations in the southwest, and 6 locations in the southeast. Unfortunately, whether the computers are capable of being reused or not, they will all be stripped down and recycled into basic materials.
The City of Calgary website encourages citizens to first reduce the amount of new electronics that you buy through the purchase of used equipment. Reuse is the next most desirable option where your old electronics are given away or sold to someone to be reused. Recycling is the last and least desirable option where the computer is taken apart and its constituent parts recycled in to basic materials such as plastics and metals.
Reuse is a better option than recycling because recycling requires energy to melt the plastics and metals with the release of exhaust into the environment. In addition, at least 1% of the computer can't be recycled and is sent to the landfill. The longer that computers can be reused and refurbished, the better the effect on the environment.
In Calgary, there are some computer "recycling" services that accept laptops for reuse. While these services are technically called "recycling" services, their number one priority is to refurbish your laptop for reuse. An assessment of your laptop is made to determine if they are salvageable. Sometimes, it may take hours to take apart the laptop and repair a particular device. For example, the fans on some IBM Thinkpads are notorious for breaking down. The labour and parts involved to repair the fan or replace it could cost up to $200. At that price, most people just don't feel that it is worth the cost to repair a ten year old laptop, when a brand new Netbook costs about $300. However, these computer reuse services are focused on the environmental impact and the labour required to repair the laptops is simply the cost of helping the environment. Once the laptop is repaired, it will be either sold to recoup labour costs or if it can't be sold, it will be given away to charity.
If the laptop can't be reused, individual parts of the computer will be assessed to determine if they can be reused. Quite often, other computer users are looking for individual parts such as fans, drives and memory to repair their own computer. Only then will the non-usable laptop components be sent to an ARMA approved depot for recycling.
So when you are considering recycling your computer in Calgary, make sure you choose the more environmentally friendly option of computer reuse services. 広島のリサイクルショップはリサイクルジャパン
