Don't recycle your computer - reuse it instead (9-Aug-07)
From Lauraibm
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Don't recycle your computer—reuse it instead (9-Aug-07)
New WEEE regulations prompted HP and Dell to report progress on their recycling of computer parts. But two university professors have shown it would be much more efficient (20 times) to re-use each PC instead of breaking it up for its recyclable materials. They discovered that the manufacture of a PC needs 1.7 tonnes of materials, including more than 10 times the PC’s weight in fossil fuels. 75% of a PC’s consumption of fossil fuels has happened before the PC is ever switched on! Michael Dell himself pointed that most of the 125 million PCs discarded each year are as powerful as the $100 laptop being proposed by the One Laptop Per Child project for schoolchildren in the developing world. Another organisation, Computer Aid, faces a severe shortage of donated PCs to meet increasing demand for refurbished PCs from developing countries. Each of the 90,000 PCs already donated is likely to enjoy a second-user life of another three years on a school desk in Africa.
Michael Dell has commented on the huge potential of reusing the 125 million computers that come out of circulation every year. It has been found that the manufacture of a single PC consumes more than ten times its own weight in fossil fuels, and of more concern 75% of PC fossil fuel consumption has already happened before the computer is ever switched on. Thus rather than IT efforts focusing merely on reducing power consumption there is a need to focus on production redesign and extending a PC’s usable life span in order to help reduce the products environmental costs.
Reusing a computer is thought to be about twenty times more effective at saving lifecycle energy than recycling. This highlights the importance of companies reusing their computers by donating them to charities such as Computer Aid. This will allow the working life of every PC to be doubled, and it also provides a simple way for companies to reduce their environmental footprint.
Text of Article
Don't recycle your computer - reuse it instead Sending refurbished PCs to developing countries is a great way to help the environment
Tony Roberts, Computing 09 Aug 2007
On 1 July, new WEEE regulations were officially introduced, prompting HP and Dell to report their progress towards recycling and recovering e-waste. However, less widely reported were Michael Dell's comments about the huge potential of reusing the 125 million computers that come out of circulation every year.
Dell was responding to a question about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which aims to produce a $100 (??50) laptop for use by schoolchildren in the developing world.
He pointed out that most of the 125 million PCs discarded each year are about as powerful as the $100 laptop and raised some interesting questions. Would it be a better idea to re-use those computers? Could governments distribute them?
These questions have been answered by Computer Aid, a not-for-profit organisation that has already shipped more than 90,000 professionally refurbished PCs donated by UK companies for reuse in developing countries.
The vast majority of these PCs have been distributed to schools and colleges with the active support of host governments. Yet the success of the programme means Computer Aid is facing a severe shortage of donated PCs to meet increasing demand from developing countries.
Professors Rudiger Kuerh and Eric Williams from the United Nations University in Tokyo have shown that manufacture of a single PC needs 1.7 tonnes of materials, including the consumption of more than 10 times its own weight in fossil fuels.
Then there is the skewed distribution of consumption across the PC lifecycle. Most electrical products consume about 95 per cent of lifecycle fossil fuels when in use. However, 75 per cent of PC fossil fuel consumption has already happened before the computer is ever switched on.
This has crucial implications for business PC owners wanting to reduce the e nvironmental impact of PC use. The high energy during manufacture is compounded by a PC??s unnecessarily short lifespan. While most green IT efforts focus on reducing power consumption, a true environmental impact assessment must study the entire product lifecycle.
As 75 per cent of the environmental damage occurs during the PC production process, production redesign and extending a PC??s usable life span are the most effective options to reducing their environmental cost.
Kuerh and Williams conclude that reusing a whole computer ??is some 20 times more effective at saving lifecycle energy than recycling.
A PC professionally refurbished by Computer Aid will enjoy a second-user life of another three or four years on a school desk in Africa.
If the IT industry is serious about improving the environment, as well as tackling the digital divide, it is time to make the switch to reuse by donating old PCs to charities such as Computer Aid. By effectively doubling the working life of every PC, reuse provides a simple way for companies to reduce their environmental footprint and successfully redistribute such valuable learning tools.
Tony Roberts is the founder and chief executive of Computer Aid International. Visit www.computeraid.org for more details.
- Source: What PC
