SierraScape February - March 2006
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text by Diane DuBois
photos courtesy of Penny Holtzman
After years of faithful service, the Sierra Club-Eastern Missouri Group office computer was donated to Laclede Computer Trading Company, 9405 Gravois Road, Affton MO 63123. Curious about the afterlife for defunct computers, two Sierrans recently toured the recycling section of that business with owner Bill Briggs.
| To learn more about local electronics recovery efforts contact: |
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City of St Louis Recycling Program: stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/recycle/, 314-353-7176 St Louis County Department of Health: www.stlouisco.com/doh/waste/waste_mg.html St Louis County Waste Management Hotline: 314-286-9200 Laura Yates, Solid Waste Administrative Specialist, St Louis County Department of Health: 314-615-4035 Missouri Department of Natural Resources: 1-800-361-4827 |
Once its working life is over, Briggs explained, a computer can be de-identified, disassembled, de-manufactured, and then recycled. Recycling retrieves precious metals, captures lead for reuse, protects ground water, and conserves landfill space.
What happens at Laclede Computer are the first two processes (de-identification and disassembly). Parts are then shipped to de-manufacturers within Missouri where the raw materials are retrieved and recycled following state and federal safety regulations.
Disassemblers at Laclede Computer Trading use basic tools to harvest the parts. Steps include: Clip the electric cord (for brass/copper retrieval). Smash the hard drive with a hammer (to eliminate retrieval of information). Open up the central processing unit. Remove the memory, processor, and cards (precious metal retrieval). Use a hemostat to pry out the tiny battery (nickel/cadmium/mercury retrieval). Do not open up the monitor (leaded glass); ship it intact, carefully bubble-wrapped.
The tour was fascinating. We left with 20+ new vocabulary words, an appreciation for the complexity of the recovery marketplace, and a resolve to find the best place for obsolete or non-working electronic gadgets.