Thinking About Recycled Equipment

Walking into some nonprofits is like walking into a museum of the history of the personal computer. Strange disk drives, printers, monitors, and old computers are stacked about the office, each piece of equipment with its own unique story:

"The printer over there was a donation from a board member, but we could never quite get it to work on our network."

"Those computers in the corner were given to us by a bank, I think. But, when we got them, we found out they didn't have hard drives."

And the stories go on...

Recycled computer equipment can be a blessing or a curse. It all depends on whether the nonprofit does its homework before accepting a donation. There are a number of factors to consider when thinking about recycled equipment.

Total Cost Of Ownership

Receiving a computer for free is an enticing deal on the surface. However, there may be hidden costs and headaches. It is extremely important to think about the total cost of ownership involved with accepting recycled equipment. Please read this TechSoup article "Total Cost of Ownership " for more information on how to determine the total cost of ownership of technology.

Obsolescence

Many well-made, older computers can run perfectly for years after they were built. However, due to technical limitations, they may not be able to run newer applications. So while an older computer may work well as a stand-alone machine, it could be difficult for the user to share information easily with others on a network or over the Internet without the latest software. Most software programs are backward-compatible (meaning they can work with files from older versions of the same software), but not forward-compatible (they will not read files created by newer versions of the same software).

Also, hardware standards have changed significantly in the past few years, and many newer pieces of hardware literally will not fit in older machines. This can make it extremely difficult to make upgrades to an older computer in order to get it on a network or the Internet.

Stripped Equipment

To maintain security and privacy, many larger corporations (and even many individuals) may strip a computer of an integral piece of equipment: the hard drive. The hard drive houses all of the software and the computer's operating system. Without it, a computer is virtually unusable. While a new hard drive can easily be purchased, installation may be difficult due to compatibility issues. Even if an inexpensive hard drive can be located and installed on an older machine, the computer is still a blank slate. It will need software and an operating system to be useful. All of this adds to the total cost of owning a recycled computer.

Lack of Support

When you buy a new computer, you are almost always offered some sort of customer support and a warranty on the equipment. See our article "Getting It In Writing " for more information. Almost all recycled equipment is delivered as-is. There is no customer support person to talk to (or wait on hold with) when something goes wrong and you have no warranty to back up your purchase.

While many commercial companies are looking to get rid of older computer equipment, and many nonprofit organizations are in desperate need of technology, this isn't always a match made in heaven. Sometimes recycled equipment can cost more in lost productivity and morale than buying new or refurbished hardware. Nonprofits should be careful when accepting older, donated equipment. There are many innovative ways recycled hardware can be used, but many times it is best to direct companies towards an environmentally sound disposal method for the equipment. Please see TechSoup's recycling section for more information.