Over the holidays I channeled my inner David Suzuki and decided I needed to deal with some of the bigger trash issues in my house. I am a pack rat when it comes to High Tech devices and keep thinking that I will find a good use for things, so I collect them, much to the chagrin of my wife and to the dropping storage capacity of my house.
I had a computer monitor (CRT) from my Church that I had taken thinking I could find a good use for it, but I finally broke down and admitted that it was never going to really get used (it was only 15″ in size), so I took it to a local store that recycles equipment.
As soon as I got there I knew this was not going to be as simple as I’d hoped, as the chap I spoke to said he couldn’t resell the monitor because it was just too small and nobody wanted a small CRT monitor these days (I agreed with him in that area). He said he would take it to recycle it (i.e. take it apart and ensure the 4 lbs. of lead in the monitor and the various other toxic chemicals in it don’t end up in a land site) but it was going to cost me $1.50 per kilo.
The whole thing ended up costing me about $20.00 which I think I am willing to pay for now, but now I am wondering what the heck am I going to do with my monstrous 32″ CRT Television when I want to get rid of it? I suspect that is going to cost well over $100 to dispose of -and- I have to get it to wherever to then pay to dispose of it.
The cheap part of me is whining about how much I spent on it, but the Suzukian side of me is smiling, so I guess it is a wash for my conscience for now. I also still have a basement full of old computers and many more old monitors as well, I suspect I am going to have to get rid of soon as well. This whole green thing is going to cost me.
Day 2 of No Spending at Work
I have challenged myself to not spend any money at work at all. I remember when I first started working I couldn’t afford to buy coffee and lunches, and now I am wondering just how much money I am blowing at work, so I have vowed to try to limit my spending to see whether this has a significant impact on my living costs and whether it is really as big a hardship (not having my Tim Horton’s at work) as I think it will be.
total tangent:
your ads are quite random today!
Quick Tax (makes sense), Playboy (??), Kids Toys (??)
Did you buy anything? No one has ever commented on them before, thanks for the feedback, given I usually make squat from them, I’ll keep that in mind.
You can also call ERA. The Electronic Recycling Association of Canada. They collect old computers and electronics. They reuse, recycle and donate to charities in Alberta, Vancouver and all around Canada. They have a Computer Recycling Drop-off point in Vancouver.
If you’ve ever got surplus stuff that you want to get rid of, provided it’s still in working order, look up your nearest Freecycle group (www.freecycle.org). It makes much more sense to give an item away for free to somebody who will use it, rather than paying somebody to dispose of it.
Don’t like your 32″ CRT television? Somebody out there wants a TV but can’t afford one. Sure, it might not be the latest model, but if it’s free, somebody will pick it up and give it a new home.
I had a crappy (but still safe and functional) BBQ a few years ago that I gave away. The family that received it was incredibly thankful. They got the benefit of a free BBQ (they just had to pick it up), and I got the benefit of not having to haul it to the dump.
In Vancouver there’s an org called “free geek” – http://www.freegeekvancouver.org. They take your stuff and recycle it or refurbish it and donate it to the needy (sounds like something you’d do, yes?) I wonder if Ottawa has a similar org?
I like the new blog look! Much cleaner and easier to read. Can I ask for one thing? Change your feed settings to FULL feed. Those partial ones drive me NUTS!
Thanks,
Tim
You might want recycle your computer equipment at Heartwood House at the corner of Rideau and Chapel from now on:
http://heartwoodhouse.ca/content/view/20/36/
They don’t charge for computer equipment, but will charge a flat (not by weight) $20 per CRT monitor. It’s all recycled locally.
Spread the word!