Recycling a PC is a process that fortunately has become very simple, and at the same time it is becoming much more necessary than before. Computers have been with us for several decades now, so most likely you have one or more old computers at home that you need to recycle, since obviously the space in a home or in a storage room is not infinite, and computers can be quite bulky.

In this article, we will go over in depth what are the best ways to recycle a PC, be it complete or some of its components, or any other type of electronic waste. We hope it is a very useful guide, since recycling is essential for the planet. Let’s go there!

First of all, to the container or to the public road NO!

We have to start this article in a way that for almost everyone will be more than obvious: advising that a computer should never be thrown into any container.

We all know that there are different types of containers, including yellow (plastics and containers) and gray (waste in general), and someone may think that some electronic device can be thrown there. The reality is that no, it is a very serious irresponsibility that carries significant environmental risks.

Therefore, forget completely about the containers: the only urban container where something electronic could be thrown away is the battery container, which can be found as a “complement” to some other container, and where we recommend that you leave all the batteries exhausted. that you have at home.

Another place where you shouldn’t try to “recycle” your computer is on public roads. It is more common than it seems to leave a PC lying on the street waiting for someone to pick it up. Not only does it not have to be this way, but you may be committing an illegality. So, having said that, let’s see what are the methods that you should use to recycle a PC.

Your computer and components are WEEE: places to recycle a PC

Now that we are going to see what it is worth to recycle a PC, you should know what type of waste you are dealing with. A computer, like any other household electronic device , is an EEE , or Electrical and Electronic Device.

Therefore, as soon as it becomes a waste to be recycled, because  its useful life has ended,  then we speak of WEEE , which is the acronym for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. We can also find other more modern names such as “e-waste” or “electronic waste”, but we will talk about WEEE throughout the article.

Well, there are a lot of possibilities to recycle WEEE, and we are going to present them to you.

Municipal clean points

The real key to recycling PCs or parts is, without a doubt, going to the nearest clean point to your locality. Clean points are areas located near population centers designed to voluntarily deposit waste such as:

Be careful, because in addition to admissible waste there are also others that are not allowed in a clean point. We talk about:

Of course, this is the ideal place to recycle an old computer that has become waste. For the record, the list we leave above depends on each clean point, although it should serve as a reference.

And what clean point do I have to go to? In Spain, practically any municipality has a clean point, and you can find the closest one using tools such as the OCU .

Note that there are also mobile clean points, which are located in specific places temporarily, as well as “mini” clean points, which are much closer to the population. They can be used to dispose of PC components, but usually not for a complete computer.

So, the great disadvantage of the clean points is in the necessary displacement to dispose of the waste. If we have a lot of WEEE accumulated then it makes all the sense in the world, but if we are only going to throw away a piece or a piece of equipment it can be somewhat tedious. But don’t worry, because there are more alternatives.

Partner stores with Ecolec

Ecolec is a Spanish non-profit foundation dedicated to the collection and treatment of WEEE, generally thinking about the circular economy, that is, the reuse of waste to try to take advantage of all the materials it contains.

Well, Ecolec has many collaborating establishments, both physical and online stores, that offer the collection of this type of waste. The point is that what they do is that, when we buy a new device, they take the old one to recycle it.

Really, this is only interesting when we are talking about household appliances, rather than recycling a PC or its components. The exception could be that we bought a new team and the old one was a waste.

We can check where all these establishments are located, which are spread throughout Spain, on the official Ecolec website .

Collection of WEEE at home

The last mode of PC recycling that we are going to present you is one of the most interesting, and we are talking about the collection of WEEE at home. Depending on where you live, it is possible that there is the possibility of requesting that they come to your house to collect this type of waste, being then the most comfortable way to do it.

We indicate that it depends on where you live, since normally these services depend on the city council, in Spain there are many that offer it and it usually consists of a specialized company or city hall staff passing through all the addresses that have requested the authorization once a month. collection of this waste.

Find out on the website of your City Council, on social networks, or contact them directly.

Then, the procedure usually consists of calling the town hall and requesting the collection of WEEE , where you will be recorded for it, and they will inform you of the day on which they will make all the collections.

For example, I personally live “somewhat far” from a clean point, which makes recycling an old computer at home less attractive. But thanks to this type of service I have no problem recycling them.

Another way to recycle your PC is to sell or donate your components

Naturally, a very interesting idea is not to turn the PC or the components into waste, but we can choose to sell or donate them.

If you have a functional PC, maybe recycling it is not necessary, as someone might be interested in taking it away. By advertising it on the main second-hand platforms, such as Wallapop, eBay or Milanuncios, you could find an interested buyer.

The same happens with specific components, especially if it is very durable parts such as RAM modules, which almost never break down, and although a DDR2 memory stick seems totally useless, you may be able to sell it to someone who is looking for expand an old PC. Try it!

The best waste is the one that is not generated

Naturally, the best we can do is not recycle, but find a way to reuse the old PC or components. If we can find some reasonable use for it (including the sale or donation just described) then it is preferable to making the equipment waste.

In any case, there is no doubt that the recycling solution is perfectly reasonable when for any reason, either due to lack of time to find an alternative, because the device is damaged or simply because we do not consider that it can cover any need correctly. That is why we have given you all the necessary keys for PC recycling in this article.

Here we once again insist on the importance of not resorting to throwing electronics into containers or leaving them lying on public roads. They are great irresponsibilities that, in addition to being unnecessary and harmful, can be illegal.

Final words and conclusion about the recycling of PC and WEEE

It is becoming more and more common to have a lot of electronic waste accumulated at home, considering that we have been using computers for more than two decades now. Therefore, many people are interested in knowing the correct way to recycle a PC or individual computer components .

In this article, we have started by emphasizing how important it is to never throw this type of waste into the garbage container or onto the public highway . For its correct recycling it is essential to opt for other methods.