Why Refurbished?
Refurbishing your old computer is good for the environment, good for the community, and yes, good for your pocketbook. A refurbished computer is even more environmentally friendly than a new computer!

Refurbishing differs significantly from recycling. A recycler strips the useful parts of a computer, and then grinds the rest up to extract any valuable materials, such as steel, gold, and copper.

Refurbishing, or re-use, means using the computer again. This process is better for the environment, helps create more jobs than recycling, and makes it possible to provide low cost but still useful computers to people and organizations that can’t afford new systems.

That’s why ReliaTech refurbishes and re-uses as many computers as possible. We are also a California approved e-waste collector (#100968), which ensures you that any donations that cannot be reused will be recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.

ReliaTech accepts your old computer equipment AND e-waste and will refurbish or responsibly recycle it. You avoid hassles and can rest assured that nothing is shipped overseas, and nothing goes into a landfill.

Click here to arrange a tax-deductible equipment donation or to request an e-waste pickup, or call 510 236-7000.

The environmental impact of a new computer

According to a 2004 United Nations study, manufacturing of one desktop computer and 17-inch CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor requires at least 240 kilograms of fossil fuels, 22 kilograms of chemicals and 1,500 kilograms of water. In terms of weight, the total amount of materials used is about equal to that of a mid-size car.

Re-using that computer system reduces environmental pollution as much as taking a car off the road for 6 months.

If that computer is refurbished and put back to work, virtually all of the negative impact (of buying a new system) is mitigated.

Watch this great film from The Story of Stuff Project to learn more about the importance of refurbishing and buying products built for recycling or re-use.

For more information on the Story of Electronics and what you can do to make a difference, visit Electronics TakeBack Coalition and Free Range Studios.

Why you don’t want to throw away your old system
When you donate your old computer or other electronic equipment to ReliaTech, you keep a variety of nasty stuff out of landfills, groundwater, oceans, the air, yourself, and your kids. Did you know that all of these toxics are in your computers and accessories?

Substance	Occurrence in e-waste
PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls)	Condensers, Transformers
TBBA (tetrabromo-bisphenol-A) PBB (polybrominated biphenyls) PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)	Fire retardants for plastics (thermoplastic components, cable insulation). TBBA is presently the most widely used flame retardant in printed wiring boards and casings.
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)	Cooling unit, Insulation foam
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)	Cable insulation
Arsenic	Small quantities in the form of gallium arsenide within light emitting diodes
Barium	Getters in CRT
Beryllium	Power supply boxes which contain silicon controlled rectifiers and x-ray lenses
Cadmium	Rechargeable NiCd-batteries, fluorescent layer (CRT screens), printer inks and toners, photocopying-machines (printer drums
Chromium	Data tapes, floppy-disks
Lead	CRT screens, batteries, printed wiring boards
Lithium	Li-batteries
Mercury	Fluorescent lamps that provide backlighting in LCDs, in some alkaline batteries and mercury wetted switches
Nickel	Rechargeable NiCd-batteries or NiMH-batteries, electron gun in CRT
Rare Earth elements (Yttrium, Europium)	Fluorescent layer (CRT-screen)
Zinc sulphide	Interior of CRT screens, mixed with rare earth metals