Apple to recycle all computers and displays, free of charge

Apple to recycle all computers and displays, free of charge


By Stephen C. Webster
In a little noticed update to its website, Apple, the world's largest computer company, said this week that it would begin recycling old Macs, PCs and monitors sent to them through the mail -- and they're even picking up the shipping bill.

Apple's e-waste recycling program was first launched in 2005, under pressure from environmental activists who've hounded major electronics-makers to take back and recycle unwanted consumer goods. The program gradually expanded to include mobile phones from any manufacturer, then PCs, but users faced a $30 recycling fee if the company didn't think the old hardware had any market value.

In an update posted Tuesday http://www.apple.com/recycling/gift-card/ to little fanfare, that fee went away, replaced by a promise of a free shipping label for anyone who calls 877-712-2405. The company said it was also offering gift cards to its stores if the hardware being turned in has any value.

The program is being run through a partnership with New York-based We Recycle, which carries an e-Stewards certification for environmental responsibility.


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/10/apple-to-recycle-all-computers-and-displays-free-of-charge/
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/09/apple-expands-recycling-options-for-old-computers-and-mobile-devices/

if their recycling program consists of more than shipping dead computers to bangladesh to be scrapped without environmental/labor safeguards, that is.

I trust you posted this using mental telepathy.

Not yet anyway, it may be a '03 model but it still kicks ass, a lot of life left in the old American made beast :D

I look askance at any 'charitable inclinations' on their part:
http://shorinternational.com/goldrecovery.htm

Recover of Gold from Circuit Boards and Other Computer Parts

Gold can be recovered from computer parts (and telephones) in four basic methods:

1. Scraping or other abrasives

2. CBX

3. StripFree

4. Aqua Regia

5. SubZero

Scraping- If you have the time and patience, you can get a lot of gold just by using ordinary window paint scrapers and similar devices to remove the gold from edge connectors, fingers and other parts. It is very effective, though time consuming.

CBX- This method is very effective and simple, but is designed to work only on the "fingers" at the edges of boards. It works by attacking and dissolving the material underneath the gold, between the gold and the board. However, it is not useful for recovering gold from other parts of the boards because it gets used up too quickly when it starts dissolving other metals on the boards.

StripFree- StripFree is good for all items that are stainless steel based and to which you can make electrical contact. A good item for this is the underplate on the bottom of CPU chips. StripFree works by electrolytic action and requires the use of a car battery charger. It can be used over and over again, as long as the solution does not become contaminated.

Aqua Regia- An excellent and effective technique to both recover and refine the gold to pure. It's major drawback is that it requires the use of strong acids (hydrochloric and nitric) and produces very corrosive fumes.

SubZero- Shor has improved significant on the aqua regia process by the development of SubZero, a non-hazardous powder that replaces nitric acid in the aqua regia process. For instructions on this process, see: Aqua Regia Refining with SubZero ...