WEEE Awareness: How to Keep Old Computers out of Landfill

- and why better software can be better for the environment -

Over the years, as computer hard drives have gotten bigger and the power and performance of computer hardware has improved expodentially, software developers have been able to write applications that are much larger and much more powerful for desktop pcs. However, this has also led to a tendency to write less efficient and more long-winded code, putting additional, unnecessary demands upon hardware performance, disk space and memory, and meaning that pcs become obsolete and decommissioned that bit sooner. This in turn contributes significantly to the quantity of computer hardware finding its way to the landfill.

In contrast, when most pcs only had a few gigabytes of hard disc space and 64 to 128gb of RAM, developers needed to write efficiently coded software in order for their products to work with existing technologies. As hardware prices have fallen and higher specification components become more readily available, such constraints have all but disappeared. The decline of this practice is no doubt responsible for mountains of old computer hardware clogging up landfills around the globe.

On the extreme edge of this syndrome, other software vendors are racing ahead of the hardware market, and forcing the hardware vendors to catch up with the demands placed upon them by the new breed of uber-applications which guzzle up disk space and memory like never before. They are thereby also placing yet more pressure on consumers to upgrade their computer systems.

One of the most prominent recent examples is Windows Vista, which has put exceptional pressure on the hardware market to provide new machines capable of running the operating system. Vista requires at least 1gb of RAM and, for all the features to be fully operational, as much as 2gb. This has made untold lower spec machines obsolete overnight.

It isn't only Vista, or even Microsoft for that matter, that is responsible for creatng this computer recycling problem. Countless commercial software vendors release products with high system requirements and, while in some instances, this may be neccessary, in others it is simply the outcome of pouring out mountains of excessively longwinded code for the sake of rapid application development and/or convenience. Many code builders and software development applications contribute to this trend with drag and drop facilities or automatic function and module generators which essentially write the code for the developer like programming Lego. These may take the hard work out of development and avoid the commonplace shibboleth of re-inventing the wheel. However, in worst case scenarios they can also pump out tens of thousands of lines of extraneous code which all contribute to the amount of disc space and memory the end-product eats up.

With these concerns in mind, it is the purpose of this article to introduce responsible ways of saving older computers from landfill.

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PC recycling and preservation tips:

1. Make your PC a thin-client with Virtual Office Software
   
2. Instead of replacing your pc, buy an external hard drive
   
3. Use efficiently coded software alternatives
   
4. Down-size your operating system
   
5. Recycle your computer hardware
   

Make your PC a thin-client with virtual office software

There are numerous virtual office packages available these days which allow you to perform all your common computing tasks using internet-based office applications and, what's more, you can even store, search, edit and retrieve all your documents securely online. This means that you can access your documents online from anywhere in the world and small businesses can centralise company documentation online and share it between members of staff. This just goes to show that if you upgrade your way of thinking about computing, then you need not upgrade your existing hardware.

Quite a few companies offer free virtual office packages for personal use - so get Googling.

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In fact, one of the new virtual office software vendors is Google themselves, providing a package known as Google Apps. There is a standard edition which is free for personal use, and it includes email, messaging, word processing and spreadsheets - all on line. So, installing Office packages, and storing documents on your home pc has the potential to become a thing of the past. You can get hold of Google Aps here, and you might also consider having a look at The Google Pack, which features a few slimline applications for the PC.

Instead of replacing your pc, buy an external hard drive

If it is only more disk space you need then buy another larger hard disk or external hard drive, that you can swap between old home pcs. This is surely a better and cheaper way to go than buying a whole new computer and throwing away your old PC. Not an ideal solution, but better than letting that big hunk of plastic and metal become a recycling headache.

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Use efficiently coded software alternatives

These can reduce the pressure on your existing business hardware estate or your home pc, and help keep them running smoothly for longer. It is very often open source developers that score best on providing high-performance, small applications that take up modest amounts of disk space and memory.

Many Unix applications are available for Microsoft Windows operating systems. These Open Source packages tend to be significantly more light-weight than their proprietry alternatives, and provide an excellent opportunity to reclaim old hardware from obsolesence. This is largely due to the way that open source software is designed and developed. Communities (rather than fixed teams) of developers contribute their time and expertise freely to the improvement of openly available code, making for a collaborative and innovative approach to improving the software even during its product life-cycle, as well as providing the usual add-ons, bug and security fixes. When the code you write can be peer-reviewed by just about anyone in the community, the incentive is much greater to write it well.

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The following select list provides a good indication of just how little pressure you need put on your hardware to perform most common computing tasks. Moreover, all the products listed below are free for personal use and work on Windows operating systems:

Cost free software

1. Office tasks (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations e.t.c.): Open Office installs at less than 100mb
   
   
2. High peformance graphic design: The Gimp, svelt and kinky at 31.8mb
   
   
3. POP3 email: Mozilla Thunderbird, a bantam weight contender at 26mb
   
   
4. High performance antivirus: Grisoft AVG 7.5, squishes viruses like worms, without squishing your computer - 15.9mb
   
   
5. Media players: VLC Media Player, lightweight TLC for DVDs and other media (will even repair many broken media files), 26.7mb

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There are many more. Have a look at Sourceforge's catalogue of free open source software for Windows and see if you can find something you like. Beware though, if you decide you don't need something after downloading it, then uninstall it and delete the installer. Otherwise you are going backwards rather than forwards when it comes to freeing up space on your PC.

For really old PCs you can still prevent them from becoming trash...

Down-size your operating system:

Down-sizing doesn't necessarily mean compromising on performance for day-to-day computing tasks such as word processing, using the internet or email.

AntiX 6.5- is a useful, small Linux operating system weighing in at around 400mb, can run off as little as 64gb of RAM (128mb recommended), and is internet ready. An unofficial derivative of MEPIS Linux, it ships with a bundle of applications, which are included in this 400mb, and the operating system should be able to restore utility to even the oldest pc. Try putting this on your old desktop before consigning it to obsolesence.

Download the free AntiX operating system image here

Or read more about Antix in this Linux Today article, “Ultra-lite AntiX Linux targets obsolete PCs”.

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Recycle your computer hardware:

Give away decommisioned hardware to people who can make use of it. If you give away your old computer hardware on Freecycle people will even come and collect it from you. Find your local Freecycle group at http://www.freecycle.org/. Many hardware manufacturers also have recycling programmes which you can take advantage of. You can check about this with the vendor before you purchase or, if you have already have computer equipment you need to dispose of, call the manufacturer to see if they can help you do this responsibly.

Related Information: Green computing tips

Chris Boswell, June 2007

(You are free to reproduce any of the information in this article or part thereof, so long as the byline remains intact and a link is provided back to this page)

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Related Articles:

1. Linux Prevents Obsolescence: Could Reduce E-Waste by Millions of Tons of per Year - from EcoGeek

2. PCs: the latest waste mountain - The Guardian Unlimited

3. Green IT toolkit: Why you should care about the new WEEE recycling law from ZDNet

4. How to Dispose of Your PC or Monitor from Recycles.org

5. Find out more about WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic equipment) legislation here

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