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Education Government Upgrades Hardware IT

Changing a School's Tech Disposal Policy? 218

Posted by timothy from the good-luck-and-raid-the-dumpster dept.
An anonymous reader writes "I attend a state university where a new building has recently been put in, and a new budget put in place. They have decided to upgrade all the computer systems involved in the department, with a few slight exceptions. From my limited understanding, State policy is that we cannot just let things go, they have to be sent back to the state capital in order to take them off the books. Then they put them in the dumpster. I feel that this is a huge waste of useful machines (some are merely two years old), but I know not how to change this. Any suggestions, or does anyone know where Illinois dumps used tech?"
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Changing a School's Tech Disposal Policy? More

Changing a School's Tech Disposal Policy?

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  • It's Called Google (Score:4, Funny)

    by iamhigh ( 1252742 ) * on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:08PM (#23422588)
    This article http://www.txstate.edu/effective/UPPS/upps-05-01-02.html [txstate.edu] found in the first page when Googling "State of Texas Computer Disposal Procedure" will show that the AC truly does have a limited understanding of how things work.

    FP?

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Pointy McButterpants ( 1183327 )
      Since when was Illinois the same thing as Texas?

    • Re:It's Called Google (Score:5, Funny)

      by loafula ( 1080631 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:19PM (#23422814)

      This article http://www.txstate.edu/effective/UPPS/upps-05-01-02.html [txstate.edu] found in the first page when Googling "State of Texas Computer Disposal Procedure" will show that the AC truly does have a limited understanding of how things work. FP?
      Maybe, but he has a phenomenal understanding of the difference between the state of Illinois and the state of Texas.
      • Yeah, yeah... everyone laugh becuase I quit reading after the whole "limited understanding". Which is when I darted off to google to see what *MY* state did. But the point is that I find it hard to believe that any state at this point, just trashes used computers. Texas has been doing this for at least 15 years... and probably much longer.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by kjkeefe ( 581605 )
        Not sure, but I believe the OP may have been high at the time... (look at his user name)

    • Re:It's Called Google (Score:5, Interesting)

      by gnick ( 1211984 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:22PM (#23422892) Homepage
      I don't know much about Texas or Illinois (limited understanding of geography?). But, in at least one branch of the Fed, they're sent back to a central office and taken off the books. Then, they sit in large metal containers and wait until they're approved for excess so that they can be put out for auction. Then, they're forgotten about and left to age until they can't be sold. Finally, they're sent out for recycling or landfill.

      • Re:It's Called Google (Score:4, Funny)

        by Moryath ( 553296 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:26PM (#23422950)
        Wow... who designed this system, a Vogon? All that's missing is forms filled out in triplicate before being buried in a pile of bugblatter beast droppings!

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by gnick ( 1211984 )
          I'm fairly certain that the system isn't functioning in complete accordance with the original intent of the procedure. Although, I haven't read the official policy - I've just observed the large metal containers full of computers and monitors as they sit out in the sun and age to perfection.

          But, maybe that is the official plan - I'd hate to pass judgment before all the facts are in.

    • Re:It's Called Google (Score:4, Informative)

      by wootcat ( 1151911 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @06:06PM (#23425420)
      See http://www.state.il.us/CMS/1_buying/statesurp.htm [state.il.us]

      Most computer hardware is sold at surplus auctions four times a year in Illinois. I worked for Illinois government as a contractor for 9 years and saw countless pallets of PCs and Macs move through there. Lots of other cool stuff too, including a powered drafting table I picked up for $75. I locked the table flat and can raise and lower it depending if I want to work standing up or sitting down.

  • Why tak ethem off the books? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ePhil_One ( 634771 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:10PM (#23422636) Journal

    They have decided to upgrade all the computer systems involved in the department
    If they are only upgrading ONE department, why not find out what other departments withing the university might be able to use them?

    • Re:Why tak ethem off the books? (Score:5, Informative)

      by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:45PM (#23423262)
      That's what we did when I worked as a student tech at Clemson University. Every year we made a bulk purchase of lab computers. Half the lab computers on campus got replaced. The next year the other half would be replaced (and it went back and forth such that lab machines were changed out every 2 years).

      When a lab machine was retired from service, they were then distributed to the IT departments of the various colleges (though I'm sure most here understand this, I'll just explain: a University is usually broken down into smaller "colleges" even though they're all still the same school. I worked at the College of Business and Behavioral Science).

      We then would clean up the machines, put a fresh image on them (since we got them in huge batches of identical configs they were easy to keep images for), and then send them out to the faculty that were running old machines. Naturally for faculty deemed special enough to deserve it they could also get a brand new computer bought during the purchase of the incoming lab machines as well.

      When we finally got done with them, we'd send them to a surplus sale. The general public was free to come in and purchase them at whatever randomly low price the surplus department decided to ask for them (the prices are normally dirt cheap because we were essentially just ready to dispose of them, but since they're bought with tax dollars the public has to have a chance at aquiring surplus property).

      I'm assuming that the disposal procedure is state law as I now work at another government organization in SC and the surplus procedure is pretty much the same. That can be a good place to pickup some parts though. 17" CRT monitors (which we're always getting rid of a few of since flat panels are all the rage now) generally get put up for $5. Pretty good spot to pick those up when someone needs one.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by LoRdTAW ( 99712 )
      Because the vendors don't get their fat contracts with the state to supply more new systems. That's why allot of equipment regardless of what it might be is destroyed by various government agencies. A sudden influx of cheap equipment cuts into the sales of new equipment. Many companies have a "destroy after end of life" clause in their government contracts.

      Its a terrible waste but it ensures vendors get to sell lots of new stuff down the line without competition from liquidation auctions.

  • Options (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Archangel Michael ( 180766 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:13PM (#23422700) Journal
    http://www.computersforclassrooms.org/ [computersf...srooms.org]

    While the computers need to be taken off the books, that is accomplished by paperwork. There are computer re-furbishers and recyclers like the one listed above (a non-profit 501.c.3) that will take any and all computers as donations to be recycled or deployed to schools.

    Usually the biggest pain is the stupid paperwork needed by the state to remove computers from inventory systems. They ought to just expire all computers from inventory after 5 years (or whatever), automatically.
    • Not only that, but you might check http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=QQO&q=homeschool+grants+law+illinois+%2Bcomputers&btnG=Search [google.com] to see if there is methods/processes for donating such 'tossed out' equipment to be provided to home schools under federal guidelines.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by ice666 ( 601599 )
      As one who attended a State of Illinois school, I did find out that once or twice a year they have a huge auction in Springfield where they will sell off old stuff including computers. I do also know that a lot of the stuff we sent down from Northern Illinois, was very old and had been striped of anything usable before we would let it go. I you can contact someone in a materials mgmt department they should be able to give you that information.

    • Re:Options (Score:5, Interesting)

      by zerocool^ ( 112121 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @04:05PM (#23423620) Homepage Journal

      Usually the biggest pain is the stupid paperwork needed by the state to remove computers from inventory systems. They ought to just expire all computers from inventory after 5 years (or whatever), automatically.

      Having worked at virginia tech's computer science department in the past for a few years, I can tell you that what you're saying is logical, but impossible in the current government system.

      The inventory people basically accept goods in, give them to you, and expect to get them back. In our situation, after that happens, they auction them off (VT auctions are like every other month, in an old warehouse looking building). The paperwork is intense. But the long and short of it is that the department cannot do anything with the computers.

      Problem two is that the inventory system at Tech doesn't account for depreciation. At all.

      Case in point: We had a professor create what he called a "pedoplex", which was this huge gazebo (shoot arrows into it?) looking thing that was just banks and banks of hard drives. In 199X or whatever, it cost $1.5 MILLION DOLLARS pinky to lips. Now? We'd be hard pressed to sell it for scrap metal - and I'm not kidding. Well, anyway, the guy that was the contractor that built it for the professor after a while realized that the prof wasn't using it anymore, and was like "this thing is neat, I built it and I'm proud of my work". The professor basically gave it to the guy. He moved to Pennsylvania.

      SO... every year, during inventory, someone would have to go UP to PA and walk into a storage locker and go "Pedoplex: One each, check!" and drive back. Not kidding at all. Then the guy moved to Austrailia. All of a sudden, in 2005, this freaking thing shows up in our inventory, marked as "missing", with a value of negative $1.5 million. Meaning even if we had been able to locate TWO (not to mention one) of everything on our inventory list, we were still waaaaaaay over quota for dollar amount of missing equipment.

      What ensues? Did we call the guy and ask if we could get into his storage locker? Did we write the piece of equipment off? Did we mark its value to be, say, $5,000? No, none of those things. The administration called the guy a thief (he was given the device), said that we lost valuable state property and should be held accountable (wtf, i'm a sysadmin, not a gopher, and this was before I was employed), and started a bickering shouting match between inventory, provost, and the department.

      Your tax dollars at work!

      's ok, though, after the 2nd year in a row when the professor who makes $220,000/yr for 5 hours of work per week who's my boss told me "sorry there's no money for a raise, we'll just keep paying you the legal minimum we can pay you in your pay grade", I left all that crap behind and got a job working for Rackspace, which is waaaay more awesome.

      ~W

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mikael ( 484 )
        That sounds just like something straight out of the Allagamoosa [wikipedia.org] novel by Eric Frank Russell.
        At least they weren't told that it had disintegrated due to gravitational pressure waves.
      • Pedoplex? He must have needed a lot of space for his kiddie porn collection. :)
    • At my college (a community college in Oregon), once we mark them appropriately as surplus, I am allowed to give them very easily to non-profits. I've given several hundred desktops to the local school districts, the fire district, and even some non-profit after school youth programs. We have "tech fees" that allow us to cycle our PC's every 3 years, and the ones we get rid of are usually better than the other local schools and such have in their rooms (they have very, very heavy budget cuts). Normally, t

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Arrrggghhh ( 635248 )
      Recycling for Illinois is a not for profit electronics recycler that refurbishes computers for placement with students, low income and the physically challenged. If the computer is too old to be useful or too broken to be refurbished, they break it into component parts for physical recycling. RFI is located in Peoria, IL and can be contacted at (309)682-3209. Please don't harass them - they do good work for lots of people and help make the world a green place - their motto is "Bringing Independence Through

  • Are you sure they're thrown away? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:13PM (#23422702)
    You might want to verify that they put them in the dumpster. I work in state government and all agencies here send old equipment to state surplus, which lesser funded agencies can get things out of and the leftovers are sold to the public at auctions. If your state government is just tossing all its surplus then you should contact someone in your state legislature about changing such a wasteful practice.
  • It's perfectly normal to lease a machine for three years, while it is covered by warranty/service contract, and give it back after the lease expires.

    The failure rate of old equipment goes higher and higher, and without proper maintenance contracts you'll start of getting into unstable territory.

    It's perfectly OK to do it this way. It does not make sense spending an inordinate amount of resources of keeping a huge park of a variety of machines running.

    Instead, standardizing on a few machines and tossing them

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Fast Thick Pants ( 1081517 )

      standardizing on a few machines and tossing them out when another technology renewal is due is *good*. It makes management easier and allows IT to keep things running smoothly.

      Sure, it's an easy fix in the short run. But 100 years down the line when the average surface temperature is 105 degrees Fahrenheit and gasoline costs $70 a gallon, you'll be defending your water tower and solar panel arrays from the hordes, running low on ammunition, stinking like a hog... Then you'll wish you'd done your part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

      (Hopefully your boss can see the logic in this...)

      • When a customer returns a lease, the owner doesn't just throw it in the furnace to transform it into air pollution. Generally they will resell it at a discount or salvage parts from it for later repairs or something like that. Businesses like to make a profit, and wasting perfectly good product is not profitable.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Sloppy ( 14984 )

        But 100 years down the line when the average surface temperature is 105 degrees Fahrenheit and gasoline costs $70 a gallon, you'll be ...

        Fortunately for me, I've already planned to die in 2107. I get the best of both worlds: cheap disposal, and no consequences.

      • In 100 years, I will be moldering in an over-engineered tomb. But if I'm not, I'll be sitting in my solar-thermal powered air-conditioned bunker.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Several schools run surplus sites that list all of their inventory they want to get rid of. I've bought a few (older) computers for really cheap this way.

  • Suggestions? (Score:5, Funny)

    by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:18PM (#23422804)
    I feel that this is a huge waste of useful machines (some are merely two years old), but I know not how to change this, any suggestions?

    Dark clothing + ski masks + pick-up truck @ 3am ...

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by DrFalkyn ( 102068 )
      seriously, I think you are allowed to legally 'dumpster dive' if something is thrown away, I know that it applies to people who leave stuff on the curb in residential areas, in most states that I know of.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by qualidafial ( 967876 )
        In my neighborhood you can get free trash removal by putting up a sign stating "Free (or best offer)."

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Phroggy ( 441 )
      My old college roommate still has some of the chairs we stole from behind the school in the middle of the night. Good times.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sootman ( 158191 )
      I got as far as dark clothing plus ski masks plus pick, but now how am I supposed to subtract 'up truck @ 3am' from all that?

  • From what little I know of Illinois politics, (Score:5, Interesting)

    by JesseL ( 107722 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:19PM (#23422824) Homepage Journal
    after the equipment is taken off the books, it's sold to the brother-in-law of some administrator for $0.50/ton. He then cleans up the PCs and sells them to government schools (via a contract he has with the superintendent, who happens to be his nephew) for 150% of what their new value was.
    • The only problem I see with this statement is that the poster felt it necessary to restrict the scope to the state of Illinois. *grin*

  • Govdeals.com (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Noctrnl ( 110574 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:19PM (#23422828)
    Have you looked at GovDeals at all? I work for a state agency in Missouri, and all of our equipment ends up being sold to the public through that site. I also notice that Illinois has a good deal of equipment there also.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 )
      Yes I have and those schools are Mentally retarded. 95% of the stuff you have to come and pick up. there fore it sells for peanuts. If they would not be lazy and ship items then the price would triple or quadruple and they would sell stuff like mad.

      The University of TN has been selling a crapload of nice 17" G5 iMacs they have been going for $150.00 but they will not ship. so they dont sell because nobody wants to drive 600 miles to get it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by FLEB ( 312391 )
        I'm surprised no one's running a business sitting outside the door and grabbing all this stuff for resale.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by inKubus ( 199753 )
          There is one, and he's the guy who convinced them that shipping the goods would be "too much of a hassle".

  • CMS auction warehouse on 10.5th St. in Springfield (Score:5, Informative)

    by mr_mischief ( 456295 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:20PM (#23422844) Journal
    Go to http://www.state.il.us/CMS/1_buying/statesurp.htm [state.il.us], which is the firs tlink on Google when searching for "Illinois state surplus auction" for more info.

    Go to our state online auction site [state.il.us] to see if they end up there, too.

    There's a reason Central Management Services exists -- it's to provide the central management of the services all state agencies need to kkeep duplication of effort to a minimum. One thing all state agencies need is to dispose of surplus equipment.

    • I dunno which school you mean, but at UIUC they have a big warehouse in Orchard Downs area where they keep all the surplus (also includes desks, chairs, book-cases) until it goes to the state. This is just for internal UIUC use and you require a Surplus Redistribution Form signed by your buildings facility manager. That sounds like a handful, but it's actually pretty easy to get. You are on good terms with your facility manager right?

      In your specific situation I would go talk to the department office a

  • It seems utterly wasteful. Over where I am, departments can send their used equipment (not just computers) to a central repository that's open to all other departments (and open to the public on certain days). Of course, for computer equipment, the harddrives are wiped.
  • I'm not sure if the "anonymous poster" is wrong, but I suspect he simply doesn't have any inkling of the actual process in place at the university in question.

    Here at the University of Washington old tech - heck, old equipment of all sorts - has to be gotten rid of following very specific steps. Very few of those steps lead to the dumpster unless what you're discarding is truly junk. Items can be given to other departments, for one thing. Items can also be released to surplus, where the wider public will be
  • Most state universities have a Surplus Property building where they will auction this kind of stuff off to you. YOu can almost always get a dirt dirt cheap too. There is a 14 bay disk array full of 80gb disks that i bought (with disks) at surplus for $150. I can get dual P3 4gb Ram proliants 1Us for with 32gb scsis for $150.

    Make friends with the dean, and convince them that their Univ. needs to do the same.
    • It's possible the university in question does this (Sounds like Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to me from the description), but most state agencies use the CMS surplus property route in Illinois. The university system is more independent than most state agencies, though.
  • "but I know not how to change this, any suggestions, or does anyone know where Illinois dumps used tech?"

    What the fuck are students actually learning these days? Is it all just memorization followed by regurgitation at the end of the week?
    Isn't there any schooling on general "How to find shit out on my own" anymore?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by blueg3 ( 192743 )
      They still teach that sort of thing -- the person in question just isn't paying attention.
  • A quick Google shows that many Illinois state university have surplus programs in place for handling old capital equipment. The same processes are in place at the two large universites I have worked at before.

    My guess is that are are some new guy (or student) that really don't know what is going on.

  • At my local university... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by CompMD ( 522020 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:30PM (#23423018)
    ...which is a large Big 12 school, the biology, chemistry, and physics departments generally find it easier to just put the computers out in the hallways and wait for them to disappear. I've gotten all kinds of weird old hardware from them. There are also disgruntled IT staffers that have been here a while that will happily provide hardware to friendly fellow geeks instead of sending them to the dumpster. Those folks have gotten me AUI transceivers, a few SGI workstations, and a huge box of SGI software, including several releases of IRIX 6.5. Some of the other departments will pull a computer out of retirement to serve a specifc purpose. Since I work at a spinoff of the university, I asked nicely and got a P4/Celeron box to use as a server for a joint project, and a fully equipped, mint condition, never used Sun Blade 2000 for my desk...er...for another server. :)

    I'm patiently waiting for the university to retire/throw out its 8-node Origin 2000.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by PaintyThePirate ( 682047 )
      It's like that at my university too, though mostly x86 stuff. I've gotten at least a dozen PIV machines and more PIIIs than I care to remember.

      In a student org [cmustoc.org] I'm in, we started a computer recycling program to deal with the excess and make sure hardware doesn't end up in a dumpster. We've run into a surprising amount of resistance from the University, but individual professors and some of the smaller departments are sympathetic to our cause.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Mr. Roadkill ( 731328 )

      generally find it easier to just put the computers out in the hallways and wait for them to disappear.

      Some places you can get away with that, others you can't.

      I work at a University in Australia where such things used to happen. Not so much any more...

      In between ideas about responsible e-waste disposal, the occupational health and safety (not to mention public liability) issues of leaving items lying on the floor in the hallways and what we're permitted to stick in our waste stream these days, we've

  • I don't know how Illinois does it, but being in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, I can tell you that our surplus stuff ends up on ebay if it can't find new homes through our property management:

    nyssurplus-albany [ebay.com]

    FWIW, that office actually handles (at least) state schools, prisons, and mental hospitals. Some interesting stuff gets sold through that group, to say the least...

  • Why not... (Score:2, Funny)

    by imyy4u3 ( 1290108 )
    sell them to the Air Force for use in their botnet [slashdot.org]?
  • Sometime these things may end up here:

    https://ibid.illinois.gov/secure/default.aspx [illinois.gov]
  • At my current job and my previous job, once it came off the books (after 5 years) and we no longer wanted it or wanted to replace it, it was fair game. My former employer used to sell some stuff really cheaply to employees and they only used the dumpster as a last resort. Here we just give stuff away if anyone wants it. At my last job, I had the authority to get rid of old equipment and we had an old Sun workstation that had no use for us any more but one guy wanted it. I wrote up a letter in Word and p
  • When I was at PSU, we collected it all up, and redistributed throught the campus, upgrading lesser computers... so in the end we would end up with the oldest of the old. Then that pile (because we were a PSU branch campus) would be trucked back to PSU - Statecollege (Main Campus) after they picked over it, they would wipe/destroy drives and sell at the student junk store that they ran out of the office of the physical plant. (OPP, yeah - you know me...) I don't know if that is still current situation o

  • Politics. (Score:3, Informative)

    by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @03:53PM (#23423380)
    Normally a lot of the problem is about accounting.
    If they are returned vs. given away vs. stolen. all accounts differently in the books for tax purposes. If your university is state owned it is probably an issue that it is easier to trash the computers then give them away because then you will get groups saying they need them more then other groups. No it is not fair or easy but thats the governemnt.

  • You may wish to try contacting the University of Wisconsin's SWAP program [wisc.edu]. I'm not sure how they have set it up, but it basically takes all of the old equipment and sells it to general public. This includes, computers, desks, oscilloscopes, incubators, etc. It is a bit like going to the best garage sale ever.

    I don't know this program started, but it sounds like the kind of thing you're looking for. Trying to get in touch with some of the folks in charge may give you insights into how to get it to wo

  • or does anyone know where Illinois dumps used tech

    Most likely in China, Africa or India since US is unwilling to take care of their own electronic waste or even follow (and ratify) international treaties.
    So yeah, do a world a favor and buy off some used tech before it goes to 3rd world countries where children have to sort through it.

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002920133_ewaste09.html [nwsource.com]
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-waste#Problems [wikipedia.org]
    http://www.ban.org/photogallery/index.html [ban.org]

  • Where's the incentive? (Score:2, Offtopic)

    by Erich ( 151 )
    Who cares about saving money in the government any more? You can just get some more bonds issued... more free money! It's even better if you're the Federal Government, the Federal Reserve will loan you all the money you want. You can loose (literally) tons of hundred dollar bills and not care! A few computers a couple of years old is chump change. Maybe you didn't get the memo.

  • Not going to waste (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sm62704 ( 957197 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @04:05PM (#23423618) Journal
    I live in Springfield (Yes, an alderman here is Gail Simpson [illinoistimes.com] and our state is indeed run by cartoons), where the state's computer systems get "dumped". They are disposed of the same as state-owned automobiles: by auction. Once or twice a year they sell used computers at the fairgrounds by the palletload.
    • One of the great finds at the state surplus auctions is when the big cardboard boxes of Leatherman-style multi-tools and Victorinox Swiss Army-style knives that were confiscated at the airports go for pennies a pound.
  • A family member of mine works at UNCC and he deals with the a similar policy, all of their "obsolete" equipment gets sent to a warehouse.

    The only way to get the stuff out of this lockup is to buy it through a NPO.

    We've liberated a few of the PC's by funneling them through our church. Hell, it's even tax deductible!

  • Sounds fishy... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Taibhsear ( 1286214 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @04:11PM (#23423706)
    I work at a college in illinois (chicago to be exact) and we don't throw out old systems. Every few years when they feel necessary or professors complain they will replace our department computers. The computer support people delist them from use and mark them as storage. Then they sell the systems for dirt cheap to students and faculty (who get them for free). I don't know of any policies in place regulating how many systems employees can take but I'm working on acquiring number two right now. I assure you, at least not at this college, they are not tossed in the garbage. Not only is this wasteful and stupid but it is also against the law IIRC. Computer components are very hazardous to the environment. You can't just throw that stuff out. It has to be recycled or disposed of properly, like any hazmat or chemical material.
  • Contact your governor, explain the waste and list a few ideas. Charity, Auction, used for retraining of unemployed people.

    If that doesn't work, you could also contact the largest paper and see if someone will do an article on the waste.

    Oh wait, Illinois...perhaps you should just shut up and support the union~

  • The last time I got involved with something like this, I asked my employer at the time (Alcan Aluminum) if they would donate their out-going used computers to the local high school. I got a firm "no" - from the lawyers! Liability trumped charitability. Hopefully your mileage will vary!
  • You attend the school and are asking us how things work? Go to the Administration building (you went there once when you enrolled) and ask anyone there what is the procedure for old equipment. You'll be directed to someone who actually knows the procedure.

    What probably happens is the old equipment is put on a school list and offered to other departments. What they don't want is sent to the state (removed from the school's inventory but still on the state's inventory because they paid for it). The stat

  • I'd be kinda surprised since you generally have to pay to dump large quantities of stuff, and a much cheaper way is to auction off the old stuff.

    That's what's done here, everything gets sent to surplus and sold there. If it's all broken down, non working stuff it is often sold in bulk and usually bought by a scrap dealer/computer recycler or the like.

    At any rate, just check it out. I'm not saying it's impossible they just dump it, it jsut seems unlikely. Why pay to transport them and pay to have them dispos
  • http://www.ucpnet.org/aten.html [ucpnet.org]

    United Cerebral Palsy's Adaptive Technology Exchange Network.

    I just used them last week (hi guys!) to clean out a server room and 50 old G3 Macs, beige-box PCs and various CRT monitors.

    Not only that but they took old a/v gear, 3/4" Sony u-Matic decks, cables, the works.

    What they can't refurbish, they recycle - support a good local cause, help provide job training and skills to students and disabled adults, and donate old equipment to needy schools throughout IL.

  • A way around it... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SeaSolder ( 979866 ) on Thursday May 15, 2008 @04:52PM (#23424288) Journal
    I used to work in the IT department of a Highschool, and we came up with a great way of dealing with this issue.

    In it's infinite wisdom, the school district would put the inventory barcode on the computer case, and inventory it as a computer, rather than inventory the components. So when we were done with a computer, and it was ready to be decomissioned, we would strip out the case. Everything that was usable would come out. Power supplies, NIC's, HD's, Mother Boards, etc. These would then be put into storage, and used to maintain and upgrade the rest of the computers. (Filling up RAM slots, adding extra HD's, etc.) This way, we would always have a supply of spare parts on hand in case we needed to replace a faulty component, and repair components wouldn't come out of our budget. (That way we could buy more and better new machines.) The cases would be sent to surplus.

    As a side benefit, if anyone's personal machine broke down, there was a huge supply of good parts to use.

  • I've dealt with issues similar to this(working in educational IT in MA) and they can be really frustrating, watching good, salvageable gear go to waste. The trouble, though, is that there are pretty strict rules in place and, while they lead to perverse results here, they have a purpose.

    If there were an easy way for us, or connected third parties, to obtain deactivated property without substantial oversight and documentation, the potential for fraud would be pretty ugly. All to easy to just declare someth
  • Risking the wrath of responders who will claim I don't know the difference between California and Illinois (I do. I got my bachelors in CA, and I'm getting my PhD in IL), I'll mention that at UC Davis, old computers (and other interesting equiptment) are sent to the UC Davis Bargain Barn [ucdavis.edu] where they're sold.
  • If it's a "huge waste of useful machines" then don't replace them at all.

    You guys apparently have the money to buy new machines even though your old ones work fine. Please publish your state and which government institution you are part of so no one ever has to take your calls for budget increases seriously again.

    Thanks.

  • My ex-wife started a program at Heartland Community College in Bloomington Illinois. Started off as a class for 10 - 15 year olds but expanded to include classes for adults. Computers that were being cycled out of inventory were broken down into components by the IT department.

    Students pay their $90 enrollment fee and are given a "kit" to use in the instructor-led class. They learn about the individual components and how they work together, assemble the computers and get some simple troubleshooting experi

  • Apple will do your education hardware recycling for free... register by june 30th, 2008 here: a href="http://www.apple.com/education/shop/recycle/promo/
  • I know a guy in the electronics recycling industry. You may have been told that they're thrown away, but in reality most of them aren't.

    Usually the hard drives either have to be wiped, or destroyed. The rest of the machine is up for grabs.

    In their case, they take the decent machines (including older ones like P2's), refurbish them, and sell them.

    The broken, or too old, equipment, they break down in special equipment that separates the various materials (plast

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