PCs Pose Serious Trash Problems

Now that you've bought a zippy new computer, what happens to the old one? Junk machines are becoming a big garbage problem that can't be solved by emptying the Trash icon on your desktop.

The hardware industry predicts that the 37 million new computers shipping this year will be obsolete in just 18 months, thanks to deep price cuts and relentless improvements. Someday they could be prized as terminals on a home network, but our track record so far in dealing with the senior machines is poor. The National Safety Council says only a fraction of last year's 21 million over-the-hill machines were recycled (2.3 million) or refurbished for charities (1.3 million). MORE >>