Get rewarded for recycling your old computer

I have discovered the answer to an age-old question, where do computers go when they die? The answer is they go to Geek in Pink for recycling.

My wife and I purchased a new computer for our kids for Christmas to replace an aging Compaq iPaq computer running Windows 2000. Well, more like dead than aging. It was stuck on the imfamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and wouldn't even boot up any more.

The new computer is wonderful. It is fast, has lots of memory and zips through everything using Windows 7.

But back to the old computer for a minute. What was I supposed to do with it. It just seems wrong (and probably is) to set it out by the curb for garbage pickup. But storing a dead computer in my house is equally as wrong.

An easy and rewarding solution

That's when I saw Geek in Pink's Go Green with Geek in Pink promotion. To take part in the promotion, you just need to drop off your old computer equipment at Geek in Pink's shop and they take care of the rest. They will recycle it for you (i.e., make it go away) and, for your efforts, hand you a $10 gift certificate for future Geek in Pink services.

And if you are worried about any confidential data on your computer's hard drive, Geek in Pink will even wipe the hard drive clean for you before recycling. It's a simple matter of checking a box on a form when you drop off the computer.

Of course, being a geek myself, I had already deleted all of my computer's hard drive contents using Darik's Boot And Nuke software which I highly recommend. Although it is definitely not Noobie friendly so if you don't want to mess around with step, stick with checking the box on Geek in Pink's form and let them do it for you.

What really happens to the computers?

Mainly out of curiosity, and because Geek in Pink founder, Regina Miller, is a good friend of mine, I asked her what she actually does with the computers people bring in. Here's what she had to say:

"We feel the most useful and environmentally friendly component of recycling is the reuse portion. Parts that still have life in them and are still relevant are passed on to people that can use them. Geek in Pink does not sell used parts, or any parts for that matter, but we like to consider ourselves caregivers of underutilized and abandoned technology. Things that we can glean for use we do or pass on to other agencies for use.

"We also like to protect people from their own hoarding tendencies and realize that many people hoard because they are afraid to throw away their old units especially with the data it contains. So if we can help people feel confident about getting rid of their old computers and do good for the environment at the same time, everybody wins."

If you are interested in recycling your old computer with Geek in Pink (and you live in the Indianapolis area), contact Geek in Pink or visit the Go Green with Geek in Pink promotion page for more information. Geek in Pink's promotion expires on February 28, 2010.