Busted Electronics? The 'Hows' and 'Wheres' of Local Electronics Recycling

Two weeks ago I had the very unfortunate experience of dropping the family computer from our second-story loft to the first-level floor. It likely goes without saying, but the computer didn't stand a chance of surviving. (And yes, it seemingly happened in slow motion.) A computer with an unrecoverable hard drive yet intact memory left me wondering how to properly recycle or reuse what was left. And with the recent addition of our blender to the list of need-to-be-recycled electronics piling up in the garage, I got to thinking, "How many other folks have similar items waiting to be recycled or disposed of properly?" In an effort to share my research and save some time for others in my shoes, here is what I found out:

Computers: Effective July 1, 2011, all television and computer equipment is banned from North Carolina landfills by state law (I wasn't planning on just trashing them but was hoping a search would reveal help from the City). To assist residents in my situation, the City of Raleigh is now offering free curbside pick-up of electronic items twice a month. Acceptable items include televisions, computer monitors, cords, processing units, scanners, parts, keyboards, mice, fax machines, and copiers. For more information, simply visit the City of Raleigh website and enter your street address.

Other Electronics: Thank you City of Raleigh! When you call for a television or computer pick-up, you are allowed up to three items with a cord to be picked up as well. Perfect for those like me who have accumulated their fair share of busted electronics.

For all electronics (and other bulky items), you also have the option to drop them off at Wake County's Multi-Materials Facility. The facility takes care to recycle all items properly.

If you don't live near a facility or don't want to wait for pick-up, Absolute Computers in Raleigh will also recycle laptops, batteries, and many other components. A full list of accepted items is on their website, as well as other resources for properly recycling these items.

For the full list of what is accepted in Wake County, WakeGOV.com has a comprehensive, user-friendly guide.

Thanks to a city and county dedicated to recycling, what I thought would be difficult and take some serious research turned out to be just a phone call. Now I have more time to learn about all the incredible technology improvements to computers over the last four years!

Have you had an experience with any of these electronics recycling facilities/services? Do you know of any others? Help me add to this list. I'd love to hear from you!