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Where to Take Old Computers in Ypsilanti, Michigan

Old computers die, but they don't fade away. Since computers can contain heavy metals and other environmental hazards, solid-waste management is a challenge to communities like Ypsilanti, Mich., a quaint-looking college town (home of Eastern Michigan University) that's a suburb of a larger college town --Ann Arbor, site of the University of Michigan. The challenge to these Washtenaw County communities is getting residents to keep old and discarded electronics out of the waste stream. Ypsilanti has devised rules telling residents where to take old computers for proper disposal and recycling.

  1. Curbing Waste at the Curbside

    • Ypsilanti offers a "very aggressive curbside recycling program" to reduce waste, says the city's website. The city's sanitation department usually picks up trash once a week from any particular home or apartment building, and limits the householder to tossing out only one bulk item at a time. Anyone who wants to throw out more than one old computer must buy a $20 sticker for each extra bulk item. Twice a year, the city collection service offers "double trash day," so residents can legally throw out twice their regular collection limit without incurring extra fees. Details are available on the city's Public Services website at the "Trash Services" page.

    Your Trash Is Another's Treasure

    • Don't treat your old computer as junk, advises Washtenaw County on its "Turning Trash Into Treasure" Web page; think of it as a DIY challenge, or a way to do good for other people, if the computer is still working. Upgrade your computer by adding memory or a faster processor, or donate the computer to a nonprofit organization for use in a developing country. If the computer is useful only as a doorstop, the county offers a list of agencies, businesses and other contacts that will take that old laptop or desktop off your hands.

    Take Back Program

    • Washtenaw County, at its "Computer Recycling" page, offers another suggestion on what to do with that old computer to keep it out of the landfill: Trade it in when you buy a new computer. The county points out that Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other major computer makers, if you buy one of their products, will take your old computer off your hands, even if the seller didn't build the trade-in. Keeping that computer out of the waste stream keeps out "toxins in your computer such as lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants" that are linked to reproductive and neurological disorders, the county says.

    When You Can't Wait

    • Recycle Ann Arbor's Drop-Off Station, located in the county seat, describes itself on its "About" Web page as the county's "most comprehensive recycling drop-off center." It accepts regular recycling items, such as paper and plastics, and "a wide variety of harder-to-recycle items" -- including computers. As of 2011, the fee for each visit to the drop-off center, open three days a week, is $3. There's no extra charge for a desktop tower or your laptop, but monitors cost $15 each and each mouse or keyboard is an extra 50 cents. Your Toyota Prius too small to tote that IBM mainframe? Schedule a pickup by contacting the drop-off station.

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