Looking for e-waste recycling centers near you? Have you recently decided to Relocate To Atlanta and need to find the nearest place for your recycling? Or have you just never heard of us before? Well, Beyond Surplus’s City of Atlanta Electronics Recycling Center Offers a drop off location in Smyrna Georgia 15 minutes north of Atlanta serving all residents of Georgia. . Recycle any of your electronic devices safely and securely through one of the most trusted recycling companies in the nation.

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Beyond Surplus accepts for drop off all kinds of used tech no matter where you bought it from, the condition or how old it is.

The City of Atlanta Electronics Recycling Center offers a friendly environmental recycling services for electronic devices such as computers, servers, hard drives, data tapes, laptops, tablets, LCD monitors, printers, battery backups, copiers, routers, office phones and phone systems, electronic meters, gaming machines, telecom equipment, POS equipment, enterprise security equipment, TV cable box and internet routers, electronic surplus, outdated electronics, and any other type of electronic devices found in any industry or the IT department of your business.

City of Atlanta Electronics Recycling Center drop off center directions

What equipment can you recycle in ?

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CLICK HERE For List of Equipment Accepted

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• 12-Volt Portable Appliances electronics recycling
• Car Alarms & Security electronics recycling
• Car Audio electronics recycling
• Car Audio & Video Installation electronics recycling
• Car Electronics Accessories electronics recycling
• Car Video electronics recycling
• GPS Accessories & Tracking electronics recycling
• GPS Units electronics recycling
• Marine Audio electronics recycling
• Other Vehicle Electronics electronics recycling
• Radar & Laser Detectors electronics recycling

• Calculators electronics recycling
• DVD & Blu-ray players electronics recycling
• Gadgets electronics recycling
• Headphones electronics recycling
• Home Audio electronics recycling
• Home Automation electronics recycling
• Home Speakers & Subwoofers electronics recycling
• Home Surveillance electronics recycling
• Media Streamers electronics recycling
• Portable Audio & Accessories electronics recycling
• Vintage Electronics electronics recycling
• Virtual Reality electronics recycling

• Other Video Games & Consoles electronics recycling
• Prepaid Gaming Cards electronics recycling
• Replacement Parts & Tools electronics recycling
• Strategy Guides & Cheats electronics recycling
• Video Game Accessories electronics recycling
• Video Game Memorabilia electronics recycling
• Video Game Merchandise electronics recycling
• Video Game Wholesale Lots electronics recycling
• Video Games electronics recycling

Electrical & Test Equipment Recycling

• Circuit Breakers & Fuses electronics recycling
• Connectors, Switches & Wire electronics recycling
• Electrical Supply Equipment electronics recycling
• Electronic Components electronics recycling
• Other electronics recycling
• Test, Measurement & Inspection electronics recycling
• Thermal Management electronics recycling
• Wholesale Lots electronics recycling

• Microfilm & Microfiche electronics recycling
• Office Equipment electronics recycling
• Office Furniture electronics recycling
• Office Supplies electronics recycling
• Other Office Supplies electronics recycling
• Packing and Shipping Supplies electronics recycling
• Presentation, A/V & Projectors electronics recycling
• Telecom Systems electronics recycling
• Trade Show Displays electronics recycling
• Wholesale Lots electronics recycling

Healthcare, Lab & Life Sciences Recycling

• Dental electronics recycling
• Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment electronics recycling
• Imaging & Aesthetics Supplies electronics recycling
• Lab Equipment electronics recycling
• Lab Supplies electronics recycling
• Medical Equipment electronics recycling
• Medical Instruments electronics recycling
• Medical Specialties electronics recycling
• Medical Supplies & Disposables electronics recycling
• Other electronics recycling
• Wholesale Lots electronics recycling

Light Equipment & Tools Recycling

• Air Compressor Parts & Accessories recycling
• Air Compressors recycling
• Air Tools recycling
• Breakers & Demolition Hammers recycling
• Compactors Walk Behind recycling
• Concrete Vibrators recycling
• Drills & Hammers recycling
• Drywall Tools recycling
• Generator Parts & Accessories recycling
• Generators recycling
• Grinders Professional recycling
• Hand Tools recycling
• Heat Guns recycling
• Heaters Jobsite recycling
• Hoists recycling
• Other Light Equipment & Tools recycling
• Other Soldering, Desoldering & Rework Accessories recycling
• Pipe & Tubing Benders recycling
• Pipe Threaders & Dies recycling
• Powder Actuated Tools recycling
• Routers recycling
• Sanders recycling
• Saws recycling
• Scaffolding recycling
• Stationary Engines recycling
• Tool Batteries & Chargers recycling
• Tool Combo Kits recycling
• Transfer Switches recycling
• Trenchers Walk Behind recycling
• Winches Come Alongs & Straps recycling

MRO & Industrial Supply Recycling

• Commercial Radios recycling
• Fasteners & Hardware recycling
• Government & Public Safety recycling
• Hydraulics & Pneumatics recycling
• Lighting & Lasers recycling
• Material Handling recycling
• Pumps & Plumbing recycling
• Safety & Security recycling
• Wholesale Lots recycling

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Computer recycling or electronic recycling is the recycling or reuse of computers or other electronics. It includes both finding another use for materials (such as donation to charity), and having systems dismantled in a manner that allows for the safe extraction of the constituent materials for reuse in other products.

Atlanta Recycling Reasons

Obsolete computers or other electronics are a valuable source for secondary raw materials, if treated properly; if not treated properly, they are a source of toxins and carcinogens. Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and even planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of computer or other electronic components around the globe. Technical solutions are available, but in most cases a legal framework, a collection system, logistics, and other services need to be implemented before a technical solution can be applied. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an estimated 30 to 40 million surplus PCs, which it classifies under the term “hazardous household waste”, will be ready for end-of-life management in each of the next few years. The U.S. National Safety Council estimates that 75% of all personal computers ever sold are now surplus electronics.

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In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that more than 63 million computers in the U.S. were traded in for replacements—or they simply were discarded. Today 15 percent of electronic devices and equipment are recycled in the United States. Most electronic waste is sent to landfills or becomes incinerated, having a negative impact on the environment by releasing materials such as lead, mercury, or cadmium into the soil, groundwater, and atmosphere.

Many materials used in the construction of computer hardware can be recovered in the recycling process for use in future production. Reuse of tin, silicon, iron, aluminum, and a variety of plastics — all present in bulk in computers or other electronics — can reduce the costs of constructing new systems. In addition, components frequently contain copper, gold, and other materials valuable enough to reclaim in their own right.

Computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper, and gold. They also contain many toxic substances, such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), cadmium, chromium, radioactive isotopes, and mercury. A typical computer monitor may contain more than 6% lead by weight, much of which is in the lead glass of the cathode ray tube (CRT). A typical 15-inch computer monitor may contain 1.5 pounds of lead, but other monitors have been estimated as having up to 8 pounds of lead.Circuit boards contain considerable quantities of lead-tin solders and are even more likely to leach into groundwater or to create air pollution via incineration. Additionally, the processing required to reclaim the precious substances (including incineration and acid treatments) may release, generate, and synthesize further toxic byproducts.

A major computer or electronic recycling concern is export of waste to countries with lower environmental standards. Companies may find it cost-effective in the short term to sell outdated computers to less developed countries with lax regulations. It is commonly believed that a majority of surplus laptops are routed to developing nations as “dumping grounds for e-waste”. The high value of working and reusable laptops, computers, and components (e.g., RAM) can help pay the cost of transportation for a large number of worthless “commodities”. Broken monitors, obsolete circuit boards, and short-circuited transistors are difficult to spot in a containerload of used electronics.

Atlanta Recycling Regulations

United States

Federal

The United States Congress considers a number of electronic waste bills, including the National Computer Recycling Act introduced by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA). Meanwhile, the main federal law governing solid waste is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. It covers only CRTs, though state regulations may differ. There are also separate laws concerning battery disposal. On March 25, 2009, the House Science and Technology Committee approved funding for research on reducing electronic waste and mitigating environmental impact, regarded by sponsor Ralph Hall (R-TX) as the first federal bill to address electronic waste directly.

State

Many states have introduced legislation concerning recycling and reuse of computers or computer parts or other electronics. Most American computer recycling legislation addresses it from within the larger electronic waste issue.

In 2001, Arkansas enacted the Arkansas Computer and Electronic Solid Waste Management Act, which requires that state agencies manage and sell surplus computer equipment, establishes a computer and electronics recycling fund, and authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality to regulate and/or ban the disposal of computer and electronic equipment in Arkansas landfills.

The recently[when?] passed Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act distributes grants to universities, government labs, and private industry for research in developing projects in line with e-waste recycling and refurbishment.

Atlanta Recycling Methods

Consumer recycling

Consumer recycling options include (see below) sale, donating computers directly to organizations in need, sending devices directly back to their original manufacturers, or getting components to a convenient recycler or refurbisher.

Corporate recycling

Businesses seeking a cost-effective way to recycle large amounts of computer equipment responsibly face a more complicated process.

Businesses also have the options of sale or contacting the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and arranging recycling options.

Some companies will pick up unwanted equipment from businesses, wipe the data clean from the systems, and provide an estimate of the product’s remaining value. For unwanted items that still have value, these firms will buy the excess IT hardware and sell refurbished products to those seeking more affordable options than buying new. Companies that specialize in data protection and green disposal processes dispose of both data and used equipment while at the same time employing strict procedures to help improve the environment. Professional IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) firms specialize in corporate computer disposal and recycling services in compliance with local laws and regulations and also offer secure data elimination services that comply with data erasure standards.

Corporations face risks both for incompletely destroyed data and for improperly disposed computers. In America companies are liable for compliance with regulations even if the recycling process is outsourced under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Companies can mitigate these risks by requiring waivers of liability, audit trails, certificates of data destruction, signed confidentiality agreements, and random audits of information security. The National Association of Information Destruction is an international trade association for data destruction providers.

Scrapping/recycling

For systems which are obsolete or no longer useful to its user, recycling is often the only choice available. This is usually done by breaking down the equipment into its component parts, such as plastics and metals. These parts can then be recycled through various methods depending on the material. Recyclers typically charge a fee, but in return many (see e-Stewards) have a zero-landfill policy and the sorted or shredded pieces are melted down to recover their component materials for re-use.

Early pioneering efforts to e-waste

The first major publication to report the recycling of computers and electronic waste was published on the front page of the New York Times on April 14, 1993 by columnist Steve Lohr.

Atlanta Recycling Data Security

Data security is an important part of computer recycling. Federal regulations mandate that there are no information security leaks in the lifecycle of secure data; this includes its destruction and recycling. There are a number of federal laws and regulations, including HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, FACTA, GLB, which govern the data lifecycle and require that establishments with high and low-profile data keep their data secure.Recycling computers can be dangerous when handling sensitive data, specifically to businesses storing tax records or employee information. While most people will try to wipe their hard drives clean before disposing of their old computers, only 5 percent rely on an industry specialist or a third party to completely clean the system before it’s disposed of according to an IBM survey. Industry standards recommend a 3X overwriting process for complete protection against retrieving confidential information. This means a hard drive must be wiped three times in order to ensure the data cannot be retrieved and possibly used by others.

Atlanta Recycling Reasons to destroy and recycle securely

There are ways to ensure that not only hardware is destroyed but also the private data on the hard drive. Having customer data stolen, lost, or misplaced contributes to the ever growing number of people who are affected by identity theft, which can cause corporations to lose more than just money. The image of a company that holds secure data, such as banks, law firms, pharmaceuticals, and credit corporations is also at risk. If a company’s public image is hurt that could cause consumers to not use their services and could cost millions in business losses and positive public relation campaigns. The cost of data breaches “var[ies] widely ranging $90 to $50,000 (under HIPAA’s new HITECH amendment, that came about through the American Recovery and Revitalization act of 2009) per customer record, depending on whether the breach is “low-profile” or “high-profile” and the company is in a non-regulated or highly regulated area, such as banking or medical institutions.” There is also a major backlash from the consumer if there is a data breach in a company that is supposed to be trusted to protect their private information. If an organization has any consumer info on file, they must by law (Red Flags Clarification act of 2010) have written information protection policies and procedures in place, that serve to combat, mitigate, and detect vulnerable areas that could result in identity theft. The United States Department of Defense has published a standard to which recyclers and individuals may meet in order to satisfy HIPAA requirements.

Atlanta Secure Recycling

The typical process for computer recycling aims to securely destroy hard drives while still recycling the byproduct. A typical process for effective computer recycling accomplishes the following:

Receive hardware for destruction in locked and securely transported vehicles

Atlanta Recycling Hard Drive Shredding

Separate all aluminum from the waste metals

Collect and securely deliver the shredded remains to an aluminum recycling plant

Mold the remaining hard drive parts into aluminum ingots

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Green computing or green IT, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. In the article Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, San Murugesan defines the field of green computing as “the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment.The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product’s lifetime, and promote the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste. Research continues into key areas such as making the use of computers as energy-efficient as possible, and designing algorithms and systems for efficiency-related computer technologies.

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In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, a voluntary labeling program which is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment, and other technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode among consumer electronics. The term “green computing” was probably coined shortly after the Energy Star program began; there are several USENET posts dating back to 1992 which use the term in this manner. Concurrently, the Swedish organization TCO Development launched the TCO Certification program to promote low magnetic and electrical emissions from CRT-based computer displays; this program was later expanded to include criteria on energy consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardous materials in construction.

Regulations and industry initiatives

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a survey of over 90 government and industry initiatives on “Green ICTs”, i.e. information and communication technologies, the environment and climate change. The report concludes that initiatives tend to concentrate on the greening ICTs themselves rather than on their actual implementation to tackle global warming and environmental degradation. In general, only 20% of initiatives have measurable targets, with government programs tending to include targets more frequently than business associations.

Government

Many governmental agencies have continued to implement standards and regulations that encourage green computing. The Energy Star program was revised in October 2006 to include stricter efficiency requirements for computer equipment, along with a tiered ranking system for approved products.

Some efforts place responsibility on the manufacturer to dispose of the equipment themselves after it is no longer needed; this is called the extended producer responsibility model. The European Union’s directives 2002/95/EC (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive), on the reduction of hazardous substances, and 2002/96/EC (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) on waste electrical and electronic equipment required the substitution of heavy metals and flame retardants like Polybrominated biphenyl and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in all electronic equipment put on the market starting on July 1, 2006. The directives placed responsibility on manufacturers for the gathering and recycling of old equipment.

There are currently 26 US states that have established state-wide recycling programs for obsolete computers and consumer electronics equipment. The statutes either impose an “advance recovery fee” for each unit sold at retail, or require the manufacturers to reclaim the equipment at disposal.

In 2010 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into legislation by President Obama. The bill allocated over $90 billion to be invested in green initiatives (renewable energy, smart grids, energy efficiency, etc.) In January 2010, the U.S. Energy Department granted $47 million of the ARRA money towards projects that aim to improve the energy efficiency of data centers. The projects will provide research on the following three areas: optimize data center hardware and software, improve power supply chain, and data center cooling technologies.
Industry

Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) is an effort to reduce the electric power consumption of PCs in active and inactive states. The CSCI provides a catalog of green products from its member organizations, and information for reducing PC power consumption. It was started on 2007-06-12. The name stems from the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers program, which was launched in 1999. The WWF is also a member of the Computing Initiative.
The Green Electronics Council offers the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to assist in the purchase of “greener” computing systems. The Council evaluates computing equipment on 51 criteria – 23 required and 28 optional – that measure a product’s efficiency and sustainability attributes. Products are rated Gold, Silver or Bronze depending on how many optional criteria they meet. On 2007-01-24, President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13423, which requires all United States Federal agencies to use EPEAT when purchasing computer systems.
The Green Grid is a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. It was founded in February 2007 by several key companies in the industry – AMD, APC, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Rackable Systems, SprayCool, Sun Microsystems and VMware. The Green Grid has since grown to hundreds of members, including end users and government organizations, all focused on improving data center efficiency.
The Green500 list rates supercomputers by energy efficiency (megaflops/watt, encouraging a focus on efficiency rather than absolute performance.
Green Comm Challenge is an organization that promotes the development of energy conservation technology and practices in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The Transaction Processing Performance Council(TPC) Energy specification augments the existing TPC benchmarks by allowing for optional publications of energy metrics alongside their performance results.

The SPEC Power is the first industry standard benchmark that measures power consumption in relation to performance for server-class computers.

Approaches

In the article Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, San Murugesan defines the field of green computing as “the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment.” Murugesan lays out four paths along which he believes the environmental effects of computing should be addressed: Green use, green disposal, green design, and green manufacturing. Green computing can also develop solutions that offer benefits by “aligning all IT processes and practices with the core principles of sustainability, which are to reduce, reuse, and recycle; and finding innovative ways to use IT in business processes to deliver sustainability benefits across the enterprise and beyond”.

Modern IT systems rely upon a complicated mix of people, networks and hardware; as such, a green computing initiative must cover all of these areas as well. A solution may also need to address end user satisfaction, management restructuring, regulatory compliance, and return on investment (ROI). There are also considerable fiscal motivations for companies to take control of their own power consumption; “of the power management tools available, one of the most powerful may still be simple, plain, common sense.”
Product longevity

Gartner maintains that the PC manufacturing process accounts for 70 % of the natural resources used in the life cycle of a PC. More recently, Fujitsu released a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a desktop that show that manufacturing and end of life accounts for the majority of this laptop ecological footprint. Therefore, the biggest contribution to green computing usually is to prolong the equipment’s lifetime. Another report from Gartner recommends to “Look for product longevity, including upgradability and modularity.” For instance, manufacturing a new PC makes a far bigger ecological footprint than manufacturing a new RAM module to upgrade an existing one.

Software and deployment optimization
Algorithmic efficiency

The efficiency of algorithms has an impact on the amount of computer resources required for any given computing function and there are many efficiency trade-offs in writing programs. While algorithmic efficiency does not have as much impact as other approaches, it is still an important consideration. A study by a physicist at Harvard, estimated that the average Google search released 7 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2).However, Google disputes this figure, arguing instead that a typical search produces only 0.2 grams of CO2.More recently, an independent study by GreenIT.fr demonstrate that Windows 7 + Office 2010 require 70 times more memory (RAM) than Windows 98 + Office 2000 to write exactly the same text or send exactly the same e-mail than 10 years ago

Resource allocation

Algorithms can also be used to route data to data centers where electricity is less expensive. Researchers from MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Akamai have tested an energy allocation algorithm that successfully routes traffic to the location with the cheapest energy costs. The researchers project up to a 40 percent savings on energy costs if their proposed algorithm were to be deployed. Strictly speaking, this approach does not actually reduce the amount of energy being used; it only reduces the cost to the company using it. However, a similar strategy could be used to direct traffic to rely on energy that is produced in a more environmentally friendly or efficient way. A similar approach has also been used to cut energy usage by routing traffic away from data centers experiencing warm weather; this allows computers to be shut down to avoid using air conditioning.

Larger server centers are sometimes located where energy and land are inexpensive and readily available. Local availability of renewable energy, climate that allows outside air to be used for cooling, or locating them where the heat they produce may be used for other purposes could be factors in green siting decisions.

Virtualization

Computer virtualization refers to the abstraction of computer resources, such as the process of running two or more logical computer systems on one set of physical hardware. The concept originated with the IBM mainframe operating systems of the 1960s, but was commercialized for x86-compatible computers only in the 1990s. With virtualization, a system administrator could combine several physical systems into virtual machines on one single, powerful system, thereby unplugging the original hardware and reducing power and cooling consumption. Virtualization can assist in distributing work so that servers are either busy, or put in a low power sleep state. Several commercial companies and open-source projects now offer software packages to enable a transition to virtual computing. Intel Corporation and AMD have also built proprietary virtualization enhancements to the x86 instruction set into each of their CPU product lines, in order to facilitate virtualized computing.

Terminal servers

Terminal servers have also been used in green computing. When using the system, users at a terminal connect to a central server; all of the actual computing is done on the server, but the end user experiences the operating system on the terminal. These can be combined with thin clients, which use up to 1/8 the amount of energy of a normal workstation, resulting in a decrease of energy costs and consumption. There has been an increase in using terminal services with thin clients to create virtual labs. Examples of terminal server software include Terminal Services for Windows and the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) for the Linux operating system.

Power management

The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), an open industry standard, allows an operating system to directly control the power-saving aspects of its underlying hardware. This allows a system to automatically turn off components such as monitors and hard drives after set periods of inactivity. In addition, a system may hibernate, where most components (including the CPU and the system RAM) are turned off. ACPI is a successor to an earlier Intel-Microsoft standard called Advanced Power Management, which allows a computer’s BIOS to control power management functions.

Some programs allow the user to manually adjust the voltages supplied to the CPU, which reduces both the amount of heat produced and electricity consumed. This process is called undervolting. Some CPUs can automatically undervolt the processor depending on the workload; this technology is called “SpeedStep” on Intel processors, “PowerNow!”/”Cool’n’Quiet” on AMD chips, LongHaul on VIA CPUs, and LongRun with Transmeta processors.
Data center power

Data centers, which have been criticized for its extraordinary high energy demand, are a primary focus for proponents of green computing. The federal government has set a minimum 10% reduction target for data center energy usage by 2011. With the aid of a self-styled ultra efficient evaporative cooling technology, Google Inc. has been able to reduce its energy consumption to 50% of that of the industry average.
Operating system support

The dominant desktop operating system, Microsoft Windows, has included limited PC power management features since Windows 95. These initially provided for stand-by (suspend-to-RAM) and a monitor low power state. Further iterations of Windows added hibernate (suspend-to-disk) and support for the ACPI standard. Windows 2000 was the first NT based operating system to include power management. This required major changes to the underlying operating system architecture and a new hardware driver model. Windows 2000 also introduced Group Policy, a technology which allowed administrators to centrally configure most Windows features. However, power management was not one of those features. This is probably because the power management settings design relied upon a connected set of per-user and per-machine binary registry values,effectively leaving it up to each user to configure their own power management settings.

This approach, which is not compatible with Windows Group Policy, was repeated in Windows XP. The reasons for this design decision by Microsoft are not known, and it has resulted in heavy criticism. Microsoft significantly improved this in Windows Vista by redesigning the power management system to allow basic configuration by Group Policy. The support offered is limited to a single per-computer policy. The most recent release, Windows 7 retains these limitations but does include refinements for more efficient user of operating system timers, processor power management, and display panel brightness. The most significant change in Windows 7 is in the user experience. The prominence of the default High Performance power plan has been reduced with the aim of encouraging users to save power.

There is a significant market in third-party PC power management software offering features beyond those present in the Windows operating system. Most products offer Active Directory integration and per-user/per-machine settings with the more advanced offering multiple power plans, scheduled power plans, anti-insomnia features and enterprise power usage reporting. Notable vendors include 1E NightWatchman. Data Synergy PowerMAN (Software), Faronics Power Save and Verdiem SURVEYOR.

Power supply

Desktop computer power supplies (PSUs) are generally 70–75% efficient, dissipating the remaining energy as heat. An industry initiative called 80 PLUS certifies PSUs that are at least 80% efficient; typically these models are drop-in replacements for older, less efficient PSUs of the same form factor. As of July 20, 2007, all new Energy Star 4.0-certified desktop PSUs must be at least 80% efficient.
Storage

Smaller form factor (e.g. 2.5 inch) hard disk drives often consume less power per gigabyte than physically larger drives. Unlike hard disk drives, solid-state drives store data in flash memory or DRAM. With no moving parts, power consumption may be reduced somewhat for low capacity flash based devices.

In a recent case study, Fusion-io, manufacturers of the world’s fastest Solid State Storage devices, managed to reduce the carbon footprint and operating costs of MySpace data centers by 80% while increasing performance speeds beyond that which had been attainable via multiple hard disk drives in Raid 0. In response, MySpace was able to permanently retire several of their servers, including all their heavy-load servers, further reducing their carbon footprint.

As hard drive prices have fallen, storage farms have tended to increase in capacity to make more data available online. This includes archival and backup data that would formerly have been saved on tape or other offline storage. The increase in online storage has increased power consumption. Reducing the power consumed by large storage arrays, while still providing the benefits of online storage, is a subject of ongoing research.
Video card

A fast GPU may be the largest power consumer in a computer.

Energy efficient display options include:

No video card – use a shared terminal, shared thin client, or desktop sharing software if display required.
Use motherboard video output – typically low 3D performance and low power.
Select a GPU based on low idle power, average wattage or performance per watt.

CRT monitors typically use more power than LCD monitors. They also contain significant amounts of lead. LCD monitors typically use a cold-cathode fluorescent bulb to provide light for the display. Some newer displays use an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in place of the fluorescent bulb, which reduces the amount of electricity used by the display. Fluorescent back-lights also contain mercury, whereas LED back-lights do not.

Materials recycling

Recycling computing equipment can keep harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and hexavalent chromium out of landfills, and can also replace equipment that otherwise would need to be manufactured, saving further energy and emissions. Computer systems that have outlived their particular function can be re-purposed, or donated to various charities and non-profit organizations. However, many charities have recently imposed minimum system requirements for donated equipment. Additionally, parts from outdated systems may be salvaged and recycled through certain retail outlets and municipal or private recycling centers. Computing supplies, such as printer cartridges, paper, and batteries may be recycled as well.

A drawback to many of these schemes is that computers gathered through recycling drives are often shipped to developing countries where environmental standards are less strict than in North America and Europe. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimates that 80% of the post-consumer e-waste collected for recycling is shipped abroad to countries such as China and Pakistan.
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Unfortunately, in 2011, the collection rate of e-waste is still very low, even in the most ecologically advanced countries like France. In this country, e-waste collection is still at a 14 % annual rate between electronic equipments sold and e-waste collected for 2006 to 2009.

The recycling of old computers raises an important privacy issue. The old storage devices still hold private information, such as emails, passwords and credit card numbers, which can be recovered simply by someone using software that is available freely on the Internet. Deletion of a file does not actually remove the file from the hard drive. Before recycling a computer, users should remove the hard drive, or hard drives if there is more than one, and physically destroy it or store it somewhere safe. There are some authorized hardware recycling companies to whom the computer may be given for recycling, and they typically sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Telecommuting

Teleconferencing and telepresence technologies are often implemented in green computing initiatives. The advantages are many; increased worker satisfaction, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions related to travel, and increased profit margins as a result of lower overhead costs for office space, heat, lighting, etc. The savings are significant; the average annual energy consumption for U.S. office buildings is over 23 kilowatt hours per square foot, with heat, air conditioning and lighting accounting for 70% of all energy consumed. Other related initiatives, such as hotelling, reduce the square footage per employee as workers reserve space only when they need it. Many types of jobs, such as sales, consulting, and field service, integrate well with this technique.

Voice over IP (VoIP) reduces the telephony wiring infrastructure by sharing the existing Ethernet copper. VoIP and phone extension mobility also made hot desking more practical.

Atlanta Server Computer IT Equipment Recycling Disposal demands that you choose a technology disposal company that you can trust. Beyond Surplus is an experienced provider of disposal services and all of our processes are fully auditable, documented and secure so you can have peace of mind knowing your data is being effectively destroyed and your hardware disposed of in an environmentally-responsible manner.

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Our documented computer disposal process includes:

Asset tag removal
Data Destruction
Free Removal & Pickup
Electronics Recycling

Atlanta Server Computer IT Equipment Recycling Disposal Data Security

In addition to being one of the nation’s foremost technology disposal companies specializing in Atlanta Old IT Server Computer Recycling, Beyond Surplus is also an experienced computer recycler. We adhere to all EPA e-waste guidelines and eliminate the risks and liabilities associated with computer and technology disposal. Our best security practices incorporate the strictest safeguards to ensure proper disposal and minimize your organization’s liability. Beyond Surplus has a policy of strict adherence to DOD standards and NIST guidelines for data destruction.

EPA-Compliant Atlanta Server Computer IT Equipment Recycling Disposal

The obvious benefit of computer recycling is that it allows for a computer’s reuse. Beyond Surplus is a computer recycler for environmentally-conscious individuals and businesses. We are proud to provide assistance to those wishing to reduce, reuse and recycle.

You will not see your equipment on the 6 o’clock news on a burn pile over seas we guarantee that in writing.

Atlanta Server Computer IT Equipment Recycling Disposal IT Asset Disposal (ITAD), Asset Recovery, Profit Sharing

Does your business have a large quantity of business grade enterprise level it equipment? A large volume of Laptops, servers, computers, switches, routers etc? Contact us about our profit sharing programs for this type of equipment. Request a free, no obligation, Valuation to find out the value of your company’s computer equipment

Additional Atlanta Server Computer IT Equipment Recycling Disposal Services

Atlanta Electronics Recycling

Atlanta Data Destruction

Atlanta Recycling & Disposal Logistics

Atlanta Office Cleanout, Electronic Junk Removal

Atlanta Corporate Recycling

Atlanta Copier Recycling

Atlanta Asset Management

Atlanta Data Center Decommissioning

Atlanta Georgia Recycling Service Area