There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes with “going green” and recycling your computer components, or circuit boards with a recycling company, but did you know you can also make some extra money by choosing to take on this type of endeavor?
Examples of Computer Parts Used for Recycling
Some computer components that are used for recycling include the following:
- Motherboards
- High grade boards
- Mid-grade and Low-grade boards
- Silver and gold memory
- Gold plated connectors
- Mixed fiber and ceramic processors
- PC towers (or the complete computer)
- An incomplete PC tower
- Complete and incomplete laptops
- Whole and incomplete servers
- Digital satellite receivers
- Switches and routers
- Cell phone (without he battery)
- AC adapters with the wire
- Keyboard, mice, and similar computer peripherals
You can also receive money for scrap aluminum at the same place you sell recycled computer parts. Usually, the components sold are purchased on a per pound basis and most of the time, you can obtain information concerning pricing online. Please note, as a seller, however, you are typically responsible for any shipping costs.
Selling Other Peoples’ E-Waste
While recycling electronics may not have occurred to you before, you can make both a substantial difference in your pocket, and in the environment when you sell what is known as E-Waste. The term E-Waste is just another name for electronic waste. Due to the fact, people constantly are buying new electronics, there is a pretty viable market.
You can start this type of venture by asking friends and family if they have electronics they no longer use sitting around their house. Most people will be ecstatic that you are taking a clunky old monitor or desktop computer off their hands.
A Great Potential Money-making Opportunity
Besides individuals, you can also ask companies, universities, or schools for old computer equipment – items that are no longer wanted or used. When you think about the potential money you can make by taking on this initiative, you will want to start making phone calls right away.
In fact, most people do not know that almost every part of a computer can be re-purposed, from the plastic in the electronic device to the metal, glass, and mother board. Other recyclable items include:
- The computer’s memory
- Gold connector pins
- Hard drives
- Computer chips
- Copper wiring
- The silver or platinum parts in a computer
- The computer’s batteries
While a motherboard, computer case, or computer chips can be sold online on such sites as Craigslist or EBay, you can sell the other parts—such as the metal and plastic—to a recycler. Again, you are normally paid by the pound for the components and materials.
Once you start collecting E-Waste, you will find certain parts are more valuable than others. Anything that is made of metals such as: gold, platinum, or silver will fetch a higher price. For example, you can detach solid gold or gold-plated connector pins from components and sell them to a metals refiner for processing.
How to Obtain eWaste on a Regular Basis
Besides asking your friends and families about their stash of old electronics, you can also use the follow methods for obtaining the materials:
Offer to Haul Away Old Electronic Scraps Free of Charge
Naturally, any free offer will get people moving. Therefore, you can advertise your service on Craigslist or through advertisement mediums such as the local classifieds. You can also get a response by leaving flyers at people’s doors or at yard sales. If you do charge a fee to dispose of the E-Waste, it is better to offer this service to businesses. The electronics at a business are normally more voluminous, a company is usually more than happy to pay you to pick up and recycle its junk.
Host a Recycling Drive
Lastly, you can gather old electronics by hosting a recycling drive. Advertise on Craigslist or alert the public through your local media and social media.
While this type of business can start off small, you might be surprised. You might turn it into a full-time enterprise!
References:
http://boardsort.com/payout.php
http://www.cfinancialfreedom.com/money-making-idea-recycling-electronics/