Goodwill, Dell team up to recycle old computers

OTTAWA — There’s a new option for getting rid of an unwanted computer in northwest Ohio.Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio has teamed up with Dell Inc. on a computer recovery, reuse and recycling program. The partnership is the first time Dell has teamed with a Goodwill agency in Ohio, said Mark Harris, director of development and marketing for Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio.“We accept any computer donation — it doesn’t have to be Dell. We bring them to a hub where we break them down by components,” Harris said. “Dell has done the research and has licensed a recycling partner. They totally melt them down and dispose of them in a proper way. It keeps them out of landfills it keeps them away from where they shouldn’t be.”The program, Reconnect, allows people to drop off computers at any Goodwill dropoff location served by the Toledo office, including Ottawa.Not only does the program help recycle materials, it also has a financial benefit for Goodwill, Harris said.“The recycling partner pays us 3 cents a pound, which we then reinvest back into Goodwill into the mission of job training and job placement,” Harris said. “What it does for the community and for us it gives them a place to dispose of their computers and peripherals for free. It keeps things out of the environment and properly disposes of them.”The goal is to divert more than 1 million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year.Not everything gets recycled, however, Harris said.“If things are still good they can refurbish and sell it,” he said. “Most of it gets ground up and recycled to make new parts.”