Want To Donate Your Old Computers & Electronics To A Worthy Cause? Bring Them To Epic IT Group

On June 21^st the Blind Center of Nevada will come to our office to pick up donated electronics. Your donation will support their mission to assist people who are blind or visually impaired to reach their highest physical, social, intellectual, and economic potential.

The Blind Center accepts electronic goods such as computers, servers, printers, LCD monitors, copiers, cell phones, wire surveillance equipment, receivers, microphones, office phones, medical equipment, scientific equipment, vintage electronics, VHS players, DVD players, and more.

They also accept flat-panel televisions and CRT monitors for a recycling fee of $30 each. However, they do not accept tube style, CRT, or projection televisions due to certifications for responsible recycling the Blind Center holds.

The team at Epic IT is offering our site as a drop-off point for recycled computers and electronics. 

We’re located at:

1013 Whitney Rand Drive
Suite 140
Henderson, NV 89014

If you could kindly call or email us before you stop by, we’d really appreciate it.  You can call us at (702) 720-6853 or send us an email at  info@epicitgroup.com

Even if you don’t have anything to donate now, remember to never throw your electronics in the trash.

Why is this? It’s because they contain a lot of components that could be harmful to the environment. Most computer equipment contains hazardous materials that don’t belong in a landfill. For example, many computers contain heavy metals that can contaminate the earth.

And recycling your computers really does make a contribution towards a greener America. For every 1 million laptops or computers that are recycled in the right way, it will save the same amount of electricity that 3,500 U.S. households use in an entire year!

However, if you don’t care about the environment, think about this!

If you just toss your computers in the dumpster, it can create privacy problems for your organization, as well as compliance issues with regulations like HIPAA. And, you could also be in trouble with the FTC. The passage of the Federal Trade Commission’s Disposal Rule ( 16 CFR Part 682) says that companies disposing of computer equipment need to take steps necessary to remove personal or financial information from the machines.

 Important! There Are Specific Steps To Take Before Recycling Electronics.  

Mobile Phones Back up everything first. Under “Settings” put the device back to “factory default.” Then, unless you bring your phone to us or to the Blind Center of Nevada, consider donating it to a local homeless shelter.  Most wireless phone companies can do this for you. In fact, many have recycling bins when you walk in the door. Be sure to first remove the battery and put it in the battery bin. Then put your phone in the cell phone bin. Or, you can go online and donate your phone to a needy soldier at https://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.  Just follow the instructions on the website.

Computers and Tablets When recycling your computer or tablet, the biggest concern is the hard drive. This is the part of the computer that houses all of your data. Remove any part of the computer that has data stored in it before disposal.  But, before you do, always back up your data first!

You can save your data to:

• a USB Drive
• a CD-ROM
• an external hard drive
• a new computer
• a secure cloud storage solution

Check your owner’s manual, the manufacturer’s website, or its customer support service for information on how to save data and transfer it to a new device.

Utility programs to wipe a hard drive clean are available both online and in stores where computers are sold. These programs are generally inexpensive; some are available on the Internet for free. Some erase the entire disk, while others allow you to select files or folders to erase. And some overwrite or wipe the hard drive many times over, while others overwrite it only once.

To ensure the hard drives on your computers don’t become a treasure trove for criminals, you should use a program that overwrites the hard drive many times over. Otherwise, the deleted information can be retrieved. Then, take a sledge hammer and physically destroy the hard drive. 

If you use your home or personal computer for business purposes, check with your employer about how to manage the information that’s business-related. The law requires businesses to follow data security and disposal requirements for certain information that’s related to customers.

If you need help removing data from your phones or hard drives, bring them to Epic IT Group. We’ll do all of this for you. We’ll also smash your hard drives with a sledge hammer to ensure they’re destroyed and the data isn’t recoverable.  We’ll then take them to the Blind Center of Nevada.

How Electronic Equipment Is Recycled

The recycler will take the equipment and break it down into its primary components like plastic, steel, aluminum, mercury, and other elements. Then they will sell off each element to make back the cost of doing this.

Not everyone does this, however. Irresponsible companies will put the equipment on a slow-moving cargo container where they send it to a country like Ethiopia. Here they put it in a large pile of electronic waste in the middle of the desert, or even in a city. The materials degrade and go into the underlying aquafers, polluting drinking water. Children in these cities may even play among these hazardous materials. This causes a great deal of harm.

In addition to your computers and mobile phones, don’t forget to recycle your scanners, keyboards, mice, or anything else electronic.  And remember, if you need help recycling your electronics, feel free to contact Epic IT Group in the Las Vegas Area at (702) 720-6853 or info@epicitgroup.com.