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How FreeGeek Columbus Recycles

Any computer equipment, working or not, can be donated to FreeGeek Columbus; we will repair and reuse what computers we can. Non-functioning computers and scrap will be recycled responsibly. Computers that are deemed obsolete or broken are demanufactured and separated into their basic components. FreeGeek Columbus then works with local industrial recyclers to process the materials.

FreeGeek Columbus works with companies that we are confident are handling the materials in an environmentally responsible manner.

A special note about hard drives:
We will never boot from a hard drive before it has been wiped of data. Hard drives we are going to keep first have their partition table removed, and then are overwritten five times in the process of testing. If we are not going to reuse a hard drive, it is physically destroyed. We do not give or sell hard drives to places that do not have a similar policy. Data on donated hard drives is safe.

If you want to wipe your own hard drive before donating it, you can use a tool like Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) to do so.

Recyclers We Have Used Before

Sierra Metals

Contact Information

  • Address: 224 Cedar Hill Rd, Lancaster, OH 43130 (Google Map)
  • Phone: (740) 653-8765

Materials Information

  • Hard drives: pays $0.25/lb
  • Wire: pays $0.15/lb
  • Motherboards: pays $0.60/lb to $0.75/lb
  • CPUs: pays $15/lb
  • Aluminum: pays $0.30/lb
  • Memory: pays $1.5/lb

Joyce Iron and Metal

Contact Information

  • Address: 1283 Joyce Ave, Columbus, OH 43219 (Google Map)
  • Phone: (614) 299-4175

Materials Information

  • Computer cases (steel): $0.045/lb
  • aluminum, copper, steel, brass, insulated wire, computer scrap
  • no monitors