I read about places that collect them and salvage components.
But somehow I can’t see that covering any real percentage of the total. Yet they are so bulky they should be obvious and able to be fished out of the trash when the truck is emptied and raked over the pile. Since there’s pounds of lead in every one, it would seem worth it.
I don’t think there is that much lead in computers. And lead only is worth a few cents a pound in the recycling market. The are a few folks that take the time to recycle computers for the bits of precious metals in them such as gold, platinum, and silver. At a recycling event I worked at last fall, all old computers brought in were tossed in with the rest of the scrap metal such as stoves, engine blocks and other assorted bits of metal.
There is enough lead in CRT monitors that some locales consider them toxic waste and require special disposal. E.g., in some/all parts of California there is a fee (like $15) for disposing of one. Once the tube is crushed, watch out.
There had been businesses that recovered gold from some types of circuit boards (esp. memory). I haven’t heard much about that lately.
There were “recyclers” who shipped computer crap to China and literally dumped it where ever they could, the sides of rivers, etc. China is now trying to clamp down on them.
The insulated coatings on circuit boards is sometimes toxic when burned.
Not as much “green” going on in the computer business as one would guess.
Monitors have the most lead, as I recall, I think it’s measured in pounds.
Any modern landfill worth it’s salt will have a separate area to dispose of computers and other such items (freezers, batteries, scrap metal, tires, and other machinery like tvs and so forth) - so everything isn’t thrown into the same hole and buried to rot (or not)… that’ll fill up your cells real fast.
Keep in mind however that many landfills are not that modern, legislation may not exist, or the operators just don’t care.
Rather than leave old PCs on the curb to be taken to the dump, there are agencies that accept donations of old computers.
A national (and far too small to be all-inclusive) listing can be found here
A lot of computer recyclers charge what seems to be a universal cost of 50 cents per pound. Some places make you bring the stuff to them, and some provide a pre-paid shipping label so you can simply drop the stuff off with UPS. (You buy the label online first)
Just Google on computer recycling or computer disposal and your state or city
Modern CRT’s contain a cocktail of unpleasant chemicals. Apart from lead, there is also significnat amounts of mercury IIRC. Computers SHOULD be disposed of in a proper fashion.
In my area, they charge $15-25 per item, including tvs, some people give our thrift shops their old tvs even when we say we don’t accept them. They cost us $25 to get rid of. However, if you visit the dump, they have a big bin you can put your tvs/computers in for free–or they did when i looked.
I think a monitor has 5lbs of lead, on average.