Computer recycling – what exactly is inside an old computer?

Reuse or Recycling

When yourold computerhas reached the end of its useful life, it’s high time to turn it in to Krommenhoek Metals. We’ll then ensure that it’s recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

A computer contains all kinds of parts. We can sometimes “give a second life” to many of these parts. At Krommenhoek Metals, we first assess what can be reused, as that’s the best option from an environmental standpoint. So we evaluate this very carefully. Usually, this involves components such as the hard drive, memory, processor, and motherboard. But sometimes monitors or even entire laptops are repurposed as products.

Anything that can't be reused, we'llrecycle. Here are a few common examples:

• The power supply cables in your old computer are made of copper. We ensure that the copper is separated from the plastic. Thecopperis sent to a copper smelter, and the plastic granules can be reused, for example, in the production of plastic bollards.
• The hard drive contains a magnet. It is made of the rare-earth element neodymium.
• The hard drive casing is made of cast aluminum. The cast aluminum is sold to aluminum smelters, which in turn producealuminumingots used by automotive engine block manufacturers.
• The circuit board that controls the memory contains rare precious metals such as gold, platinum, and palladium. These are processed by a specialized recycler into precious metals that can be resold.
• Computer motherboards also contain precious metals that can be very valuable.

On thescrap pricespage, you'll find the most up-to-date prices forscrap metalandcomputer recycling.

Dismantling and Scrap Processing

Theold computersare disassembled at one of our partners’ WEEELABEX-certified workshops. The people working there are those who face barriers to employment. It’s wonderful to see their commitment, enthusiasm, and drive. Moreover, this helps make a contribution to society.

You can have large batches ofold computersshredded at Krommenhoek Metals if you want to be sure that your discarded products will no longer be in circulation.

Krommenhoek Metals: Your Go-To Place for Electronics Scrap, Too

In short, your electronic scrap is professionally processed by the specialist: Krommenhoek Metals. Whether it’s small quantities or a large batch that needs to be destroyed and recycled.

We have our own disassembly line and a variety of mechanical processing options. This means we can always provide a customized solution for your project!