Computer program gives old parts new life.(King County (Washington), Seattle Public Utilities launches Computer Recovery Project)(Statistical Data Included)

The Computer Recovery Project encourages recycling

A recycling project is changing old computers from toxic trash to salvaged treasure.

The Computer Recovery Project, a four-month pilot program sponsored by King County Solid Waste Division and Seattle Public Utilities, wants to give area residents options to easily reuse or recycle old computers.

Used computers aren't easy to dispose of. They're expensive to recycle and can create environmental hazards.

Traditionally, many people have donated their computers to charity. Unfortunately, much donated material is unusable, actually burdening the charity with disposal costs.

"Some of the computers that people get rid of because they don't want, our customers and programs can't use either," said Samanthe Sheffer, special projects director at Goodwill. "We need 486s or Pentiums; 286s and 386s are too old for us. We also need computers and peripherals to be in working order, since we have no way to repair them."

Disposal costs eat away at …