What to do with old monitors .. fat and thin ones

[DarrenMcCabe]

Hi UKBF

I run a computer recycling company and we are currently running it at 0% to landfill which is awesome.

The service we offer is free and simple to UK businesses, colleges, schools etc. We work with local charities to donate funds to them and also allow them to collect IT equipment which we then do a profit share for.

All good so far

The problem we have is there is no market for old monitors. Whether they be CRT (fat) monitors or TFT/LCD (thin) 15" monitors.

We can currently use a 3rd party who recycle them for us, but it is a large cost to our business, where margins are very tight.

Can anyone suggest any creative ways to use these monitors? Most are still working, but just to small or chunky for people to buy.

 

[Deleted member 226268]

.
You could ask this Ebay company if they would be interested in collecting your old monitors,
they do seem to sell a lot of "un-sellable" items,
old monitors and ancient laptops.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-Job-Lo...097945?hash=item542b438459:g:0MUAAOSwWTRW2GlQ

.

 

[billmccallum1957]

There is always a market for flat screen monitors, but the CRT type are pretty much useless.

Best option (as Dave says above) is to find someone who might want them for resale (they take them all for free and they have to dispose of the one's they cant sell).

What quantities are you getting?

 

[DarrenMcCabe]

We have hundreds at the moment. The problem is we are an ethical and "green" company so we would need to make sure when they "dispose" of the ones they dont have a market for, they are not chucking them in the bin so speak

 

[AG Consult]

If you're feeling generous I will take 2 or 3 of the TFT/LCD (thin) 15" monitors off you.

Obviously I would pay the shipping costs

 

[Karimbo]

We have hundreds at the moment. The problem is we are an ethical and "green" company so we would need to make sure when they "dispose" of the ones they dont have a market for, they are not chucking them in the bin so speak

complete codswollop, old redundant hardware eventually need to end up in landfill because there just isn't any use for them. To convert them back into usable raw materials cost more than to obtain raw materials for conventional sourcing.

Old screens, computers etc get shipped to lowest bidding country and ends up in their landfill after checking a few boxes saying they'll recycle: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/inside-the-worlds-biggest-e-waste-dump

0% landfill is a complete joke, you're just passing your junk off to some other party who tells you nothing goes to landfill so you can sleep at night by fooling yourself it's all being recycled.

 

[paulears]

Sadly, I tend to agree. Landfill is the only solution, and clearly exporting our junk to less developed countries means our junk becomes their problem, and even though not being a green consumer by a long way, putting our junk in another country is morally wrong.

Better to be honest and get them disposed of in our own country than contaminate another.

I'm not totally sure that 0% is possible for a business dealing in computers. Clearly the monitor situation is an example of an impossible component to recycle.

 

[Gecko001]

I looked on ebay a few weeks ago and I was surprised at how much flat screen monitors were selling for. Some were selling for over £50. Most were collection only for some reason. I have noticed that recently you just do not see them at car boot sales whereas a few years ago you commonly saw them for sale there.

BTW if you have a few to sell, I would be willing to pay for a couple. Not just PP but also something on top.

 

[MikeJ]

We gave a load to a charity that shipped them to Africa. It wasn't this lot, but one like it....

http://www.computers4africa.org.uk/give/index.php?page=Donate Equipment

 

[MikeJ]

They wouldn't take CRTs though, and that was 4 or 5 years ago.

My local vet still had a CRT until very recently. They appeared to still have a DOS based database to log all their work on. It was quite nostalgic going there.

Are airlines the only people still using dot matrix printers?

 

[MrComputerSaint]

If you have the space in your premises you could make a video wall out of them. Join them together and have some music videos playing or something, if they still work that is.

I'd probably getting a deconstruction line going if that isn't an option. De-construct into plastic, components, smash the glass (obviously use some sort of goggles and gloves!) and then sell the parts. You might find a company that will buy the plastic enclosures from you and you might find a company that'll buy the components. The glass might be sellable to the correct company too.

Flat screens - I'd probably try and sell them on gumtree and then ebay at a fiver. But you have to add a good cost on for shipping. I think my last tft (19") cost me close to £10 to send via parcel 2 go, plus I needed to wrap it up well in some big bubblewrap

 

[Shonda Myers]

I think, I would agree to some that you could sell your old monitors if possible. Perhaps, would like to buy it. Perhaps , there are stores who would like to buy old items.

 

[vibrantcolour]

There is always a market for flat screen monitors, but the CRT type are pretty much useless.

I had a 22" TFT that went for £9.99+del on eBay last week :'(

 

[HBC]

As mentioned above, deconstructing not only is more expensive but quite possibly less environmentally friendly once you factor the extra energy/lighting/transport/storage. Of course the materials are quite toxic so in theory they shound NEVER enter a landfill, in the UK they are "comingled" (a polite word for mixed dump), in the US they are separated. The answer is in reusing if possible - I wouldn't dissassemble, the net value to you cannot possibly be as high.

 

[CyleKattman]

I heard that owners of old-fashioned game stations will pay for them, becouse they demanding proper type of screens that looks pretty much the same as original game stations from 80s

 

[paulears]

As long as they have 4K resolution, HDMI and digital connectors, because VGA won't cut it! Rather cuts the audience down to those who still are so authentic as to play with the actual games of the day, rather like the people who still pay huge amounts for reel to reel tape recorders.

 

[Karimbo]

I heard that owners of old-fashioned game stations will pay for them, becouse they demanding proper type of screens that looks pretty much the same as original game stations from 80s

how much deman is there really though??

 

[Adam-Smith]

there is a big market for these monitor in PAKISTAN and other Asian countries they convert these monitor into TV and these kind TVs are affordable for villagers in rural areas.

 

[TLT Property Management]

I know somebody who loves to get their hand on old working 15 and 17 lcds. They use them to refurb and maintain gambling and arcade systems. Worth contacting one of them .

 

[The next Steve Jobs]

Cashconverters will give u money for thin monitors, they always have plenty for sale

Computer libraries will also take a few for spares

smaller monitors are handy for spares, secondary computers, screens for net servers etc



FILM production companies/prop departments will take fat CRT monitors, use as movie props etc


Few manufactures make small monitors, the better quality small monitors will retain some residual value for at least a decade

 

[Barry12345]

where are you based, we have sometimes old screens and computers

 

[SomeGuy64]

Sell them to a resale company, but as others have said the CRT monitors will be hard to get rid of.

 

[Barry12345]

do you know any resale company, this guy dont answer

 

[itsnathanhere]

CRT monitors (in decent condition) are quite popular in the retro gaming area. When I say retro gaming, I'm not talking arcade machines from the '80s - I'm talking people replaying Playstation and Nintendo 64 classics. There are a few reasons for this:

• CRT monitors have unmatched contrast and provide the most accurate shades of black
• Older games are designed for these screen resolutions
• Games that use a "light gun" attachment NEED a CRT display to work. A flat screen display will not work with these old systems at all.

There's a community on Reddit which is based entirely around gaming on CRT displays (both monitors and televisions) and they have a weekly "for sale" thread - and it has nearly 10,000 members, so there's a small market for it at least.

With an adaptor an old monitor will function as a TV so all game systems should be compatible with your monitor stock.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

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