Saturday, November 03, 2007

Cash for old IT junk



MBPJ and Dell Asia Pacific are jointly organising the Computer Recycling Campaign
starting September 2007 to January 2008. A total of 9 Centres in PJ are collecting computers and other accessories such as printers, plotters, mice, keyboards and monitors.

The recyable items can be either in usable or broken condition. You'll get paid 40 sen per kg for these items.

Check out The Star's coverage here.

Well, I can certainly confirm that you CAN get paid for turning in IT junk, "as advertised".

In fact, I made RM13 last Sunday just by dropping off junk at the recycling centre which is off Jln SS22/47 (next to SK Damansara Jaya).

This particular centre is run by the Damansara Jaya Residents Association, and is open every Sunday from 10am to noon.

My "loot" was two old monitors, a PC casing, one inkjet printer and a couple of ancient computer parts. They will take any IT-related hardware, working or not. They'll pay you 40 sen per kilo, in good old ca$h.

This is also a standard recycling centre, so they will accept paper, plastics, and other recyclables, though you won't get paid for those. I forgot to ask if they'll pay for old newspaper (some centres do).

Now RM13 doesn't put me on Malaysia's Richest list, but it did buy me breakfast AND lunch for the day. I was about to dump the old stuff anyway, so this was free money for me.

One advantage of the SS22 centre is that it is right on the curb, and you can literally drive right up to the weighing scales. No need to look for parking, negotiate stairs, or hack your way through jungle. A definite plus when you have bulky items.

So don't just chuck that old PC or monitor into the trash; take it to the centre for proper recycling, and you'll even get some cash back!