Estimates Of How Many KGs In A Computer

Hello,

I am currently considering starting a e-waste collection business, since about 50% of all E-waste in my country is either not recycled or goes through "shadow channels" and are recycled in third world countries under inhumane conditions.

Problem is, I don't have many estimates available in regards to how much of each part (High-, mid-,low grade boards, RAMs, CPUs etc.) in kg are in an average computer tower, laptop, printer etc.

I of course understand, that there can be differences between the different amount in each electronic product based on things such as manufacturer and date of manufacture, but I would still like to hear if any of you have any estimates.

Once again, I don't mind the estimates being broken down into categories such as low grade computer scrap or by year of manufacture.

I am not good at formulating myself, so I will try to sum up my question: Per electronic waste item og per kilogram of electronic waste item (such as Computer towers, laptops, printers etc.), how many KGs of each electronic part such as RAM,CPUs, low/mid/high grade boards etc. can I expect? Also, if there are huge differences between different electronic waste items, what are the factors for those? (Age, make, etc.) And how big are the differences in KG of expected electronic parts? - all of these of course being estimates based on your own personal experience.

More questions about this.....us old timers just kinda know the value but I can't explain it in terms you may understand

Youre basiocally asking "please tell me all of the knowledge I need to run a business"

In a single forum post. It takes businesses and business owners year to find out what pricing works, and how to run their business. It is also highly dependent on 1000 variables like supply, demand, local markets, and a ton of other stuff.

I dont think you will get many answers to questions as general as the one you are posting here. But, in general, I spend about $3/complete desktop computer/laptop and can make a profit off that. I dont pay for other electronics, but will take them if they are free.

Congrats on starting a great initiative and welcome to the forum from Las Vegas! Let me second the suggestion to use the forum's search function. A lot of this has been covered in depth in the forum over the years. People have posted average recoveries for everything from pc towers to switches to office phone to remote controls. If there's something you can't find already posted go ahead and start a new thread for that item. Another thing you can do is visit the buyer/seller section of the forum and see what prices buyers are buying items at. That should give you a good economic baseline for what to expect from routers, servers, towers and so on. Good luck with the effort and I look forward to following your progress!

Well, perhaps you are right, and I was too fast on the trigger in regards to making a thread.

I will take your advice on searching the averages and making a baseline and asking questions from there. Thanks :)

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Originally Posted by GreenGoldRecycling

Hello,

I am currently considering starting a e-waste collection business, since about 50% of all E-waste in my country is either not recycled or goes through "shadow channels" and are recycled in third world countries under inhumane conditions.

Problem is, I don't have many estimates available in regards to how much of each part (High-, mid-,low grade boards, RAMs, CPUs etc.) in kg are in an average computer tower, laptop, printer etc.

I of course understand, that there can be differences between the different amount in each electronic product based on things such as manufacturer and date of manufacture, but I would still like to hear if any of you have any estimates.

Once again, I don't mind the estimates being broken down into categories such as low grade computer scrap or by year of manufacture.

I am not good at formulating myself, so I will try to sum up my question: Per electronic waste item og per kilogram of electronic waste item (such as Computer towers, laptops, printers etc.), how many KGs of each electronic part such as RAM,CPUs, low/mid/high grade boards etc. can I expect? Also, if there are huge differences between different electronic waste items, what are the factors for those? (Age, make, etc.) And how big are the differences in KG of expected electronic parts? - all of these of course being estimates based on your own personal experience.

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If I understand your question correctly, you are asking how many Kg of gold there is in a desktop or a stick of ram or a video card or... The amount of gold in Kg in a large desktop computer would probably be thousandths of a Kg... I doubt you could get a gram of gold from a large desktop computer.... Best of luck in your new endeavor.

How long is a piece of rope?

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Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

How long is a piece of rope?

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How deep is half a hole?

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Originally Posted by mikeinreco

More questions about this.....us old timers just kinda know the value but I can't explain it in terms you may understand

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I would second that. Actual hands on experience is the best teacher.

Make a small investment in your new ewaste business. Go buy an accurate digital weigh scale. Next, start breaking down different electronic things and see what your recovery rates are.

This is one of those things where you have to earn your knowledge.