Dell is offering a new service to recycle tired electronics for small businesses. The program, which will wipe sensitive data from hard drives in the process, will cost $25 each of up to 10 pieces of hardware. Dell also offers companies the option to resell old equipment that remains valuable.
The company began its free curbside recycling pickup for consumers last September. Greenpeace and other environmental groups have given the company high marks for its takeback program. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition lists Dell as one of the nation's "responsible recyclers" that does not send e-waste to developing countries for unsafe dismantling. Hewlett-Packard also recycles goods in the United States.
Dell has accelerated efforts to green its products and practices over the past year. In addition to designing more energy-efficient PCs, in January Dell announced that it will plant trees to make up for carbons emitted from its computers.
After hinting heavily about an upcoming "Big Idea" contest, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain, and the folks at Geek Squad and IdeaFestival released details Monday.
The contest aims to generate a number of ideas that will address social, economic and environmental concerns. The winners will attend the IdeaFestival in Kentucky, which draws participants from a number of fields, ranging from the arts, music, entertainment, medicine and the media to discuss solutions around similar issues.
"You get to hear different points of view, from people with different backgrounds and that's where you come up with surprises," said Wozniak, who will be one of the participants at the festival.
The "What's Your Big Idea?" contest is open to all with access to a Web browser and a good idea. Participants can enter one or a number of tech ideas in one of three categories posted on the Geek Squad site: e-waste, power conservation, and untapped resources.
The public is allowed to chime in and vote for 20 favorite finalists until Aug. 13. The finalists' ideas are then vetted by a panel, which will then evaluate them based on such criteria as innovation and feasibility, selecting a total of nine winners from each of the three categories.
Each of the nine winners will receive a trip for two and accommodations to attend the IdeaFestival in Louisville, Ky., September 13 to 15, where they'll each get one day with special advisers, conference attendees and others to fine-tune their ideas.
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