Do you have an old computer gathering dust in the loft? Is it up there because you haven’t the faintest clue how to dispose of it? You are not alone. There are thousands of these toxic time bombs lying dormant in homes across the country, thanks largely to the complexity of computers, which have become increasingly difficult to upgrade, obliging us to buy a new one every few years.

The real problem, however, is how to get shot of those creaking beasts. Last weekend, the world’s biggest computer maker, Dell, offered to take some of them off our hands, though people had to drop the kit off themselves at its HQ in Bracknell, on a Sunday. Hardly the answer to our prayers; though, to be fair, Dell is one of the few manufacturers that will collect your old machine when you buy one of its shiny new ones.

There is a handful of recycling firms that might take your computer (see www.tinyurl.com/d2asb for a nationwide list), although many will only collect from companies. The alternatives are to try to offload it on a friend or at your local dump. Some might put it discreetly — and illegally — in a nearby skip. Most will simply leave it in the loft alongside the suitcases and the Christmas decorations.

About five years ago, the EU sensibly decided to do something about this, and drafted legislation (the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) that forces the computer industry to pay for the safe recycling of redundant equipment. That directive came into effect on August 13. Did anyone pay any notice? Of course not.

In a rather snooty letter published on the website of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the government informs the EU that it won’t be implementing the directive until at least June 2006, as it is attempting to set up a series of industry-funded collection points across the land. Half a decade’s warning wasn’t nearly enough for the DTI.

When the government finally pulls its finger out, it will, of course, be consumers and not the computer companies who ultimately foot the bill. The IT business operates on the tightest of profit margins. So, when the government asks the industry to cough up for recycling costs, you can rest assured that the price of a new computer will be inflated to compensate. The analyst Gartner calculates that the directive will add £33 to the cost of a new PC, which strikes me as ridiculously conservative. You might be prepared to pay a small sum to be rid of your old computer, but the EU is also insisting on greener components in future, so let’s add another x% to manufacturing costs in the short term.

Judging by the experience of recycling schemes in America, the problem is worse than anybody realises. While most of us replace computers every three years, HP and Dell found that by the time people actually dump the duds, between 7 and 13 years have passed. That suggests our lofts are filling up with old machines awaiting disposal — like a volcano waiting to erupt, “as people become more and more aware of the environmental risks associated with computers”, says Pat Nathan, Dell’s director of sustainable business.

Money aside, the reality is that most discarded computers end up in landfill — Greenpeace estimates that 5% of all waste worldwide is now electrical equipment — and this has frightening environmental implications. The cocktail of lead, mercury, cadmium and other chemicals found in the average machine can cause cancer, so pity the poor souls who have to dispose of them in China, where much of the West’s electrical waste is currently exported. Women and children are paid a pittance for boiling down the plastic circuit boards to extract precious metals. Not enviable.

So, next June, when your local council waste-disposal centre (or tip, as we once called them) starts putting up the signs saying “Dump your old computer here”, there will be relief as we start clearing out our attics. Trouble is, the cost will simply be bolted onto your next computer. Even though you paid for that dusty old relic the first time round, you’re clearly going to be paying again to be rid of it. Perhaps that’s why they call it recycling.

Explore Tech & Web

• Personal Tech

• The Web

• Gadgets & Gaming