Computers are toxic.

PCs use many types of hazardous chemicals, including mercury, lead and arsenic. According to the book Computers and the Environment, the production of an average desktop PC uses more than 1.8 tons of water, chemicals and fossil fuels. This is in line with the production of one SUV.

Once users deem the technology too slow, or the memory not adequate, the old PCs are often doomed to prisons or overseas factories where workers get paid extremely low wages to tear apart old machines, pick around in toxic components, and look for useful scrap material. Eventually, most e-waste ends up in landfills, where it comprises 70 percent of heavy metal waste.

Considering the average computer has a useful lifespan of three to six years, tackling the e-waste problem is an enormous effort. But, there are options to reduce your contribution to e-waste. One is to upgrade rather than replace your computer whenever possible. Because computer parts can often work for 10 years or more, upgrading helps get as much life out of your PC as you can, especially if you use it as a home computer. If you must get rid of your PC, there are many organisations that will refurbish and reuse your old machines.

According to an Ipsos-Mori study for Greenpeace, people are willing to pay up to £108 extra for a computer that uses fewer hazardous chemicals. An eco-friendly PC movement is beginning to take off, due to this consumer response. Dell said it will discontinue use of all brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride in its computers by 2009. Hewlett Packard, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia have also vowed to stop using hazardous chemicles in the future, as well.

Whilst this is a step forward, the reason that many of us need to buy new computers is that the latest software requires faster machines with more memory, or that our present software is no longer supported by the manufacturer. Whilst website owners are often encouraged to pare down sites to make them faster loading, easier to use and more accessible, the same cannot be said of most software companies. Our pockets and desire for shiny new things might cope with this situation, but the environment cannot.