Receiving Boxes

All About Receiving Boxes

Audio/Visual

• Take larger items to Audio/Visual Incoming (see map).
• Place smaller items in the Audio/Visual Box which when full should be brought to Audio/Visual Incoming.

Advanced Testing

Advanced Testing Sign

• Contents:
  • DVD Drives
  • CD Drives (Only High Speed and Ultra Speed)
  • External DVD & CD-RW Drives
  • High Temp Lubricants
  • Thermal Grease
  • Zip Drives (Only w/USB)

• When full, take to Advanced Testing Incoming (see map).
• If you have questions about whether A/T will test an item not listed here, ask the instructor on duty in the area.

Anti-Static Bags

• When full, check with the Store to see if they need any. The rest get tossed in the dumpster outside of the warehouse (unless you can think of a cool art project for them).

Batteries

Batteries Sign

• Contents:
  • Batteries from devices we receive.
  • FreeGeek does not accept loose batteries. If someone wants to donate loose batteries, direct them to the donations desk where they can pick up an "Other Recyclers" flier which will say where to recycle batteries.

• Cell phone batteries go in Cell Phone Accessories.
• Laptop batteries go in Laptop Accessories.
• No light ballasts.
• When full, test Alkaline and Lithium Batteries. Use the voltmeter above the tools in receiving. Take good batteries to the Store in a bag and sorted bad batteries to Recycling Check-In (see map).

Cards/Mobos

Cards And Motherboards Sign

• Contents:
  • Cards and motherboards

• When full, put them under the lesson boxes on the shelving unit near Hardware ID.

Cassettes and Other Data Cartridges

• Take them to the Advanced Recycling Incoming shelves (see map). Separate cassettes (videotape and audiotapes can stay together), Zip disks, metal-backed data cartridges, and strange/evil disks per staff's instuctions.

CDs

CD Box Sign

• Contents:
  • CDs only. No cases.

• Use the CD shredder (if available) to destroy data from burnt CDs.
• If the CD shredder is not available, make the CD unreadable in a safe and effective manner. Do not cut the CD as this can produce "shrapnels". Scratching only the back of the CD is not effective.
• We don't save software CDs as we cannot resell them do to copyright issues.
• All game CDs go in the game box. CDs with good music can be saved for receiving.
• CDs are shipped to a recycling vendor, hence they need to go into a shippable box.
• When full, make sure there are only CDs in the box and no cases. Put CDs into a box with a lid. Place them near the Recycling Work Table (see map).

Cell Phone Accessories

• Make sure all cords are wrapped and rubber banded. Give this box to a staff member to give to E-beth to put into T.A.R.D.I.S.

Copper Bearing Material

CBM Box Sign

• Contents:
  • Electronics with mixed metal and plastic
  • Old drives: floppy, zip (w/o USB), CD-ROM
  • Mice (to be recycled)
  • Phones (to be recycled) but not cell phones (lock box).
  • Orphaned remotes
  • Speakers (to be recycled) but not if they have wood paneling (deconstruction).
  • A/V items to be recycled
  • Old calculators
  • Etc.

• No:
  • Harddrives
  • Batteries
  • Cords

• Clip cords from mice and other items before putting the item into CBM.
• Check for batteries. When removing the batteries from an item which has a battery compartment (e.g. remotes or cordless handsets), remove the battery compartment cover and put it in E-plastic. This saves the recycling staff time, as they can pick up an item and see that the batteries are gone without having to open up the compartment.
• Depending on how much work Recycling has, recycling staff may choose to further deconstruct some of the electronic items we put in the CBM box. Or they just may want to CBM everything. Putting it all into the CBM bin gives the Recycling staff the ability to make that choice.

• When full, CHECK FOR HARD DRIVES. Take out any batteries (check inside devices), Ultra or High Speed CD-ROM Drives, DVD, DVD-RW, or tape drives. Make sure there are no cords in the boxes. Bring the box to the Recycling Warehouse and set down in front of the CBM gaylord. Do not dump the box into the gaylord; recycling staff will sort through the box before it is dumped into the gaylord.

Danger Cart

• When full,take to the warehouse and empty cart into the Cords Gaylord (In front of the recycling bench, it is the furthest on the left).

Deconstruction

Deconstruction Sign

• Contents:
  • Strange items with mixed metal and and plastic that can be easily separated.
  • Speakers with wood panels.
  • Examples: monitor bases, other stuff?

• In order to prevent the deconstruction pallet from overflowing, anything with electronics goes in CBM, not deconstruction. The only exception to this are speakers with wood panels.
• Deconstruct ring binders in receiving.
• When full, take to the warehouse and and set near the deconstruction pallet (see map). Recycling staff will sort through the bin before it is put on the deconstruction pallet.

Dirty Plastic

• Sort out filmy plastic (gets recycled as plastic bags), E-Plastic, and anything else that isn't dirty plastic. Take the box to the Recycling warehouse and set it near the Dirty Plastic gaylord (see map). Do not dump the box into the gaylord; recycling staff will sort through the bin before it is put in the gaylord.

E-Plastic

E-Plastic Box Sign

• Contents:
  • Thermoplastics, i.e. plastics from electronics.
  • The plastic will usually have one of these labels:>ABS< (Acrylonitrile butadienestyrene), >HDPE< (High density Polyethylene), >LDPE< (Low density Polyethylene), >PS<(Polystyrene).

• No metal!
• If you an unsure about something e-plastic and it does not have one of the above labels, put it in Dirty Plastic.
• What happens to E-Plastic?
• When full, make sure there is no metal on any of the plastic. Take to the warehouse and set near the E-Plastic gaylord. Do not dump in the gaylord; recycling staff will sort through the box before it is dumped in the gaylord.

Fans/Heat Sinks

• Contents:
  • Computer fans
  • Computer heat sinks

• When full, take to the Advanced Testing Incoming shelves (see map).
• Fans and heat sinks are tested by A/T. Good ones are reused in the build program or sold in the thrift store.

Filmy Plastic

• Separate out any Anti-Static Bags (the silver ones). Plastic bags with handles can go to the store. The rest of the plastic can be bagged up with a bag from the Supplies Closet and taken to the warehouse near the Styrofoam (see map).

Floppy Disks

Floppy Disk Box Sign

• Contents:
  • Only 3.5 inch floppy disks.

• • No zip disks, no 5.25 inch floppies, etc.
• When full, check to make sure that there are no zip disks or other misplaced objects. Zip disks go in the box for Cassettes and Other Data Cartridges. Bring to the warehouse near the Recycling Work Table.
• Floppy disks are disassembled at the Recycling Work Table.

Games

Games Box Sign

• Contents:
  • All game systems--even ones with hard drives. (Play Stations, X-Boxes, etc.)
  • Joy Sticks
  • Controllers
  • Game CDs and Cartridges
  • Anything related to computer or personal gaming systems.

• When full, take to the Classic Gaming Library. Set it outside the door if the door to CGL is locked, which it usually is.

Head Phones

• Untangle and bind up cords with rubber band. Then take them to the Monkey House for Liane.

Jewel Cases

Jewel Cases Box Sign

• Contents:
  • Only CD cases.

• All paper must be removed from cases.
• Jewel cases are shipped to a recycling vendor, hence they need to be in a shippable box.
• When full, Make sure paper has been removed. Place cases into a box with a lid. Then put them next to the Recycling Work Table in the warehouse (see map).

Laptop Accessories

• Contents:
  • Laptop Drives
  • Laptop Power Supplies
  • Laptop Cards
  • Laptop Screens
  • Other things laptop related

• No:
  • Laptops--these are locked up in the rolling cart.
  • Laptop Docks
  • Printer power cords
  • Mac Laptop cords--they go to MacLand.

• Notes:
  • Rubberband the cords up nicely.
  • Separate the figure-eight and mickey mouse cables from the power supplies and put them into the figure-eight and mickey mouse cable box.

• When full, check to make sure cords have been nicely wrapped and take to Laptops.

Laptop Docks

• When full, take to Laptops.

Magnetic Metals

• Contents:
  • Magnetic metals (test on the magnets on the posts)
  • Mouse balls (these include enough steel to be recycled as magnetic metal)

• When full, empty box into the steel cart in the warehouse between the gaylords.

Network Devices

*Contents

• Routers
• Modems
• USB Hubs
• KVM Cables
• KVM Switches

• Include the power adapter, if there is one.
• When full, put the box by the Network Testing table in Advanced Testing (see map).

Non-Magnetic Metals

• Take them to the warehouse and find a staff member at Recycling Check-In (see map).

Online Sales

• Place box on shelves or pile on the opposite side of the hallway from Mac Incoming.

PDA/Digital Camera Accessories

• Bring the box to the Store hallway and place on the shelves labeled “Wireless Gizmos to be tested”

Power Supplies

• Contents:
  • Power Supplies

• Power supplies get tested in system evaluation. The good ones are reused through the build program or sold in the thrift store. The bad ones are disassembled in recycling.
• When full, bring them to System Evaluation, to the left of the systems stack.

Printer Accessories

• Contents:
  • Printer Ink
  • Printer Toner
  • Printer trays and power supplies which have become separated from their printers.

• Printer toner is poisonous if inhaled.

• When full, take to Printer Land.

Processors

• Contents:
  • Socket based and slot based processors

• If possible, do not put socket based processors in this box. Instead, walk all socket-based processors to Advanced Testing Incoming.
• Do not put processors in CBM even if they are very old and AT will not want to reuse them. Processors are recycled separately from other parts so that the gold can be extracted from them.

Ribbon Cable

• Remove any cables with steel plaques screwed onto the IDC connector (these go to the Deconstruction Box). Take Ribbon Cables to the Ribbon Cable Gaylord in the warehouse by CBM and Thin Colored Wire.

Store

• Bring box to the Store through the door by AV Testing. Set it on the shelf beneath the “All Incoming” sign.

Styrofoam

• Contents
  • Styrofoam

• We do NOT accept styrofoam. The only styrofoam that comes into receiving is accidentally taken in during donations. When a donor brings a large item in a box, if possible, open the box while they are still there and check for styrofoam. If there is styrofoam, ask the donor to take the styrofoam with them. Thank them profusely when they agree. Remember: people put their stuff in the original packaging as a favor to us. Tell the donor that they can get a flyer at the donations desk which will tel them where they can take styrofoam for recycling.

• When full,break up the Styrofoam inside of a big black trash bag from the filing cabinet behind the donor desk. Then take it to the warehouse and toss it up on the Styrofoam shelf (see map).

Thin Colored Wire

• Take to the warehouse and empty box into the Thin Colored Wire Gaylord.

Unsorted Memory

• Bring memory to Advanced Testing Incoming. Walk past the shelves to place memory in the small bin near the left-hand corner of the room (or ask).

Wall Warts

• Bring to Advanced Testing Incoming.
• Notes:
  • Rubberband the cords up nicely.

Wireless Mice/Keyboards

• Bring to Advanced Testing Incoming.