Mac Recycling Guide
Disassembling Macs can be a long and arduous process. Thankfully, there exists hugely extensive documentation provided by both Apple and its many communities that detail the steps required for just about any kind of Mac you'll encounter.
The purpose of this page is to aggregate links to resources on specific models, as well as instructions for Free Geek volunteers and staff.
Models
eMac
These are CRT all-in-one systems, and require extensive surgery to extract the hard drive. These are auto-recycled by virtue of their CRT and G4 processors.
- Resources
- Recycling procedure
- The first priority in processing an eMac is removing the HDD.
- Next, we want to remove the RAM, Logic Board, Airport Card, and any incidental enclosures.
- Ultimately, the eMac will be treated as a CRT monitor and sent to Monitor Tetris Queue in the Warehouse.
- Tally as System w/ CRT
iMac
iMacs are a long-lived series of All-in-one Systems that combine displays with a logic and/or motherboards, optical drives and hard drives, among other components.
iMac G3 (CRT)
Similar to eMacs, these are CRT all-in-one systems, although they are easier to disassemble than eMacs. These are auto-recycled by virtue of their CRT and G3 processors.
- Resources
- Recycling procedure
- The first priority in processing an iMac is removing the HDD.
- Next, we want to remove the RAM, Logic Board and any incidental enclosures.
- Ultimately, the eMac will be treated as a CRT monitor and sent to Monitor Tetris Queue in the Warehouse.
- Tally as System w/ CRT
iMac G4 (LCD)
This is the first generation of LCD All-in-one Systems. These are distinguished by their semi-spherical base, which houses its logic board, drives, and other components. Currently we recycle iMac G4's with processors