The hardest thing to do with a computer isn't buying it ,or setting it up, or using it, or fixing it. The hardest thing may be just throwing it away.

According to research from IDC, Gartner, and the National Safety Council, about 1 billion computers will become potential scrap between now and 2010, and 150 million obsolete PCs are currently sitting in warehouses, storerooms, and closets.

Individuals and businesses that improperly dispose of their computer equipment, like throwing it into the trash, can risk the threat of data-compromise, or harm the environment through leakage into groundwater of hazardous chemicals and materials contained in PCs. New regulations are exacting heavy penalties on companies that lose client data or are responsible for damage to the environment.

According to IDC's David Daoud, some 55 percent of U.S. based mid-sized companies have no strategy in place to deal with the proper retirement of their computers. Those that do often only use donation instead of a more comprehensive disposal plan that guarantees proper hardware retirement, data security, and offers the potential to bring added value to the company.

IBM is trying to raise awareness about the importance for individuals and companies alike to have a disposal plan for their old computers. With 22 collection sites around the world (six in the US), last year IBM collected over 100 million pounds of old IT gear to be recycled for parts, refurbished into new computers, or sold for base scrap and precious metals. Less than 1 percent of that figure was eventually sent to landfills, consisting of non-hazardous materials.