The Sustainable Computer – Made From Cardboard

Posted by GreenStreet.net on January 14, 2010

Yeah you read that right – April Fools Day has not come early. Houston, USA, company Recompute has developed a fully working computer where the usual materials made to construct a PC (ABS plastic, aluminium, steel, etc.) have been replaced by recyclable and renewable corrugated cardboard and non-toxic white glue. Electronic components are kept to the bare minimum.

With 8 USB ports it is designed to take advantage of existing / recycled hardware. A keyboard from a previous computer or portable hard drive can be used for example.

And for disposal, Recompute can be disassembled quickly and easily without tools allowing the electronics and cardboard case to be recycled easily. Thus, sustainability is maintained throughout it’s lifecycle of manufacture, use and disposal.

But will the design conscious Mac fan boys and tech savvy Windows geeks view this as a serious alternative to their desktop PC’s? With dual Windows and Ubuntu operating systems Mac fans at least can appreciate the real clever design that has gone into producing this, and Windows techies can geek out at the fully loaded specifications.

The Recompute has just gone into production and we sincerely hope to eventually see this alongside the existing computers in our local PC World. Time will tell how the product fares in the wider market, but it at least shows the major manufacturers that you can produce a full spec, well designed, sustainable computer without using harmful products that end up in polluted landfills in developing countries.

For more information, visit: www.sustainable-computer.com