calliope, every so often I see an article in the paper about charitable groups that take old electronics and computers, and they fix and reburbish them. They then distribute them, whether to low-income families, or programs which use them to teach job-training skills,etc. Actually, I think that for some of the groups that collect them, the actual refurbishing IS job-training, and then they distribute them for further use. Perhaps you can find an organization like this in your area? Maybe ask at the local library or newspaper, or perhaps a church or temple in the area. I agree with two main points raised here - one, that having a hazardous waste collection once a year is nowhere near enough! Most people won't save stuff for a year to get rid of it - they will just throw it away. And the lines are just crazy on that one day. I think some towns don't allow non-residents to participate, because they have too many people showing up. Secondly, I also bemoan the fact that we have become a throw-away society. Not only our soda bottles and paper/plastic plates and cups, but electronics, appliances, shoes, etc. No one under the age of 40 knows what a shoemaker is, lol! Just the other day in the comics, I saw the Blondie strip. Dagwood's son told him some electronic thing (TV, maybe?) was broken, so Dagwood said he would call the repairman. His son asked him, "Do you remember what century we are living in?" "Oh yeah," says Dagwood, "Throw it away. We'll get a new one". That pretty much says it all, sadly. :) Dee

Consider a laser printer - do you really need colour? Much cheaper to run, and the cartridges don't dry out, which can happen before you've used up the ink. It might be worth considering something like a laser all in one, plus a separate one for colour, if you really need it. Brand wise, I love my samsung laser, it's just a printer but it works great, the drivers are good and it's good to use. I also have an hp all in one Officejet 7200. Hardware, good, but it did crap out under warranty, software in theory great (will allow you to scan direct to pdf if you're using a mac) but in practice, lots and lots of problems with hp drivers and the software, in my experience anyway, and this is my second hp AIO.

tre3: Good questions! NO, I have never, ever needed one of those boxes, but I guess I am suffering from that "I might need it if I toss it" syndrome! LOL I don't plan on moving for awhile, so I don't need them for that purpose. Molly: Wow, what a great response! Like you, I try to recycle most of the boxes I can....my title is somewhat misleading...I guess I think I might need them for returning things for repair. I am mainly concerned with the Dell and printer boxes. Gloria: I LOVE the quote! You answered my question about the Dell boxes! Out they go!! I think my future plan is to just recycle them as soon as they enter the house. I might hang on to them for a month or so, just until I see if everything is working properly, especially the computer w/Windows Vista....not sure I like that system! I can't thank all of you enough for all the wonderful ideas! I know I can always count on some really good suggestions from all of you!! Thanks again! ~Jackie

I've been using an HP Photosmart Premium for over a year with good results. The ink is a little pricey, but results are good. One of my requirements is a good photo print. It does well in that department. My wife bought a Lexmark last year. She prints only a few pages a day. At 6 months, it got a paper jam that could not be cleared. it was so bad that it messed up some of the internal delicate assemblies. After my wifehad a seance with Lexmark on-line, they did replace the printer - took 3 days - delivery to our door. Not long afterward, few of trhe jets on the print head clogged. Shipped it back the they replaced the print head. It has been 9 months since the last repair, and it is still working. Wife not the happiest about the printer, but it is now doing acceptable work for her. She is running it wireless through our ATT gateway. At present, we have 3 devices serviced by the gateway (combiation modem and router). My computer is connected by an ethernet line and her computer uses the WiFi side of the gateway. We've has as many as 3 computers simultaneously talking to the gateway without a problem. Ink cost for the Lexmark appears to be less per page than the HP. Again, the amount of black ink used will depend on how the prnters are installed. Both printers are installed to default to the draft mode. This is the fastest printing and uses only half the ink as "nornal" printing. If the printer is installed to print in "normal" mode, it uses a lot of black ink.