Bargain Basement (E Waste) - CIF-Rochester/wiki GitHub Wiki

"Bargain Basement" is a nickname coined by Ben Ackerman '18 (Tech Maintenance Director, 2017) to refer to the University's electronics recycling areas, which commonly reside in the basements of buildings. The idea for the name came from the term "Curbside Discount" that is commonly used by tech enthusiasts on YouTube to refer to the act of picking something (usually a computer or other device of interest) up off the curb (compared to finding such an item at a thrift store or on eBay).

It is not uncommon to find useful equipment in these locations around campus. Common finds include printers, monitors (both LCD and CRT), computers, and others. Some of these items are old but still functional, others aren't functional but are repairable.

Locations

Sage loading dock

• From Anderson, follow the tunnel toward Wilder, then turn right just before the vending machines. Note that the door to the loading dock will lock behind you if it is not held open. This is the main drop-off point for students to deposit E-Waste, in addition to ResLife. It also serves as a secondary drop-off point for University IT, specifically for non-university devices.

Hutch recycling bin(s)

• This one moves around often, but (as of 2019) it usually sits near the freight elevator either in the basement or on the first floor. It has also appeared in other spots from time to time, so if you don't see it, wander around the halls for a bit or try other floors, as people often move it to the locations they are removing equipment from.
• There have also been times when multiple bins were found around the building. If you see one bin filled to the brim, it may be worth hunting for others. *As of 2019, there were 3 different bins that have been used interchangeably: one blue one with a recycling symbol on it, and two different plain gray ones. The exact number of bins changes on occasion, so make sure to check periodically!

Hopeman

• Periodically, some assorted old electronics and cables show up in Hopeman, either near the top of the front stairs (on the old scale) or along the sides of the hallways in the basement. Good finds aren't as common here, but it's still worth checking periodically.

B&L

• On the fourth floor of B&L at the end of the hallway closest to Harkness and Gavett, there is often a pile of electronics in front of one of the labs. It can be decent and seems to be more consistent than Hopeman. Unfortunately, as of Spring 2024, this spot is no longer viable as it has been replaced with a big sign reading "Do not place electronic junk here."

Contact IT/ECM

• In the past, CIF has received generous donations from various IT departments around campus. I would especially recommend emailing ECM (Event and Classroom Management) as much of the outgoing electronics passes through them. Most recently (as of Spring 2025), CIF received 4 Alienware Area 51 PCs, each with i7 or better and dual GTX 1080, as well as a 2013 trash can Mac. Later on (F2026), CIF received even more from ECM in the form of a few Alienware PCs, many Dell Optiplexes (Which have, since become Roundtable and Zeta), and many all-in-ones (May of which have become monitors).

One would be surprised what you can acquire, and what people would be willing to give you! Many PCs (And, indeed, many things in the CIF Lab) have been acquired over the course of my tenure here, which help us operate upwards and onwards!