But what's a business owner to do? Those PCs are so obsolete it seems nobody will take them off your hands.

Do you simply wipe the hard drives and trash them?

Most people do. Every month Las Vegas tosses thousands of electronic office supplies into the trash.

But you may want to think twice — many of these products' components are toxic, which causes a major headache for trash collectors. Meanwhile, many of these items can be repaired and sold over the Internet or taken apart and sold for scrap.

Sure, sure, you don't have the time, but someone else does.

The Blind Center of Nevada operates a program in which they can take those items as a donation, wipe the hard drives and resell them.

The money they get from the electronic gadgets helps pay the salaries of the program's 16 employees and support job training and social programs at the center.

It has become a major source of revenue and has moved the center and its members on the path to self-sufficiency. It began about 10 years ago when several Western states became concerned about the increase in electronics making their way to landfills.

Nevada government offices began auctioning off such materials in the hope of keeping them out of the dump, but found that much of it ended up in the desert anyway.

It then held discussions with different training programs across the state in search of a better solution.

The Blind Center began training members in computer repair and parts recovery and by 2005 it was recycling the state's computers and printers.

Now the group collects computers from the state, Clark County, the cities of Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada Power, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and businesses such as MGM Mirage and Station Casinos.

It also has a contract with Republic Services to collect electronics from its recycling center.

In an attempt to broaden its reach, the group began a doorstep pick-up service for businesses. It's free if the business donates more than 20 items (such as PCs, monitors, printers).

Individual items can be dropped off at Republic Service's recycling center, 333 W. Gowan Road, North Las Vegas, as well as the Blind Center, 1001 N. Bruce St. Las Vegas.

So far this year, the organization has recycled more than 1 million tons of e-waste. It expects to recycle more than 1.5 million tons by year's end.

That's less than its goal of 2 million — itself a fraction of the e-waste sent to landfills and dumped in the desert each year.

Electronic debris is a growing problem for American trash collectors and refuse sites. Nevada generates about 23 million pounds of computer waste each year, Blind Center Vice President of Operations Bob Waldorf said.

"So even if we get a couple million pounds, we still have a long way to go," Waldorf said.

Much of what is trashed can be rebuilt, repaired or repurposed and sold on the Internet to computer hobbyists, repair shops and used computer buyers. At the same time, recycling your old computers generates revenue for a good cause.

"We want to keep all this waste out of the landfill, but it's doubly beneficial because we can create jobs and support our other programs," Waldorf said.

The group has expanded the program recently to include a certified hard drive wipe-out program. So if you want to sell or donate a used computer, technicians can come to your business and wipe out sensitive data. And they charge only a small fee compared to what a large computer repair or security company might charge — just $8 if you bring the computer to them, about $16 for their mobile service.

"A lot of businesses want to be absolutely sure their material has been destroyed and get a certificate guaranteeing it," Waldorf said. "This is the best way to do it and it is available."