There's several different types of recyclers that I've experienced.
1. Non-profit computer recycler. These guys are great. I was there on a Saturday once and they had a U-Haul drive up packed to the gills with computers. I helped them unload and walked away with several old Macs for free. I also purchase from them whenever anyone donates Macs. I don't mind paying a little more here (though they are still fair) because I know it benefits a good cause. They trust me to wipe the hard drives so I walk away with drives intact. All PCs are stripped down on-site. CRTs are sent to another company and their fate is unknown.
2. Apathetic psuedo-recycler. These guys have the contract with the city, which went to the highest bidder. They erase the hard drives in all the PCs they get using DoD standards, but the Macs are sold as-is. He'll even give me extra hard drives when some of the Macs are missing them. PCs and CRTs are then shipped to India, China, or another country of that sort.
3. Hard-ass real recycler. The owner has some kind of obsession with fish, and with making sure that every single CD and floppy disk that enters his warehouse, including brand new in box software, is destroyed. Hard drives are hard to come by here, and they refuse to sit down and work out a deal for Mac scrap (beige) items. All I've gotten from here is iBooks, G4s, and G3 iMacs. These are probably the only guys that actually ensure all the stuff is correctly disposed of.
Your best bet is to find a non-profit or some kind of mom and pop company who is open to ideas. Show them how you can wipe old SCSI drives, offer to help out in exchange for old Macs.
Do not volunteer at a company like #3. They will eagerly accept your free labor and will provide you with nothing in return. A company like #2 may or may not allow you to take a few Macs if you're willing to work all day.
1. Non-profit computer recycler. These guys are great. I was there on a Saturday once and they had a U-Haul drive up packed to the gills with computers. I helped them unload and walked away with several old Macs for free. I also purchase from them whenever anyone donates Macs. I don't mind paying a little more here (though they are still fair) because I know it benefits a good cause. They trust me to wipe the hard drives so I walk away with drives intact. All PCs are stripped down on-site. CRTs are sent to another company and their fate is unknown.
2. Apathetic psuedo-recycler. These guys have the contract with the city, which went to the highest bidder. They erase the hard drives in all the PCs they get using DoD standards, but the Macs are sold as-is. He'll even give me extra hard drives when some of the Macs are missing them. PCs and CRTs are then shipped to India, China, or another country of that sort.
3. Hard-ass real recycler. The owner has some kind of obsession with fish, and with making sure that every single CD and floppy disk that enters his warehouse, including brand new in box software, is destroyed. Hard drives are hard to come by here, and they refuse to sit down and work out a deal for Mac scrap (beige) items. All I've gotten from here is iBooks, G4s, and G3 iMacs. These are probably the only guys that actually ensure all the stuff is correctly disposed of.
Your best bet is to find a non-profit or some kind of mom and pop company who is open to ideas. Show them how you can wipe old SCSI drives, offer to help out in exchange for old Macs.
Do not volunteer at a company like #3. They will eagerly accept your free labor and will provide you with nothing in return. A company like #2 may or may not allow you to take a few Macs if you're willing to work all day.