I do volunteer work for a non-profit organization in Milwaukee that recycles donated power wheelchairs, scooters and other medical equipment. I have been tasked with finding and printing battery configuration diagrams for every power chair and scooter in our extensive inventory. I'm having trouble finding any battery diagrams on the web, I have been told that they are out there somewhere. If I could please ask for your help? Can you tell me where to go, or at least point me in the right direction for finding printable battery diagrams for scooters and power chairs? I would really appreciate any help you can offer, and would certainly remember your help for any of our future needs! Thank You in Advance, Mike Powers [email protected]

<span>Computers sure are handy when they are working but once they've chewed their last byte, things can get a little messy. Toxic chemicals, carcinogens and heavy metals are all part of what makes their clocks tick, and improper disposal can bring them all a little too close for human comfort. Computer recycling is nothing new, but getting your old electronics to the great motherboard in the sky can be tricky to do responsibly. For years, developed countries have been exporting tons of electronic waste for inexpensive, labor-intensive recycling and disposal, mostly to China. It's been illegal to import e-waste into China for dirty recycling and dumping since 2000, but smuggling, corruption and China's appetite for scrap keep it coming. One of the best ways to get clean recycling is simple: just ask questions. A reputable recycler should be able to tell you where hardware is sent, and if the company exports or uses prison labor. The recycler should also be able to tell you how it handles data destruction; you'll want the recycler or reuse organization to wipe the hard drive for you so any personal information doesn't end up where it doesn't belong. If you are donating your equipment to a reuse organization, ask if equipment is tested before it is passed on for donation and if the company only ships working equipment. Ask who their recipient organizations are. If the answer to any of these questions is, "We don't know," or, "We can't tell you," it may be time to send your equipment elsewhere.<br /> One of the easiest options is to use your computer manufacturer's recycling program, though most major manufacturers charge fees and require you to do the packing and shipping. The <a href="http://svtc.etoxics.org/">Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition</a>, a good guide to responsible recycling, finds many of the manufacture take-back programs wanting and publishes a <a href="http://www.svtc.etoxics.org/site/PageServer?pagename=svtc_computer_report_card">report card</a> on the environmental effectiveness of most of them.<br />The <a href="http://rethink.ebay.com/">Rethink Program</a>, hosted by eBay has a good computer recycling FAQ section and many useful links to recyclers, as do <a href="http://www.compumentor.org/">CompuMentor</a>'s Tech Soup site and the EPA's<a href="http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/reuse.htm">eCycling</a> website. Be aware, though, that the recyclers listed on these sites have not been vetted or approved by these organizations in any way. The Basel Action Network also carries a list of electronics recyclers that have <a href="http://www.ban.org/pledge1.html">signed their stewardship pledge</a>, under which recyclers agree not to export e-waste or add it to landfill, or use prison labor, and to document where equipment, parts and materials go.<br />If your machine still functions (and not just as a paperweight), then seeing that it is reused is perhaps the best option. Companies like <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/retrobox_recycl.php">RetroBox</a> and <a href="http://www.freegeek.org/">FreeGeek</a> build computers out of salvaged parts; the latter has a <a href="http://www.freegeek.org/recyclelink.php">list of like-minded organizations</a> that can be a good starting place for recycling or reusing your machine. <br /> <br /><a href="http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/"></a></span>