The European WEEE directive makes it incumbent on governments to provide safe recycling of all electrical goods. Here in Ireland, you pay a small fee, from a euro to about 20, depending on the goods you're buying, and you simply hand the old one over to the shopkeeper - they have to accept it (has to be clean). If they deliver, say, a washing machine, they have to remove the old one for recycling. It works quite well, although there was some resistance to the charge at first. If that's not happening where you live, and you live in the EU, write to your local politician to find out why not. (Note - electrical goods only, not sofas/matresses etc). See here for more: http://www.environ.ie/DOEI/DOEIPol.nsf/wvNavVi ew/Waste+Electrical+&+Electronic+Equipment?Ope nDocument&Lang=
You could do others a good turn by giving it to a charity that takes old non-working computers, rebuilds them, and gives them out to the deserving, often in poorer countries. Have a look under, e.g., 'computers charities' in Google. Some charities will even arrange to pick it up.