If you've ever dropped off an old TV, computer monitor or other piece of electronics at a "safe recycle" location, it will probably disappoint you to know that there's a fair chance your e-waste ended up in a smoky Third World dump where men, women and children scavenge for recyclable metals. It got there because of lax enforcement and possibly the work of organized crime, and people's health and well-being are at risk because of it.
Most of what people throw out is likely broken, and therefore not reusable "as-is". Electronic devices can contain highly toxic materials which pose no threat when in regular use, but once subjected to the harsh environment of an exposed dump can be released into the environment. Carcinogenic elements can leak out into ground water, be carried by the wind when electronics are burned or simply get on the hands and feet of people picking around for recyclable metals. These broken electronics should never reach a landfill anywhere on the planet. Considering that they contain both valuable and dangerous components, more safe recycle programs are needed, and the ones that exist already should be subject to regular independent inspection.
That's a political problem, though. The average person has only indirect control over these factors. We can vote, speak out and generally agitate for better electronics recycling policies, but that doesn't put much direct power in our hands. For all the old computers (leaving stereo equipment and TVs aside for now) that still boot up but are considered badly outdated, there are better solutions.
Organizations like The HeliOS Project and Linux Against Poverty are working to reclaim older computer hardware, installing Linux and, after verifying functionality, passing the recycled computers along to kids who otherwise couldn't afford one. Considering how many people in the United States on so many economic levels have home computers, this means that the kids who receive these are by and large the most in need. While a computer alone won't solve all of a young person's problems, it gives him or her a chance to learn about technology, and if nothing else helps even the playing ground in relation to better-off classmates.
The projects I mentioned above are still small and very local. If the idea were to take hold and spread a chunk of e-waste could conceivably be held back from the dump for another few years. While it isn't a complete solution to the problem of e-waste, it would certainly be less wasteful. Again, better enforced recycling policies and programs for broken tech trash will be the best way to reduce e-waste in landfills around the world.
On a final note, if you have a functional but outdated computer you no longer use and there is no safe recycle program or computer reuse project where you live, why not rehabilitate the computer yourself and give it away. Even if it runs Windows 98 you could install a lightweight Linux distro, make sure everything works and find a child who doesn't have a computer to receive it. Take some initiative. It's not like it would cost you a fortune, and your trash could be someone else's treasure.
See Also:
Sifting through the mounting problem of e-waste (CNN)
21st Century Third World Gehenna (Igneous Quill)
Top 10 of lightweight Linux distributions (Lightweight Linux)
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