Green computing focuses on minimizing the environmental impact of information technology. A core principle of this practice is following the waste management hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Extending the life of devices through reuse and refurbishment directly addresses the "Reuse" principle. This strategy is environmentally superior to recycling because it conserves the significant energy and resources embedded in the manufacturing of the original device and delays the generation of electronic waste (e-waste). By keeping equipment in service longer, organizations reduce the need for new production and minimize their overall environmental footprint.

B. Prioritizing high performance often leads to greater energy consumption, which directly conflicts with the green computing goal of energy efficiency.

C. Choosing hardware that is merely economical often overlooks energy efficiency and durability, potentially increasing long-term energy costs and creating e-waste sooner.

D. Recycling hardware before its end of life is a wasteful practice that contradicts the waste hierarchy, which prioritizes reuse over recycling for functional equipment.

1. Murugesan

S. (2008). Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices. IT Professional

10(1)

24–33. In the section "Reuse" (p. 28)

the author states

"Extending the life of a computer is better than recycling it... Organizations can refurbish and upgrade their older computers for reuse within the organization." https://doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2008.10

2. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2014). STS.464 / 21A.507J The Social Life of E-Waste. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lecture 2: The Waste Hierarchy. These course materials explain the environmental preference for reuse and life extension over recycling as a waste management strategy for electronics.

3. Harmon

R. R.

& Auseklis

N. (2009). Sustainable IT Services: A New Paradigm for IT Service Management. In Proceedings of the 2009 IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology (pp. 1-6). The paper discusses the IT equipment lifecycle

emphasizing that "extending the useful life of IT assets" (p. 3) is a key strategy for sustainable IT. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISSST.2009.5156768