Hidden treasure

You might not know it, but you've got something very special in your home that could be worth money and could even save the world. No, it's not that lottery ticket you haven't checked yet -- it's your old technology.

All those gadgets and gizmos you've collected over the years that are sitting unused in the corner of a room or collecting dust in your garage are actually worth taking out of storage. Whether you sell them, recycle them, give them to charity, upgrade them or reuse them, there's value in them yet -- and over the next nine pages we'll tell you how to get the most out of them.

Even the European Commission has got in on the action, setting up something called the WEEE directive, which came into effect in the UK earlier this year. The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive aims to help the environment by forcing electronic and electrical manufacturers and importers to take responsibility for treating and recycling their products when they're no longer wanted.

According to a spokesman for the Department of Business, "Electrical waste is a huge challenge, with 2m tonnes produced in the UK last year alone -- enough to fill the Wembley Stadium six times over."

The majority of electronic waste goes to landfill and seriously affects our environment -- particularly because most of the components that make up these products are toxic. The WEEE directive gives you the option of free return of old products, either in-store, through collection or at local amenity sites, but there's no obligation on you.

You don't have to get involved, but why throw your old stuff into a bin, when you can easily do something positive and even financially rewarding with it? Let's find out how.