New Life for Discarded PCs
StumbleUponThe time comes around in every company when computers must be upgraded. But you can go one better than safely recycling old computers - give them to an enterprise that ensures they are re-used...
The time comes around in every company when computers must be
upgraded. But even better than ensuring old computers are safely
recycled, you can now give them to an enterprise that ensures
they are re-used…
By Deirdre Molloy
The notion of breathing life into old computers by passing them onto someone who really needs them sounds great in theory. It’s a heartwarming concept. But hellishly complicated in practice surely, a headache you honestly don’t have time for, right? Sorry to rain on your parade people, but it’s a breeze. And easy for individuals as well as companies of all sizes.
A stroll through Computer Aid International’s offices off the Holloway Road in north London reveals how the mindset of binning unwanted electronics is increasingly being turned on its head. In one area technicians are bent over terminals, meticulously erasing hard drive histories and testing the robustness of PCs; in another forklift trucks manoeuvre the narrow passages between stacked shelves of boxed monitors and hard drives ready for shipping to other parts. Volunteers are many among the technical, manual and fundraising staff housed in this warehouse. But what unites them is a common purpose to minimise the environmental damage of dumping computers and increase the amount of PCs prepped for re-use by schools, colleges and not-for-profit groups for whom the brand-new computer is far out of reach.
Bridging the digital divide
"Look at the statistics," says Jaf Shah, Marketing and Fundraising Director for Computer Aid International. "Over 95% of schoolchildren and students in Africa have no access to computers because the pricing strategy is beyond their means. We are bridging the digital divide by providing affordable access to quality equipment."
"In environmental terms," Shah continues, "apart from the basic issue of generating non-biodegradable landfill, the most damage comes from the monitors, because they contain small amounts of mercury and lead in the screens."
The benefits of re-using computers are clear, then, and Computer Aid International aren’t daunted by the scale of the project if they’re to make a real dent in the availability of computers in developing countries. The untapped pool of abandoned PCs in Britain alone could make a real difference. Currently it’s estimated that 2 million computers in the UK are out of use. Half of these are lying un-used in attics and storage spaces, the other half clogging-up ballooning landfills. Yet through projects like this, such equipment is available to developing countries for around £39 per PC unit (monitor, hard drive and keyboard), compared to the basic price of £500 for a factory-new PC.
Global impact
"This charge of £39 covers the cost to us of collecting, testing, refurbishing, wrapping and boxing the computers," explains Shah. "It also covers office overheads and allows us to become self-sustaining. The costs of shipping are met by partner agencies and other third parties. For instance a human rights organisation in Zimbabwe might ask Amnesty to cover the shipping cost for a big consignment. Shipping in volume reduces the unit cost."
In line with increased awareness and profile, this year Computer Aid International will ship an estimated 20,000 computers to Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe, where they are distributed through partner agencies to schools, colleges and other not-for-profit organisations. In 2006 they hope to ship 30,000 computers, and 50,000 in 2007.
…from small beginnings
Eight years ago the situation was very different. Tony Roberts, now Chief Executive of Computer Aid International, was frequently in Africa with his job as Executive Director for Coda International Training. "The need for ICT equipment was regularly requested," Jaf Shah explains, "and Tony came up with the idea of establishing a company that could supply re-furbished ICT equipment. With a shipment of 100 computers that was successful, the project he launched became a charity in 1998."
By 2001 they had grown into an operation of 4 employees shipping 200-250 computers. Today there are 15 salaried staff, 40 volunteers and two consultancies shipping 1,500 computers per month. This could also be the year when EU legislation comes into force requiring companies to recycle retired computers, if the UK adopts the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.
Under WEEE, as business users of ICT equipment, you will be legally responsible for the collection, treatment, and recovery of all PCs purchased before 13 August 2005, unless you’re buying new PCs to replace old ones on a like-for-like basis. More details about the Directive and a downloadable PDF factsheet are available on the Computer Aid International website.
How easy is it to donate?
You can phone, fax or email donation details to Computer Aid International, but probably the most efficient way of making a donation is by filling out the form on their website, where you can also get information on specific schools and communities that have benefited from the delivery of re-furbished computers. All Computer Aid need is a simple inventory of what is being collected. It couldn’t be less complicated or time-consuming.
In terms of the kinds of PCs you can donate, the minimum spec is Pentium 2. Currently 70% of their stock is Pentium 2, 30% Pentium 3; they expect to start processing Pentium 4 PCs in 2006.
What do you have to do? Not a lot. If you’re not a large corporate and can’t make the delivery yourself, Computer Aid will arrange for collection from anywhere in the UK, you just need to arrange a time and date for them to collect. There’s a charge for this, but it’s minimal – they’ll give you a quote if you get in touch regarding a donation. Once at the charity's headquarters, all information stored on the hard drives is erased for free using professional data wiping service Blancco, the computers are tested, and repairs are done. "In the instances where their quality isn’t up to par they’re sent to another charity for disassembling and recycling of the constituent parts," adds Shah.
A new paradigm
For Shah, a fundamental shift in attitudes regarding re-using and recycling is already well underway. "The barriers are slowly being removed. It’s more commonplace now to think about not wasting the resources we have and thinking 'actually, I’m sure someone else can make use of this.'"
He also reminds us how donating computers fits within the larger context of corporate social responsibility. "Most CSR programmes within large organizations have an environmental audit. This is an opportunity for smaller companies to complete their environmental audit by allowing them to completely recycle or re-use." Computer Aid International's relentless push to make this an almost effortless task should be sufficient incentive to freelancers and businesses in the digital industry to tick the “computer(s) donated” box.
About Computer Aid International :
Established in 1998,Computer Aid International is a registered charity and the world’s largest non-profit supplier of refurbished computers to schools and community organizations in developing countries. Computer Aid International was set up to help bridge the digital divide that exists between the rich and poor nations and derive the maximum social value from recycled computers. They also provide training and work experience in computer repair to people from socially excluded communities in their workshops in the UK.
By Deirdre Molloy
The notion of breathing life into old computers by passing them onto someone who really needs them sounds great in theory. It’s a heartwarming concept. But hellishly complicated in practice surely, a headache you honestly don’t have time for, right? Sorry to rain on your parade people, but it’s a breeze. And easy for individuals as well as companies of all sizes.
A stroll through Computer Aid International’s offices off the Holloway Road in north London reveals how the mindset of binning unwanted electronics is increasingly being turned on its head. In one area technicians are bent over terminals, meticulously erasing hard drive histories and testing the robustness of PCs; in another forklift trucks manoeuvre the narrow passages between stacked shelves of boxed monitors and hard drives ready for shipping to other parts. Volunteers are many among the technical, manual and fundraising staff housed in this warehouse. But what unites them is a common purpose to minimise the environmental damage of dumping computers and increase the amount of PCs prepped for re-use by schools, colleges and not-for-profit groups for whom the brand-new computer is far out of reach.
Bridging the digital divide
"Look at the statistics," says Jaf Shah, Marketing and Fundraising Director for Computer Aid International. "Over 95% of schoolchildren and students in Africa have no access to computers because the pricing strategy is beyond their means. We are bridging the digital divide by providing affordable access to quality equipment."
"In environmental terms," Shah continues, "apart from the basic issue of generating non-biodegradable landfill, the most damage comes from the monitors, because they contain small amounts of mercury and lead in the screens."
The benefits of re-using computers are clear, then, and Computer Aid International aren’t daunted by the scale of the project if they’re to make a real dent in the availability of computers in developing countries. The untapped pool of abandoned PCs in Britain alone could make a real difference. Currently it’s estimated that 2 million computers in the UK are out of use. Half of these are lying un-used in attics and storage spaces, the other half clogging-up ballooning landfills. Yet through projects like this, such equipment is available to developing countries for around £39 per PC unit (monitor, hard drive and keyboard), compared to the basic price of £500 for a factory-new PC.
Global impact
"This charge of £39 covers the cost to us of collecting, testing, refurbishing, wrapping and boxing the computers," explains Shah. "It also covers office overheads and allows us to become self-sustaining. The costs of shipping are met by partner agencies and other third parties. For instance a human rights organisation in Zimbabwe might ask Amnesty to cover the shipping cost for a big consignment. Shipping in volume reduces the unit cost."
In line with increased awareness and profile, this year Computer Aid International will ship an estimated 20,000 computers to Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe, where they are distributed through partner agencies to schools, colleges and other not-for-profit organisations. In 2006 they hope to ship 30,000 computers, and 50,000 in 2007.
…from small beginnings
Eight years ago the situation was very different. Tony Roberts, now Chief Executive of Computer Aid International, was frequently in Africa with his job as Executive Director for Coda International Training. "The need for ICT equipment was regularly requested," Jaf Shah explains, "and Tony came up with the idea of establishing a company that could supply re-furbished ICT equipment. With a shipment of 100 computers that was successful, the project he launched became a charity in 1998."
By 2001 they had grown into an operation of 4 employees shipping 200-250 computers. Today there are 15 salaried staff, 40 volunteers and two consultancies shipping 1,500 computers per month. This could also be the year when EU legislation comes into force requiring companies to recycle retired computers, if the UK adopts the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.
Under WEEE, as business users of ICT equipment, you will be legally responsible for the collection, treatment, and recovery of all PCs purchased before 13 August 2005, unless you’re buying new PCs to replace old ones on a like-for-like basis. More details about the Directive and a downloadable PDF factsheet are available on the Computer Aid International website.
How easy is it to donate?
You can phone, fax or email donation details to Computer Aid International, but probably the most efficient way of making a donation is by filling out the form on their website, where you can also get information on specific schools and communities that have benefited from the delivery of re-furbished computers. All Computer Aid need is a simple inventory of what is being collected. It couldn’t be less complicated or time-consuming.
In terms of the kinds of PCs you can donate, the minimum spec is Pentium 2. Currently 70% of their stock is Pentium 2, 30% Pentium 3; they expect to start processing Pentium 4 PCs in 2006.
What do you have to do? Not a lot. If you’re not a large corporate and can’t make the delivery yourself, Computer Aid will arrange for collection from anywhere in the UK, you just need to arrange a time and date for them to collect. There’s a charge for this, but it’s minimal – they’ll give you a quote if you get in touch regarding a donation. Once at the charity's headquarters, all information stored on the hard drives is erased for free using professional data wiping service Blancco, the computers are tested, and repairs are done. "In the instances where their quality isn’t up to par they’re sent to another charity for disassembling and recycling of the constituent parts," adds Shah.
A new paradigm
For Shah, a fundamental shift in attitudes regarding re-using and recycling is already well underway. "The barriers are slowly being removed. It’s more commonplace now to think about not wasting the resources we have and thinking 'actually, I’m sure someone else can make use of this.'"
He also reminds us how donating computers fits within the larger context of corporate social responsibility. "Most CSR programmes within large organizations have an environmental audit. This is an opportunity for smaller companies to complete their environmental audit by allowing them to completely recycle or re-use." Computer Aid International's relentless push to make this an almost effortless task should be sufficient incentive to freelancers and businesses in the digital industry to tick the “computer(s) donated” box.
About Computer Aid International :
Established in 1998,Computer Aid International is a registered charity and the world’s largest non-profit supplier of refurbished computers to schools and community organizations in developing countries. Computer Aid International was set up to help bridge the digital divide that exists between the rich and poor nations and derive the maximum social value from recycled computers. They also provide training and work experience in computer repair to people from socially excluded communities in their workshops in the UK.
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