Waste not your old technology
Have an old laptop or desktop lying around and you can’t imagine anyone would want ‘That old thing?’ Think again. There are several programs in Canada that divert computers for being shipped overseas to be ‘recycled’ by underpaid workers that come in contact with the mercury and other toxins, often without proper safety gear. Here are a few suggestions…
ReBOOT Canada
Reboot Canada refurbishes old computers and then redistributes them to charities, senior centres and high school students. You can also buy one directly from them if you need a better priced computer. reBOOT can be found in Toronto, Fredericton, Dartmouth, Peterborough and Vancouver.
Computers for Schools
Computers for Schools take old government and corporate computers, refurbished them and then distributes them to our nations libraries, schools, and not-for-profit learning centres.
Free Geek
Free Geek Vancouver is an ethical computer recycling organization in Vancouver. Their mission is to reduce the environmental impact of waste electronics by reusing and recycling donated technology. They provide workshops, job skills training, Internet access and free or low cost computers to the public.
Little Geeks
Little Geeks is a Toronto operation that refurbishes old home computers and redistributes them to children in need. Although the only operate in Toronto, their dream is to expand throughout Canada and internationally. Their Mission is “to provide free computing technology and education to children and families who cannot afford this resource on their own. ”
Take responsibility for your old technology and make sure it is not shipped overseas and ‘recycled’ into a useless shell that is dumped. It is far more efficient and economical to give it to one of the above organizations.
Tags: charity, computers, environmentally friendly, recycle, refurbish, reuse, socially responsible
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Ya you are right we never used to waste, need to recycle it.