Charity urges people to reuse IT rather than recycle

More unwanted computer equipment should be reused rather than recycled, a leading IT charity has said.

Computer Aid International, which refurbishes computers and peripherals for use in schools, hospitals and community projects in more than 100 countries, said many PCs which are discarded have not reached the end of their useful life.

In a special report on the environmental benefits of reuse the charity said it is a problem that unlike for recycling with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, there are no specific targets for reusing electrical and electronic equipment. This means most of these devices tend to be recycled.

The report said that consumers could do more to help both the environment and disadvantaged people by either postponing replacement until equipment has reached the genuine end of its productive life or donating working equipment for reuse.

Anja Ffrench, for Computer Aid, said: “Public bodies, businesses and consumers need to be far more aware of the benefits of reuse over recycling. The reality is that many unwanted PCs and laptops that are recycled have simply not reached the end of their life.

“Through reuse schemes, organisations such as Computer Aid can make ICT available to people and communities who would not normally have the opportunity to access it.”