Interview: Charity gives second life to old PCs

Recycling should begin at home, but employers also have a responsibility to set standards and follow best practice when disposing of obsolete PCs.

In this interview, first published in Computeractive's sister title IT Week (a magazine aimed at IT professionals), Tony Roberts, chief executive of PC-recycling charity Computer Aid, outlines how some UK companies are helping to give computers a new lease of life in countries where they are badly needed.

IT Week: What is the environmental case for firms to use Computer Aid International to dispose of their old PCs?

Tony Roberts: A lot of companies just store their old computers, others scrap them and others recycle. We'd argue these approaches are wrong. Moving directly to recycling and destroying computers has a significant environmental cost. It is obvious that we should use something to the end of its productive life. And if we are going to extract raw materials [from old systems] we should make sure we make full use of them before we put them back into the environment.

And you would argue it is best to use refurbished machines in developing countries?

Yes. We don’t just recycle used machines we take all working donated machines, professionally refurbish them to the highest standard and give them to disadvantaged communities in some of the poorest countries in the world so they can continue to have a productive life for another three years on average.

How many machines are you talking about?

We've grown 50 per cent or more a year for the last eight years to the point where we are now shipping at least 2,000 computers a month. We've already shipped 73,000 computers to 105 different countries, including the UK. Now we're just starting a campaign to ship 100,000 computers by our tenth birthday in October next year. 

Is there a business case for donating PCs?

There are a variety of business benefits. The first is that firms face legal requirements to dispose of data in a safe and secure way. At Computer Aid we use data destruction software from Blancco and there is no better, safer data decommissioning path than the one that we use. We provide documentary certification that data destruction has taken place so firms are able to fulfill their regulatory requirements. We provide that for free, whereas if you go through a commercial decommissioning agent you often have to pay for that service. If you bring your computers to us - and we take any Pentium 3 or Pentium 4 machine - then everything is free. All you have to pay for is the transport to our facility, though we can also arrange collection.

Will Computer Aid also ensure compliance with the upcoming WEEE Directive on disposal of electronic equipment?

Donating computers to Computer Aid guarantees compliance with the WEEE law. We're licensed to carry out the work, we have documented waste streams and can provide documentation so donors can prove where their electrical equipment ends up.

Do you find that firms are increasingly concerned about environmental issues?
Absolutely. It's not always top of the list, but it is definitely an increasing priority. Eight years ago organisations used to call us and say "we need to get rid of this kit now, please come and get it, we don't want to know what you do with it, we just want it gone". That is no longer typical. Firms now have a legal requirement with data protection and an impending legal requirement with WEEE to better manage the disposal of these assets. But, irrespective of that legislation, many organisations have also developed a sense of corporate social responsibility and they realise that is valued by their customers and their staff to be environmentally responsible. It is not a uniform picture but it is increasingly prevalent.

Do you have any evidence that donating PCs to the developing world is proving effective?
In a globalised economy it is no longer realistic for any government to have a national economic development plan without focusing on the need to invest in IT. It is not possible for countries to escape under-development and engage with the global economy unless they are equipped with the infrastructure and skills to take part in a globalised economy built around technology and internet enabled services. That means school children have to learn, teachers have to be trained and universities have to be equipped with IT.

Is there not a case for focusing more on developing basic infrastructure in these countries?
Some people say, "Why are you sending computers, why don’t you send rice or worry about clean water?" But if all we do is give emergency aid to people then we will be required to give emergency aid forever. In order for people to escape poverty we need to give them the tools and skills to establish businesses and create wealth and improve their livelihoods in the same way we all aspire to in this country. At that level it is essential they have access to IT.

What types of organisations receive the refurbished PCs?
Most of our PCs go to schools, colleges and universities. When we professionally refurbish machines, we know they are going to last another three or four years. That means it will deliver another 6,000 hours of productive use per PC and is equivalent to 50 students each getting 120 hours of sole use on a computer. That means each computer we send is enough for 50 people to develop good computer literacy and have very marketable skills in a developing economy. That means they can get a job and an income and it makes a very tangible difference to someone's quality of life.

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