Via a partnership which began in January, residents can drop off technology they no longer use, whether it works or not, at any Stockport library.
Not-for-profit initiative Community Computers then securely wipes any data before refurbishing and upgrading the devices to help people in Stockport who are not yet online. If any devices cannot be refurbished, Community Computers recycles the parts.
Councillor David Sedgwick, Stockport’s cabinet member for citizen focus and engagement, said: “At Stockport council we’ve committed to helping as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits that digital brings and ensure no-one gets left behind.
“This is a fantastic scheme that gives your old devices a new lease of life, and we’ve already had almost 600 donations since we linked up with Community Computers in January.
“This is phenomenal but most impressive of all are the comments from people who’ve benefited, saying what a difference the donated devices make to their lives.”
One such person is Julie Loftus, chair of the Green Thumbs Community Gardens in Brinnington, a north-eastern suburb of Stockport. She said the laptop the communal gardens received would be used to store all her organisation’s “community business and records”.
“We at present hold paper copies, so having them all stored on a laptop will be such a great help to us all,” she said.
Community
Community Computers is a not-for-profit initiative run by Stockport-based charity Renewal North West. The charity provides training and work experience in IT recycling skills for the long-term unemployed.
“No other scheme puts your unwanted tech to so many good uses”
“Thanks to your donations we’ve already been able to put more than 50 refurbished devices back into the community,” Wesley Downs, Renewal North West’s executive officer, told Stockport residents in a statement. “Community Computers is a recycling scheme with a social conscience and we’re passionate about tackling digital exclusion and long-term unemployment, as well as reducing e-waste. No other scheme puts your unwanted tech to so many good uses.”
Community Computers is also part of DigiKnow, a partnership of organisations and community groups helping people in Stockport to get online.
DigiKnow uses recycled donations to maintain its Device Library, which provides free loans of devices to Stockport residents who are “missing out”, including families with children, job seekers and the socially isolated.
Stockport
Representing an estimated population of nearly 300,000, Stockport metropolitan borough council had a household waste recycling rate of 58.5% in the 2019/20 financial year.
Stockport’s household waste is managed by Suez as part of the waste management company’s contract with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (see letsrecycle.com story).
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