A computer donation project has been expanded to support school pupils and community organisations through lockdown. Image PC Reuse project The University of Edinburgh has teamed up with Midlothian Council and Edinburgh Remakery to donate computers and laptops to local schools and community groups, who will then distribute to local families. This will help families with the home-schooling process and allow pupils to access online learning while schools are closed due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. The PC Reuse Project at the University has been repurposing computers and IT equipment since 2015. Since it launched, more than 2,100 computers have been donated to charities and community groups in Edinburgh and the wider area. Working together Since the beginning of lockdown in the UK in March 2020, an increasing number of families have found themselves without the technology needed to adequately home-school their children. The increased need for laptops and computers meant that the Project Team at the University of Edinburgh could only partly fulfil a request from Midlothian Council for a supply of laptops to support local school pupils. Fortunately, local organisation, the Edinburgh Remakery came to the rescue and donated 30 additional laptops to help fulfil the requests. The Edinburgh Remakery is an environmental social enterprise committed to diverting waste from landfill and promoting a culture of repair and reuse. Donating laptops for free is not usually part of the Remakery’s remit, but the organisation wanted to support this pressing need within the community and stepped in to help. The Edinburgh Remakery is delighted to be able to provide much needed IT equipment for the Midlothian Council pupils. This is what our IT Disposal Service for Business is designed for; to create partnerships with purpose. We have worked with the University of Edinburgh to ensure that we tackle digital isolation whilst at the same time preventing pollution and waste by diverting reusable laptops and valuable materials from landfill. Elaine Brown, CEO of The Edinburgh Remakery As part of this effort, more than 250 schoolchildren and teenagers in low-income families in Midlothian, north-east Edinburgh, Dalmeny, Kirkliston, Queensferry, Restalrig, Lochend, Craigentinny and Craigmillar will receive IT equipment, as well as some children across the city and the Lothians that have been affected by a crisis and which have no extended family/friend support. The University’s PC Reuse Team will also supply smaller organisations with items such as tablets and mobile phones in the hope that this will enable them to keep providing important services for local communities. Donate your old IT kit The Edinburgh Remakery offer a free disposal service of IT equipment from individuals and businesses. They can accept laptops, tablets, iPads, PCs, smart phones, cables, chargers, and routers. The more businesses that do this, the more people the Remakery can support through its great work. They use a US Government Department of Defence approved algorithm to securely wipe any data from donated equipment. For further details on how to donate your IT equipment: Free Computer and IT Disposal for Businesses – The Edinburgh Remakery Find out more The University of Edinburgh’s PC Reuse Project The Edinburgh Remakery This article was published on 2024-07-22
