EDINBURGH LEADING THE WAY IN TECH RECYCLING
Thinking of buying a new PC, laptop or smartphone for Christmas? Stop...what about buying a second-hand refurbished one instead...it will be better for your pocket and environment.
The Edinburgh Remakery based in Leith is a social enterprise which repairs, refurbishes and sells unwanted IT equipment. The work is carried out by qualified technicians and every item sold comes with a one-year warranty. The organisation also donates laptops through charitable organisations such as Cash for Kids to those who cannot afford one and runs repair workshops for the community to teach repair and remaking skills. Equipment is donated by businesses and other organisations and can be collected by the Edinburgh Remakery’s electric van. Items which are still viable are fully tested and refurbished and sold via the shop in Leith, online or via e-Bay. Other items are stripped down for components which can either be re-used or sold. For example, they have a partnership with the Royal Mint which takes their old motherboards to extract gold to make jewellery. Data from all items is professionally removed by qualified technicians and the organisation holds the ISO 27001 certification for managing information securely. Items are also collected via 19 Tech Donation Boxes which are placed in schools, libraries and other places where people can dispose of unwanted tech equipment.
Established in 2012, the multi-award-winning enterprise now employs 14 people and has saved 47 tonnes of electronics from going to landfill. To date 9199 refurbished devices have been sold and 295 items gifted to people facing digital exclusio
Barbara Hamilton, funding and partnerships manager said “Too much electronic equipment is still going to landfill. Technology is moving at such a pace that IT quickly becomes obsolete or out of fashion. This does not mean that it is no longer of use. Everything we sell or donate through various channels is fully tested, graded and guaranteed before it leaves our building. We reuse everything we possibly can and responsibly recycle those elements we can’t. All our equipment is reasonably priced so no one should be excluded from the digital world due to lack of funds. Students, the unemployed, the elderly and even business start-ups have all accessed our services.”
She added: “The next time you go to buy a new PC, laptop or smartphone stop and think, do I really need a brand new one? By buying refurbished not only will you be saving money but the planet as well.”
To find out more about The Edinburgh Remakery please visit: www.edinburghremakery.org.uk