Over 1 million working computers will be thrown out by businesses and individuals in Ireland in the next five years.
Yes, of course it is better to recycle than dump (it is illegal now, anyhow, to send electrical equipment to landfill). But, even better still, is to donate your old PC to a charity that will securely remove all your data, refurbish it and give it a new lease of life!
By giving your old PC to a charity like Camara or Rehab Recycle, you will be giving your computer an after-life and giving someone who may not otherwise have the chance to use a computer the opportunity.
Camara is a Dublin-based charity that aims to stem the tide of computers being dumped in Irish landfill by making old PCs as good as new and sending them to schools and colleges in Africa. Not only do they deliver computers, but they also send volunteers to teach computer literacy to African teachers. Camara also creates educational software. See www.camara.ie.
Rehab Recycle is another charity with a similar agenda, but the destination for its refurbished PCs is closer to home. When the Department of Education backtracked on funding to Irish schools for new technologies, the organisation experienced a surge of interest. It expects to donate 3,000 computers in the first quarter of 2009, mainly to schools and charities which would not otherwise afford the equipment. See www.rehabrecycle.ie.