An effort to move used devices into the hands of people in need has been underway in Philadelphia since last year. Now, a partnership will add another collection option for residents seeking to donate electronics.
The PHLDonateTech program, which was launched in 2020 by the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia, this week announced a collaboration with the Done with IT program hosted by The Electronics Reuse and Recycling Alliance (TERRA).
PHLDonateTech brings in donated used devices and distributes them to people and families in need throughout the city. Done with IT will provide a mail-in donation option for residents within a 50-mile radius of the city. Through a donation website hosted by Done with IT, residents can request a shipping label for up to 10 pounds of laptops or tablets.
New Jersey processor Magnum Computer Recycling will provide data destruction services for devices donated through the PHLDonateTech project, according to the announcement. Devices will be refurbished by the Electronic Access Foundation, also based in New Jersey.
Through Done with IT, Nashville-headquartered TERRA offers mail-in recycling services and works with e-scrap processors around the country.
“There are enough retired devices to close the digital divide,” said Steven Napoli, president and CEO of TERRA. “The process of getting them into the right hands just needs to be made simple and secure, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Digital equity has been a growing area of interest among the electronics recovery sector. Other recent projects with a digital equity focus include a collaboration between PlanITROI and Microsoft and an expansion at nonprofit processor PCs for People,
