Communications giant AT&T is expanding its device collection program to include more than 200 retail stores in Texas, the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast.Â
The Houston-based nonprofit organization Compudopt will securely erase, refurbish and redistribute donated devices to underserved populations. For every 10 pounds of old phones and tablets collected, the program will donate one laptop to a family in need. The program aims to collect more than 20,000 pounds of used devices.Â
Although 80% of consumers want to recycle electronics, 64% never have, in part because they do not know where to go, according to Morning Consult data cited in a blog post by Shannon Carroll, assistant vice president of corporate responsibility.Â
“By offering a simple, secure way to recycle old phones and tablets at AT&T retail stores, we’re working to remove friction and help people turn good intentions into action,” Carroll wrote.
This is the second expansion for the program. In May 2025, the companies expanded a 2024 pilot program to more than 100 stores in the Southeast. In its first year, the program collected more than 10,000 pounds of devices, and donated 1,000 laptops, AT&T said.Â
Compudopt announced a similar partnership with retailer Micro Center in December 2024, and in 2023 participated in a Chicago donation drive for electronic devices.Â
In 2025, Compudopt distributed nearly 42,000 free computers and connected more than 10,000 houses to free or low-cost broadband Internet. The same year, the company’s ITAD program processed almost 38,000 devices and recycled over 220,000 pounds of e-scrap.Â
According to Compudopt:
- 79% of adults who received a computer reported using their device daily for work and/or education
- 84% of children used their computer for schoolworkÂ
- 91% of participants in the company’s technology education and training said they gained tech confidence and 81% expressed an increase in interest in STEM careersÂ
