Computer recycling partnership clicks for Oxfam and Rehab
“We get a full audit trail, so we can trace a PC from the moment we pick it up to the moment we sell it,” says Reddy.
This provides reassurance to the businesses who use Rehab for electronics recycling, and also gives a guarantee to the buyer that every part of the process a machine went through before it reached their home desktop is fully monitored and certified.
After giving each piece of equipment a unique identifier label, the PCs travel from the donor business to Rehab’s refurbishment centres in security-tracked vehicles, though Rehab can also carry out data destruction on-site for a business.
At Rehab, the PCs are scanned into the system, and the unique identifier is confirmed. They are then put through the automated and certified data destruction process with Blancco, and then an automated build process, which supplies the Windows operating system, automatically configures it and checks drivers, all in just two minutes.
At that point, any minor repairs are carried out, the equipment is cleaned up and placed into unique packaging.
The Born Again computers can be found in seven of the island’s 50 Oxfam shops so far, five in the Republic and two in Northern Ireland, says Anderson.
‘Great demand’
If sales continue to go well, Oxfam intend to make them available in more Oxfam shops, as well as add them to their existing online store at Oxfamireland.org.
Reddy says he hopes to sell 10,000 PCs through the Born Again programme in 2013. And he is always looking for equipment from businesses. “We have a great demand for the PCs. Supply is always the issue.”
Businesses interested in recycling PCs for the scheme can get further information at rehabrecycle.ie
From ‘Surfer’ to ‘Pro’ What you can get
Oxfam’s second-hand Born Again PCs are sold by specification rather than the make of computer, which can vary. They are marketed in three usage categories, with a laptop and desktop in each category.
Entry level “Surfer” machines have a minimum specification of a Pentium 4 processor, 40 GB hard drive, and 512 MB of RAM on the €120 desktops, and a Pentium M processor, 30 GB hard drive, and 512 MB of RAM on the €150 laptops.
The “Plus” category desktop PCs have a Pentium 4 processor, 60 GB hard drive, and 1 GB of RAM for €135, while the laptop, at €180, has a Pentium M processor, 40 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM.
The high-end “Pro” category, powerful enough to run graphics and multimedia applications and would be suitable for small businesses, has desktops with an Intel Core 2 processor, 80 GB hard drive and 2 GB RAM, at €180, and €275 laptops with Intel Duo Core processors, 60 GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM.
