Residents are being asked to consider donating their old Laptops, PCs & Mobile phones in the new year, as part of the 2nd annual Donate Your Digital Day.
Taking place just after Christmas on Friday, January 6th, 2023, Donate Your Digital Day was created by Wiltshire Digital Drive (WDD) to encourage people to donate any tech they had replaced over the festive period such as laptops, tablets and desktop computers, to reduce the amount of technology that goes to landfill.
Once donated, those devices will be refurbished and handed back out to schools, organisations, and charities free of charge, to help bridge the digital divide in Wiltshire and surrounding counties.
Natalie Sherman, co-director at Wiltshire Digital Drive, said: “We were so excited to launch our own awareness day in 2022 and received 1,000 donated devices in just one day! So many people receive new laptops and tablets for Christmas, or treat themselves in the Black Friday or Boxing Day sales, now is the perfect time to let us have your old tech. By giving it to us, not only will the device help another member of our community, but it will also stop it going to landfill.”
“The figures speak for themselves. In just one year we’ve given more than 1,000 school children, families and organisations a laptop or computer. Imagine how many more we could help after this new plea. And it’s not just members of the public that can get involved; we’re also asking businesses who are looking at upgrading their IT to consider donating their old tech to us.”
Local businesses across Wiltshire will be opening up their doors to become drop off points for the donated items. They can be taken to:
Islington Motors, Trowbridge
Priority IT, Westbury
Islington Vauxhall, Chippenham
Naturally Social, Corsham
Aster Housing, Devizes
Hearing & Mobility Store, Marlborough/ Swindon/ Wroughton
Household Waste & Recycling Centre, Swindon
Castle Sundborn, Malmesbury
Godolphin School, Salisbury
Turner & Partners, Bath
Anyone wishing to help who doesn’t have a device to give, can donate to the non-profit’s Go Fund Me page. A £30 donation will cover all the parts needed to refurbish one laptop. https://gofund.me/d4863da9
Please visit www.wiltshiredigitaldrive.org for information on how to apply and where you can donate.
The CIC ensures every piece of technology donated is tested and securely wiped. If a machine isn’t feasible to upgrade, it will remove all reusable parts and recycle the rest, so nothing goes to waste.