Before we describe how Tech Reuse Credits are going to transform our recycling services, let us provide a brief summary of our services for people who are just learning about us:
give IT. get IT. is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing digital inclusion (low and no cost personal computers with training and support for disadvantaged individuals and families). We achieve our mission by providing businesses with a certified and secure charitable reuse option for dealing with all their retired tech—as well as their residual waste.
When companies like Bangor Savings Bank, IDEXX, Covenant Health or Systems Engineering choose to recycle their retired corporate tech with give IT. get IT., they know that data security and electronic waste will be managed to the highest level. They also know that reusable devices (such as computers) will be refurbished and redistributed to people who need them for school or employment, but without help, cannot afford to purchase them the traditional way. That’s why give IT. get IT. has always been the right choice for businesses that value privacy, our planet and people.
Our intense focus on reuse substantially reduces the actual ‘waste’ and disposal costs, while recovering thousands of computers that are the raw material our mission depends on. The COVID-19 event has increased awareness as to how important personal computer access is as well as how many people do not have these tools and resources. Demand for our mission increased more than 400 percent this summer.
This surge in demand exceeded our supply of reusable tech to the point where we forced to purchase computers to meet the challenge. This, in turn, reduced the number of people we can help due to the much higher cost of obtaining computers.
Suffice to say, this is not how we prefer to spend our limited budget.
To date, we’ve managed to build a recycling system that minimizes the cost of such a secure and detailed service by processing reusable tech for free as a charitable gift. We also don’t charge fees for reusable computers and devices with scrap value. In fact the only fees we’ve passed along to our reuse/recycling clients are the remaining waste disposal fees, on site pickup charges and data destruction costs.
We are very cost-effective, but in an effort to incentivize businesses throughout New England to utilize our e-waste recycling services, we’re about to offer even more value.
COVID-19 has forced us to re-evaluate our fee structure.
As our clients struggle with the pressures to cut costs and extend the life of their existing computes, we’ve concluded that simply processing computers and laptops for free is not enough. That’s why we’re introducing Tech Reuse Credits ranging from $5 to $20 PER COMPUTER depending on the condition of the computers and laptops included in each e-waste pickup.
For example, let’s say your pickup incudes 1,110 pounds of ‘Electronic Waste’ that is not reusable (eg: 4 photocopiers). A typical cost for a pickup like this would be $277.50 plus a pickup fee ranging from $50-$250 depending on how far your businesses is from our Waterville processing facility.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s say the total cost for this typical pickup is $400.
If you were to include 20, “highly reusable” laptops that require minimal cleaning and upgrading on our part, you would earn $400 in Tech Reuse Credits that would completely offset the cost of sustainably disposing of your electronic waste. Your laptops are so critical to our mission that it’s actually more cost-effective for us to reduce or eliminate our recycling fees than it is to purchase laptops from other vendors.
We believe the Tech Reuse Credits concept is the first of its kind in electronics recycling. Best of all, recycling clients can expect the same level of data security, compliance and minimal environmental impact we’ve always delivered.
It’s a win/win/win proposition that will help us increase the number of people and families in need and our reuse recycle business partners as we embark on annual Digital Inclusion goals in the TENS OF THOUSANDS in 2021 – a daunting amount of reusable material and processing work.
If you are already using give IT. get IT.’s sustainable tech reuse and recycling program – these Tech Reuse Credits are already being applied, you can see your Tech Reuse Credits in the summary section of the detailed asset disposition report we send you for each batch of material we collect and process from you.
If you have had concerns about the security, compliance or environmental impact of your company’s e-waste or just wanted to see your retired corporate tech used to help someone in a powerful way, we’d love to include your business in our digital inclusion efforts.
To learn more about how give IT. get IT. converts retired corporate tech into tools and opportunities for people in need, please call Chris Martin at or email him at cmartin@itec3.org.
