It’s a Black Friday for unwanted tech
Students, lecturers and university staff are being given the chance to declutter their old, unwanted tech in the run up to this year’s worldwide Black Friday sale.
The latest Tech-Takeback pop-up shop, where people can drop off their old, unwanted tech for it to be data-wiped, then reused or safely disposed of, is taking place at the University of Sussex.
Local residents are also invited to join the campus regulars and off load tech they may not use any more.
The event is being held at the university’s Students’ Union office in Falmer House, BN1 9QF, on Thursday 22 November between 10am and 6pm and Friday 23 November 10am to 5pm.
The dates have been chosen as it’s a key time in the consumer purchasing calendar due to retailers offering deals throughout the month of November and especially on Black Friday (23 Nov) and Cyber Monday (26 Nov).
The pop-up is the fourth Tech-Takeback (TTB) event to be held in the city by the council and its partners EraseMyData, Freegle and SOENECS.
So far, an incredible 6 tonnes of tech had been donated during TTBs 1, 2 and 3, including PCs, tablets, laptops, hard drives, memory cards, USBs and USB connected devices, CDs and DVDs, mobile phones, smart phones, games consoles, printers, digital cameras, sat navs and cables.
TTB also enables the unwanted tech to be safely and professionally erased of any data and information using a government compliant data-wiping service.
If the item is at the end of its life, the resources and materials will be reused and securely destroyed.
Dr David Greenfield, co-founder of Tech-Takeback and managing director of SOENECS, said: “TTB4 coincides with one of the peak technology purchasing periods. But this can lead to residents storing their old tech in drawers and cupboards and forgetting about it, or leaving it lying around unused as they don’t know how to erase their data properly.
“By donating their unwanted tech to Tech-Takeback, residents can declutter and dispose of their tech safely, and at the same time support those less able to purchase new tech. Our priority is to give a second life to the old tech, giving charities the opportunity to redistribute it.”
Various charities have benefited from receiving tech for reuse, repair and upcycling including the Sussex Homeless Support Charity, the Green Centre, The National Tech4Good Awards, The Bevy Community Pub, Artists at Boomtown Festival, Brighton Pride HQ, Screwed Sculptures and the "Little Trees" Skills Training Centre in The Gambia.
More information and a map can be found on the Tech-Takeback website.