Historic Hove Museum will host the city’s next Tech-Takeback event where people can drop off old and unwanted computers, phones and other gadgets.
Residents will be able to offload their unused and forgotten-about tech (working or broken) at the famous New Church Road landmark from Thursday 7 February to Saturday 9 February between 10am and 4.30pm.
Tech-Takeback
Tech-Takeback is a special ‘pop-up shop’ run by a team of dedicated IT and waste prevention experts.
You can drop off unwanted tech, including:
- PCs
- tablets
- laptops
- cables
- mobile phones
- hard drives
- USBs
- CDs
- DVDs
- games consoles
- printers
- digital cameras
- sat navs
The items will then have any data erased for free by experts using a government compliant data-erasure service.
The pop-up shops are run by Brighton & Hove City Council, Freegle, the free online reuse network, circular economy environment specialists SOENECS, and computer data erasure experts EraseMyData.
Reused or recycled
Once checked and any data is erased, the tech is given to charities to either use or distribute, given away for free on Freegle or to people less able to afford new tech.
If the equipment is beyond repair, it is dismantled, with its parts recycled.
A variety of local charities have benefited from Tech-Takeback, 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 Library of Things.
We have also sent donated tech to the Little Trees Skills Training Centre in the Gambia, Africa.
Saving the planet
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest growing and one of the most dangerous rubbish streams affecting our planet.
The services Tech-Takeback provides, including giving the equipment a new lease of life or arranging responsible recycling, is a fantastic way of cutting back on e-waste pollution.
During the previous four Tech-Takeback events held in the city, residents have donated 6.5 tonnes, equivalent to 2000 bricks, of tech which massively helps in reducing the amount of E-waste going to landfill.
The story so far
Our four pop-up shops have been visited by more than 750 people and a total of 3645 items have been dropped off, including:
- 692 mobile phones
- 492 laptops and tablets
- 209 computers
- 232 hard drives
- 276 USB memory sticks
- more than 350 boxes of cables
Dr David Greenfield, co-founder of Tech-Takeback and managing director of SOENECS, said: “Hove Museum is a fantastic venue to hold our fifth pop-up shop.
“It’s the first one we’ve held in Hove so we’re hoping local residents will come out in force and drop off their old or unwanted tech.
“Tech-Takeback not only allows people to get rid of their old tech lying about in drawers, cupboards and lofts, when the items are dropped off, anything with data on it will be expertly and professionally wiped for free.
“Added to that, people will also be helping charities and others who cannot afford new tech, safe in the knowledge they are helping the planet.”
What about businesses?
Tech-Takeback is free to local residents. Businesses requiring Tech-Takeback’s data-erasure services should send an email to techtakeback@gmail.com prior to attending.