YEGuild
The Value of Your Home Computer
We Don’t Recycle! We Re-Purpose!
There’s an old cliche, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. When it comes to recycling, every computer is special!
Primarily, only large companies donate their computers to nonprofit organizations, but the vast majority of recyclable computers are actually in the hands of individual consumers! The sad thing is, these computers often end up in landfills or are simply stripped of their metal when brought to generic recycling companies.
Many consumers aren’t aware that these are the least efficient methods in disposing of a computer, as they aren’t ever returned to a state of practical use again, which effectively eradicates 90% of its potential as a machine. At YEGuild, we want to restore this potential and give it new life in communities that can greatly benefit from our refurbished technology.
What happens in the average computer recycling process is that each component is shredded into its base metals. It is then sorted and melted into new computers and other electronics devices.
This method is least efficient because it creates the largest carbon footprint for the sake of only reusing materials. Occasionally, this method is necessary, but millions of machines are being destroyed that could otherwise be repurposed and given practical value once again. When it comes to e-waste, re-purposing and reusing is certainly more cost-efficient than recycling metals.
Rural communities need specialized machines that are not donated by large organizations.
These machines provide servers for websites, email access, and video editing capabilities for YouTube influencers and entertainers who want to create unique video content for the sake of education and entertainment. Corporate computers are often hundreds of the exact same machines which, generally speaking, are great for schools or community groups because they can all handle general, everyday tasks. The difference here is that personal individual machines will have video cards, audio cards, and additional accessories that are required for special-purpose use. Your home computer will be several times more useful than a donation from the average computer manufacturer.
Organizations like YEGuild train dozens of volunteers to safely and securely wipe personal data from the machines and then repair them to our golden standard. Once we meet this standard, we will then redistribute these machines to communities that need them most. We hope that this information helps you understand the real value of your home computer!