Frome’s Tech Amnesty is just around the corner so there’s still time to find any old, unused tech you may have lying around your home and bring it along on Saturday 3rd December from 10am – 1pm.
DonateIT will set up their donation station in the car park behind Frome Town Hall ready to take your generously donated items. They will clean and wipe each device of all data and then recycle or refurbish them ready to be donated back into the Frome community for those most in need. Simon from DonateIT will be there on the day and said: “All items will be gratefully received, and we will securely clean the memory with an accredited data wiping program that complies with General Data Protection Regulations. Once everything has been cleaned, the items will be functionality checked, any repairs made, reformatted and reconfigured and ready for redistribution.”
Any IT items received on the day that are not suitable for repurposing, will be recycled and any earnings from this process will be reinvested in the scheme.
Simon continues: “This initiative is both friendly for people and for the environment, as reusing and recycling reduces demand for new IT products and reduces the CO2 and the environmental impact of making and buying new. Plus, it gives digital access to those that need it in the Frome community.”
On the day you can bring everything from laptops, smart phones, iPads and tablets to computers & peripherals, even old routers. If you’re able to provide the cables and transformers that would be a great help.
Here’s a full list of what can and can’t be donated on the day:
| Devices to donate | Items that can’t be donated |
| Laptops* | CRT screens/displays/monitors** |
| Tablets* | Plug in telephones** |
| PCs* | Keyboards and mice** |
| Mobiles/Smartphone* | Printers** |
| Servers* | Photocopiers** |
| Hard drives* | Fax machines** |
| Games consoles and accessories* | Scanners** |
| Digital Cameras* | All in one printer** |
** All these can be handled in the other Household Waste Recycling Centre streams however bear in mind some may still be data bearing and need to be data wiped.
Simon finally adds: “If you are donating an Apple device, please ensure it is free from iCloud lock as we are unable to turn these into donations or return them to you.”
The Tech Amnesty is being run by DonateIT, supported by Frome Medical Practice (Health Connections team) and Frome Town Council. For more information on DonateIT, please visit their website.
