Happy International Repair Day!
This year's International Repair Day (October 15) theme is ‘Repair Everywhere’ so we got to thinking about a question we ask in all our refurbishment workshops: “Is this a computer?”, and specifically, is this pizza box a computer?
The answer is yes! How cool would it be to have a laptop with extra cheese?!
Our refurbishment workshops are where rangatahi learn how to give a laptop a new life by repairing it, replacing parts, installing new software and optimising operating systems. To date, Recycle a Device (RAD) has run 27 workshops for over 345 rangatahi from Orewa to Queenstown. Talk about Repair Everywhere! Sometimes there’s pizza for lunch too :-)
What is RAD?
The RAD kaupapa tracks down unwanted used laptops, trains groups of rangatahi how to refurbish them, supports ongoing refurbishment clubs, and then gets the laptops which have been given a second life into the hands of people who need them most.
Did you know?
The average New Zealander produces more than 20 kilograms of e-waste every year (80,000 tonnes) - one of the highest per capita amounts on the planet.
Because of a lack of a central e-waste recycling scheme (and a lack of public knowledge of alternative schemes), an estimated 2% or less of the e-waste produced in NZ is recycled effectively every year, resulting in potentially tens of thousands of tonnes worth of valuable materials ending up as toxic landfill fodder. Diverting hazardous e-waste from landfill and putting it to good use in the process needs to be rapidly prioritised in New Zealand. This is where repair and the RAD kaupapa comes in!
Ways to get involved
We’re looking for groups of rangatahi who are interested in learning to refurbish laptops which are then gifted for individuals and whānau to keep. If you’re part of a school, community, church or youth group who is able to meet regularly to refurbish laptops, please do get in touch!
Donate your laptop to us so we’re able to give it a new life! We accept donations of laptops which are less than ten years old and have a charger. We have drop off locations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin, and can offer free courier via NZPost’s Delivering For Good programme.
If you’re interested in learning to repair your own laptop, we partner with Repair Cafe to offer a few online workshops each year - keep an eye out on their event page for the next one, or see what they’ve got planned for International Repair Day.
If you want to learn more about Recycle a Device, head to https://www.recycleadevice.nz/. You can also make a financial donation through the wonderful people at One Percent Collective or Share My Super and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.