Hundreds of millions of PCs are decommissioned annually. Yet less than 1 in 250 are refurbished for deserving communities.

Digital Pipeline’s Solution

Digital Pipeline connects Donors and Beneficiaries with high quality partners who refurbish, redeploy and recycle computers for education and community groups.

We provide a safe, ethical and easy way for donors to provide affordable refurbished computers to those who need them.

Digital Pipeline sets standards for PC refurbishment so that Beneficiaries can expect to receive a high quality PC. Every PC must be data wiped so it is free of the previous owner’s data. PCs must also be tested to ensure they are safe to use and in good working condition. All PCs must be supplied with a monitor, keyboard and mouse and have an operating system installed.

Organisations can donate their own PCs to DP Deployment Agents who can arrange collection and refurbishment of PCs, before providing them to registered Beneficiaries.

Alternatively, organisations can sell ICT equipment through DP Refurbishers and donate the proceeds to Digital Pipeline, so these can be used fund PC purchases for Beneficiaries.

Organisations who don’t have any equipment to spare and individual donors can also help by participating in fundraising activities and donating money in other ways.

PCs that are supplied to Beneficiaries are registered on Digital Pipeline’s PC Tracking System and information on who has handled and received them is kept up to date by all partners involved. This way, all PCs are traceable and Donors can be provided with reports on their donations.

Digital Pipeline is responding to the growing problem of electronic waste in many of the countries that it serves by promoting the development of local recycling facilities for safely and responsibly recycling PCs that have reached the end of their useful lives.

Digital Pipeline’s waste reduction policy ensures that for every PC provided, another that is no longer useful (or its equivalent weight in components) is recycled in its place. Digital Pipeline supports this by providing a Recycling Fund that pays towards the costs of responsibly recycling PCs from areas that Digital Pipeline serves. Where this cannot be done locally, PCs can be returned to DP Recyclers in other areas.

As an added safeguard for both Donors and Beneficiaries, Digital Pipeline regularly audits its partners based on its policies and standards and PC tracking information to ensure that high quality and ethical standards are maintained.