There are four reasons why finding the appropriate way to discard old computer equipment...
1. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years. In 2001, only 11 percent of personal computers retired in the U.S. were recycled.
2. Each computer dumped in a landfill is a missed opportunity to provide Information Age tools to people across the digital divide.
3. Out-of-date computer systems can be more of a burden than a blessing to schools and nonprofits, as it can cost them up to $400 to bring a pre-Pentium computer up to today's standards. We take the burden away and do all the work.
4. The feeling of giving back to the community is good to have.
Am I eligible for a tax break for my donation?
Keep a list of what you donated for your records. You are very likely eligible for a tax donation for donating to a nonprofit organization, and we can provide you with a tax receipt. The tax laws pertaining to this are Section 170 of the Federal Income Tax Code, the New Millennium Classrooms Act, and the 21st Century Classrooms Act. Business donors can deduct the un-depreciated value of the computer, and individuals can deduct the current market value of a computer. As always, please consult with your accountant or tax advisor.
Also, we are unable to value your donation. We recommend you determine the Fair Market Value of all merchandise donated.
Can I say where my donation goes?
It is impossible to tell where used computers will go and who they will help, sometimes it takes several donated computers to make one functional computer.
Where does my computer donation go?
Your computer will be refurbished, repaired, and reused back into our community. We offer these computers at little or no cost to low income families, veterans, and the disabled along with other non-profit organizations. If we determine that your computer is beyond repair, it will be recycled in an enviromentally friendly way.
Will the hard drives be erased?
Yes. We utilize a disk erasure utility that is US Department of Defense 5220.22 M compliant for completeness of data destruction of the information on the disk. Once the drive has been erased in this manner it is impossible for data to be recovered from the drive.
At this point we are able to treat the drive as refurbished (factory fresh) for the purposes of rebuilding a computer. If you would prefer that the drive itself is completely destroyed due to your concern over your data, we are able to accommodate that as well.
How many items may I donate?
For a drop-off we will accept as many items as you can carry in you personal vehicle...car, SUV, or van. Larger donations and company donations are welcome and may qualify for our pickup service. All we ask is that all donations meet are no older then four years old.
Is there any cost for donating my computer equipment??
There is no cost to donate qualifing equipment to DonateAPC.org.
What computer equipment can I donate?
Any items that one would normally utilize in a desktop environment and that attaches to a desktop or notebook compute that is no older then four years:
Computer Systems - Desktop or Notebook - Mice - Keyboards - Power Cord - Speakers & parts - Monitors - CPUs - Printers - Scanners - All-In-One Printers
