Charity holds drop-off for unwanted tech devices

A charity is asking people to donate their unused phones and laptops to help disadvantaged people during a drop-in event.

Somerset charity Donate IT have set up a stall at Frome Town Hall to collect devices and refurbish them for people in need.

The charity claims 70% of global toxic waste is linked to discarded tech in landfill, and the precious metals inside devices are much more difficult to mine than they are to recycle.

Simon Barfoot, founder of the charity, said: "We work with the isolated, elderly, people in rehab, domestic violence charities, displaced people: anyone struggling to have a good quality of life because they can't get connected."

Barfoot founded Donate IT in 2021, in partnership with Sarah Dyke, now the MP for Glastonbury and Somerton.

Their inspiration was the impact of lockdown on people who did not have access to digital devices and were therefore at a higher risk of disadvantage and exclusion.

Donate IT recently handed out their 2,000th device and now have 50 drop-off points across Somerset, including the town hall in Frome.

Frome Town Council collects devices for Donate IT all year round, and hosts two tech "amnesties" each year.

Councillor Anne Hills added: "In addition to the environmental benefit of reusing tech devices, we know that many people in our town feel excluded from participation with the digital world because of the cost.

"Getting a repurposed smartphone or tablet, plus training, free of charge, opens up opportunities for people who want to gain digital confidence, making appointments, finding work, researching the things that interest them, communicating with friends and family and much more."

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