Computer Recycling
About Computer Recycling
Computer Recycling is a project of The Working Centre, designed to repurpose or recycle used computers or other computer related equipment. We wipe data from donated equipment and repair items to make them available at an affordable cost. Anything that cannot be repaired or is no longer useful is recycled in an environmentally friendly manner. This keeps waste out of landfill sites and provides technology to people that would not otherwise be able to afford it.
We welcome your donated computers, printers, monitors, phones, and other electronics. While we accept older hardware donations, fourth generation Intel i-series or newer equipment is the most beneficial.
We sell the electronics through our Computer Recycling store. We are a non-profit and the money that we receive for sales contribute to covering our expenses. The shop has desktop computers, laptops, cables, printers, monitors, mice, keyboards, drives, video cards, sound cards, modems, network cards, other computer peripherals, parts, retro items, and more.
We offer a warranty and support the computers that we sell. We are also happy to answer questions or point you toward training resources. Unfortunately, we are not able to do repairs on computers that we did not sell, but you are welcome contact us and we may be able to provide advice or point you in the right direction. You may check out our Discord server for discussion that you may find helpful.
The systems that we sell meet basic computer needs and are suitable for internet browsing, e-mail, word processing, zoom, watching video, and using online tools.
We specialize in computers with the Linux Mint operating system because software costs are lower and it functions well on old devices. See the section Linux Mint below for more details.
We also have a limited number of computers with Microsoft Windows. See more details of our Access to Windows project in the section below.
Contact Information
Computer Recycling
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 519-743-1151 ext. 225
Visit Us
Tuesday: 10:00AM to 12pm (noon)
Wednesday: 1:00PM to 4:00PM
We are also sometimes available at other times by appointment. Contact us by email to set up an appointment time.
Around the corner on Charles St from 66 Queen St. South, Kitchener.
Get Involved
We appreciate your donations of computers, electronics and e-waste. For large amounts of usable items we may be able to come pick it up. However, most items we ask you to drop off at our Computer Recycling location. You may come during the times we are open or email us at [email protected] to make arrangements for a different time.
We also welcome volunteers. Our work includes serving customers, building computers, organizing donations, and repairing systems we’ve built. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us describing your interest and related background.
Linux Mint
We specialize in computers with Linux Mint. Linux Mint is a computer operating system. Examples of other operating systems are Mac OS which runs on a Macintosh computer, and MS Windows which is familiar to most people. Linux Mint works on a wide range of computers including PCs, Macs, and other computer hardware.
Linux Mint has many advantages over MS Windows. They include:
- Linux Mint is licensed under the GNU Public License, which means that:
- Run – you can use Linux Mint on as many devices as you’d like without having to pay fees.
- Study – you can study the code on which Linux Mint is built on in order to better understand the system and build your own improvements.
- Share – you can legally share your copy of Linux Mint with others – something that is not permitted in the proprietary Microsoft Windows world.”
- Any websites or online tools can be run from a familiar browser in Linux Mint (for example Firefox, Chrome, Edge, etc).
- OpenOffice and LibreOffice are open source office software that you can use for free on Linux Mint to do word processing and spreadsheets. It is also possible to use the free version of Office 365 or Google Docs.
- Many other open source programs can be used for free on Linux Mint for example: VLC (for watching videos), Krita (for digital painting), Blender (for 3D modeling), Gimp (for editing photos), Inkscape (for vector graphics), and much more
- Linux Mint will run efficiently on older computers. (Whereas MS Windows requires a relatively new computer. Many older computers are not capable of running Windows 11)
- Updates for Linux Mint install faster than for MS Windows and they include updates for additional tools such as Firefox and LibreOffice.
Linux Mint takes a little bit to get used to, but it looks and feels much like MS Windows. You may come to our shop to try it out. We are happy to answer questions and we offer introductory training for the Linux Mint computers that we sell. For more information see Linux Mint.
Access to Windows
In some situations, a computer with MS Windows is necessary (for example if you require special software that only runs on Windows).
We have a limited number of computers available with the MS Windows operating system. We provide them to the people that need them most, so to be eligible there is a minimum income criteria. We distribute them on a first come first-serve basis, and there is be a limit of one per family. There is a minimal cost to cover our expenses.
To be eligible, your income must fall within the applicable range below.
| Family Size | Monthly Income | Yearly Income |
|---|---|---|
|
1 person |
$2,917 |
$35,000 |
|
2 people |
$3,750 |
$45,000 |
|
3 people |
$3,958 |
$47,500 |
|
4 people |
$4,167 |
$50,000 |
|
5 people |
$4,375 |
$52,500 |
|
6+ people |
$4,583 |
$55,000 |
There is an obligatory fee of $150 to cover the cost of preparing the computers, distribution, and support through the warranty period. This is a specially reduced cost, below the typical cost at Computer Recycling or other stores.
Both desktop and laptop computers are distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. The computers are second hand so there may be cosmetic or other minor issues with them. Laptops come with a power adapter. Desktop computers come with a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and cables. Computers come with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 250GB Solid State Drives with the original Dell Windows 10 installation. They do not come with Microsoft Office, but you may use online services such as Microsoft 365 or Google Docs, for editing documents or email purposes.
If you are eligible and would like to register to get a computer through the “Access to Windows” project, you may apply for a computer through the Application Form. After you submit the form, we will contact you when a computer is available.
If you experience problems due to you modifying software, changing settings, deleting files, or acquiring malware or viruses, we are not able to do repairs. However, we may be able to reinstall the operating system. Doing that would restore the computer to its original state when we gave it to you the first time. We do not warranty your data and are not able to restore your files. You are responsible for backing up your data.