Business Donors
Computer Aid International offers a complete service to companies replacing their hardware. We are experts in end-of life IT asset management, including data destruction, computer refurbishment, reuse, and recycling. Donating your computers to Computer Aid guarantees compliance with all UK legislation, including the WEEE directive, Data Protection Act and Environment Act.
We provide solutions to major corporations, including blue-chip companies and major multinationals, as well as SMEs, local authorities and central government departments and educational institutions.
Ask yourself the following questions about your current PC
decommissioning process:
Is your PC decommissioning service cost-effective?
- Are you using cutting-edge software that guarantees the destruction of all confidential data?
- Are you meeting all environmental and data protection legislation?
- Are you sure that none of your IT equipment is ending up in landfill?
- What proportion of your computers are going to charity?
- Are you getting any CSR or publicity benefits?
Why use Computer Aid?
- Our PC decommissioning service is free, if you deliver the equipment to our north London workshop.
- We use Blancco software, which meets all recognised international data destruction standards.
- We assume full legal liability for equipment we receive and are compliant with the WEEE directive and Data Protection Act.
- We use recycling facilities that guarantee 0% of unusable equipment ends up in landfill
- 100% of donated computers that pass our stringent quality tests are provided to not-for-profit organisations in the developing world
- We fully asset track all equipment donated to us, through to exactly where it goes in a developing country.
- We offer unrivalled CSR and PR benefits and can provide you with stories and photos for internal or external publicity
We also accept donations from individuals. To find out more please visit the individual PC donations page.
To find out more email essie@computeraid.org or call 0208 361 5540
Data destruction
Organisations have an obligation under the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure that confidential data about employees or customers is not disclosed without the consent of the individual concerned. Computer Aid is registered in accordance with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 1998.
All donated computers received by Computer Aid are wiped using Blancco software, which guarantees the unrecoverable removal of 100% of data. This free-of-charge service means companies can be sure that none of their data can be retrieved and that they are fully compliant with the Data Protection Act. Hard disks that are faulty or cannot be wiped of data are destroyed.
Blancco is widely accepted as the industry-leading data destruction software. It was the first software to receive CESG-certification to InfoSec 5 standard and meets all recognised international data destruction standards, including standards set by the UK's Communications Electronics Security Group (CESG) and by the US Department of Defence.
Data destruction/hardware asset report: Computer Aid can provide companies with a report on the data wiping of their hard drives for a modest cost. The report will include a full hardware asset inventory for all base units that have been data-wiped. Back to top
Recycling
Computer Aid's recycling process exceeds WEEE Directive requirements. Any equipment that fails our tests for reuse is processed in state-of-the art recycling facilities, with 0% going to landfill.
We use two recycling facilities within the EU for processing unusable equipment, both of which have ISO 14001 (environmental management) certification. CRT monitors are sent to a specialist facility that manually separates each monitor into its components, which are then recycled or reclaimed. All other computer equipment is sent to a specialist plant where waste is incinerated in a state-of-the-art furnace. The furnace produces optimum levels of raw materials and creates zero waste. Back to top
Legal liabilities
Computer Aid assumes full legal liability for equipment that we receive. We have public liability insurance, which covers all hardware donated to us as soon as it comes into our possession as well as data wiping insurance. Back to top
Equipment accepted
Computer Aid accepts any working Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 computers and laptops, as well as 15" and 17" monitors. We also welcome peripherals and spare parts including laptop power adaptors, power cables, keyboards and mice. We also take other equipment that you may have, but if it doesn't meet our above specifications and we are unable to reuse it, we will ask you for a contribution towards the recycling costs.
From time to time, we accept other equipment, including networking devices. A full list of equipment and the technical specifications accepted can be found on the specifications page.
You can also recycle your used printer cartridges and mobile phones in aid of Computer Aid. To request a free box for your office, please fill in the form on our cartridge recycling page.
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Certification provided
- Letter of Disposal. This lists the quantities of equipment donated and states that we accepts full legal responsibility for the equipment and that all hard disks will be wiped to US Ministry of Defence standards. This letter can be used for auditing purposes.
- Certificate of Donation. This thanks you for your donation and can be displayed for employees and visitors to see.
- Contractual agreements. Computer Aid has a standard contract that it provides to larger donors, detailing our service level agreement. This contract can be tailored to your company's needs.
- Data destruction report. Computer Aid can provide companies with a report on the data wiping of their hard drives for a modest cost.
-Waste Transfer Note. Should Computer Aid arrange a collection, it will provide each IT donor with a Waste Transfer Note, as required by the Environment Agency
Costs
We offer a free decommissioning service to companies donating P3 and P4 computers. If you are able to deliver the equipment to our warehouse in North London then there are no costs. Please phone Essie on 0208 361 5540 to book a delivery into our schedule.
If you would like to arrange a collection we may ask for a contribution towards collection costs depending on the quantity, quality and location of the equipment. Please contact Caroline on 0208 361 5540 to get a quotation.
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Accreditations
The Environment Agency has approved Computer Aid International as an Authorised Approved Treatment Facility (AATF) for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). This means that Computer Aid is authorised to issue the evidence notes required by Producer Compliance Schemes (PCSs), which are designed to prove that original IT equipment manufacturers have paid for the recycling of their products and are therefore complying with the law.
Computer Aid is currently implementing the Quality Management Standard ISO 9001:2000 and Environment Management standard ISO 14001
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Testimonials
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"We are very happy to be involved in such a successful charity and it is a great opportunity for Investec to help provide schools with the equipment that can help change the lives of children across developing countries. We felt that Computer Aid’s appeal fitted very well with our own CSR programme and was an effective, safe and environmentally friendly way of re-using our replaced IT equipment. |
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"City of London Police recognises the important work done by Computer Aid International and was happy to make a donation to the project. Their assistance made disposing of the hardware easier and safer, and is now giving someone else a chance to learn about and benefit from the technology. We hope to make further donations to Computer Aid in the future." |
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"We needed to use an organisation which would help us meet our obligations under the Data Protection Act – Computer Aid International had a certified data and applications disposal process which met our requirements extremely well. Our [desktop refurbishment] project was a huge success and Computer Aid International helped us make it so." |
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"Computer Aid assumes full legal liability for the PCs; offers guaranteed WEEE compliance; environmental tracking of any unusable parts and uses advanced data erasure software to guarantee data removal to a Communications Electronics Security Group (CESG) approved standard. This means that we can be assured that their service helps us comply with relevant legislation." |
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"Ricoh has a strong environmental and CSR policy, along with high standards for security and data protection. Computer Aid International fit these requirements well and we are happy that others are benefiting from our donation." |
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"We liked Computer Aid because we knew that they were donating our PCs to some great causes in the developing world. It is naturally also very important for Virgin that we have complete reassurance that all information stored on our PCs is data wiped. By wiping the hard disk to US military standards and removing all sensitive data, Computer Aid gives us this peace of mind” |
Corporate Social Responsibility/ PR
Computer Aid is a perfect fit for Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. We provide volunteering opportunities for company employees and can provide you with stories and photos for your company intranet or newsletter.
We can also work with your PR team to deliver mutually beneficial publicity. We have an excellent record of obtaining publicity in both the national and trade press.
For example, in December 2006 The Independent published an article on Computer Aid mentioning one of our donors, the Virgin Group.
