Some 99% of children in the developing world have not used or even seen a computer in their classroom. At University level in Africa, access to a PC is severely restricted with, on average, 190 students having to share one computer.
Even at home, things may not be as rosy as they seem:
	In the UK in 2004, 433,000 school computers were considered ineffective for teaching the curriculum due to either age or specification.

Yet, in our throw-away society, roughly two million working PCs are buried annually in landfill sites in the UK as consumers upgrade to newer technologies. The majority of PCs that are routinely scrapped are not obsolete, and could probably be used for eight hours a day, five days a week for a further three years.

We have found that it is practical to find grateful re-users of end-of-use computers up to about 5 years old.

This is not to say that older equipment is no longer usable, but there is an adequate supply of equipment of up to 5 years old that is of more interest to re-users. 

Some organisations replace their computer equipment after only 2 or 3 years, and need to sell it because they cannot justify donating it. In such cases, we are keen to work with our support facility TECC – The Ethical Computer Centre, in Burslem, to acquire computer equipment of more up-to date specification. 

Peppercorn/TECC are presently only able to handle redundant computer equipment with a very good prospect of re-use. However, we are currently involved in a feasibility study, aimed at setting up an IT waste scheme for the North Staffordshire area. Larger quantities of IT equipment for which we cannot find re-use, will be dismantled as far as practicable and collected by specialist recyclers. 

Impending legislation will increase organisations' costs with regard to the disposal of their redundant IT equipment. We, as reusers, are able to help in reducing this burden.