Donate old tech in East Yorkshire
Old laptops, phones and tablets sat in a drawer doing nothing. Don't bin them — I'll wipe them properly, clean them up and pass them on free to somebody local who needs one.
What can I do with an old laptop?
Give it to somebody who hasn't got one. Around 20 million unused electrical items sit in UK homes, and a laptop that's too slow for you is often perfectly good for somebody filling in forms or video calling their family.
Email me and I'll arrange to collect it or meet you somewhere local. There's no charge either way, and I'll take it whether it works or not.
Where can I donate an old computer in East Yorkshire?
Here. I take old computers, laptops, phones and tablets across Beverley, Driffield, Bridlington, Cottingham, Hull and the villages in between — Woodmansey, Leconfield, Hutton Cranswick, Nafferton, Carnaby, Burton Agnes, Bentley and the rest.
You don't need to travel anywhere or post anything. We meet in a café or somewhere public, same as everything else I do.
What do you take?
Working or not, old or ancient. If it plugs in or charges up, ask me.
If you're looking at something thinking "that's no use to anybody", ask me anyway. A phone from 2015 that nobody wants is still a working phone to somebody who hasn't got one.
How do I wipe a laptop before giving it away?
You don't have to — I'll do it. But if you'd rather do it yourself first, that's fine and I'll happily talk you through it.
The important thing to know is that deleting files and emptying the recycle bin does not remove them. The data stays on the drive until it's overwritten, and it can be recovered with free software by anyone who knows how. That's why old machines sold on eBay so often still have somebody's photographs and bank statements on them.
Will my photos and bank details be safe?
Yes. Every machine gets wiped properly before it goes anywhere — the drive overwritten, not just the files deleted. Accounts signed out, photos gone, saved passwords gone, banking apps removed.
If there's anything on it you want to keep, tell me before you hand it over and I'll copy it off for you first, onto a memory stick you keep. People often forget there are twenty years of family photographs on an old laptop until it's too late.
And if you'd rather keep the hard drive yourself and give me the rest of the machine, that's absolutely fine. Some people feel better doing it that way and I don't blame them.
What happens to it after I hand it over?
It gets wiped, cleaned up, repaired if it needs it, and passed on free to somebody local who needs it. They don't pay either.
Nothing is sold. This isn't a way of getting cheap stock to shift — the point is keeping usable equipment out of landfill and getting it to somebody who's going without.
If something genuinely can't be saved, I strip it for the parts that still work and take the rest to be recycled properly rather than putting it in a bin.
Can I get a free laptop if I can't afford one?
Yes — ask, and if I've got something suitable it's yours. No charge, no forms, no proving anything to anybody.
It comes set up and ready to use, and I'll show you how to work it before you take it away.
Borrow a phone
If your phone has packed in and you're waiting on a repair or saving up for a new one, being without one isn't a small thing any more. It's how your family reach you, and how you get at the NHS App, your bank, and half the things that used to be a phone call. Borrow one of mine until you're sorted, then give it back.
Printer ink
If you're printing things you have to print — job applications, benefit forms, appointment letters — and cartridges are costing more than you can spare, ask me what I've got. Unopened ink is one of the commonest things people hand over when they change printer.
Being without a computer or a phone is called digital exclusion, and it's a bigger problem than most people realise. Doctors, banks, councils and shops all assume you're online now. If you're not, everything gets harder and more expensive. That's the whole reason this exists.
You don't have to explain your circumstances to me. Just ask.
What can't you take?
Old televisions and anything with a big glass tube in it. Anything with a swollen, leaking or damaged battery — those are a fire risk and need proper handling. Large appliances like washing machines and fridges.
Those all need specialist disposal that I'm not equipped for. East Riding of Yorkshire Council's household waste recycling sites take electrical items free of charge, and most larger supermarkets and electrical shops will take small electricals back under the WEEE rules.
If you need help getting online
A device is only half of it. If you're struggling to afford data or broadband, two things worth knowing about that aren't me:
The National Databank gives out free mobile data SIMs to people who can't afford to get online — ask at your local library or search for it online. And most broadband providers offer social tariffs, which are cheaper packages for people on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and similar benefits. They rarely advertise them, so you have to ask.
If you're not sure where to start with either, email me and I'll point you in the right direction.
How do I hand something over?
Email me and say roughly what you've got — you don't need to know the make or model, "an old laptop and a couple of phones" is plenty. We'll sort out a time to meet somewhere local.
You don't need to post anything, and nobody needs to come to your house.