Edinburgh Remakery

Tech Donation Boxes for Schools

By placing the Tech Donation Boxes in 20 schools across Edinburgh and participating in the whole-school assemblies Edinburgh Remakery has engaged with over 17,000 pupils and staff.

190 devices have been diverted from landfill (or being left in a drawer or cupboard). All these devices have been assessed for their suitability for repair/refurbishment.

½ ton of e-waste has been saved, which equates to about 2 highland cows.

21,000kgs of CO2 has been saved. This is equivalent to 350 trees growing for 10 years, or 1.3million smart phones being charged.

All the devices that we collected were assessed for their suitability for repair/refurbishment. The ones that were not suitable were stripped down, and their parts were used to repair other devices. If this was not possible, we segregated the material even further, and items such as boards containing precious metals were sent off to The Royal Mint, where the gold and other precious metals were extracted and used again.

The project will continue  for the 2024/2025 academic year after funding from a separate source has been secured. It is hoped the project will engage with 15 additional schools on the same basis as the original project.

Quote: “The project was a great platform to raise the issue of recycling. The younger pupils were curious about the box which led to engaging conversations about sustainability.”

More information about the impact of the project is available online.

Find out more by reading the Edinburgh Remakery application to the Edinburgh Community Climate Fund or visit their website.