Reusing or Recycling Older Computer Equipment

On this page:
MIT Property Office
ReUse at MIT
Donating to Non-Profit Organizations
Other Options

MIT Property Office

Start with the MIT Property Office. Let them know what items you have, their MIT property tag numbers, and where they are located. For reuse, the equipment should be in good working condition.

If computer equipment owned by MIT isn't needed by anyone at the Institute, it can be sold; the MIT department that owned the equipment receives 90 percent of the selling price and the other 10 percent goes to the Property Office as an administrative fee.

Excess property that was purchased through a government contract or grant should be screened to determine whether it meets the needs of other contracts. Contact the Property Office for assistance.

ReUse at MIT

The email lists under the "reuse" umbrella can also be used by any member of the community; if you want to see what others are offering, subscribe to the reuse-request mailing list. For details, see the MIT ReUse home page.

Donating to nonprofit organizations

Once departmental computers have been deactivated, DLCs have the option of donating them to nonprofits. Before doing so, DLCs should send a list of the items to the Property Office. Organizations that are accepting computers in working order:

• Amphibious Achievement
  Email: aa-exec@mit.edu
  Dual athletic and academic program for urban youth in the Boston area. Laptops and tablets accepted.
• CommuniTech/Used Computer Factory
  Email: ucf-staff@mit.edu
  For underserved local families. Accepts Pentium III or above.
• GlobeMed at MIT
  Email: globemed-exec@mit.edu
  MIT non-profit group looking for any donated hardware (laptops/tablets) to implement their service projects to improve HIV healthcare services for low income communities in Togo.
• M.N. Adamov Memorial Fund
  Email: ssussman@mit.edu
  For blind students and professionals in Russia. Accepts compact desktops (Pentium IV) or laptops.
• The Robert R. Taylor Network
  Email: computer_donation@rrtn.org
  Teaches underserved youth about computer technology and creating technology nodes around the world to connect back to RRTN and MIT. All computers, peripherals, servers, printers, and scanners accepted.  They will pick up computers on site, and perform a complete DOD wipe on the hard drives.
• World Computer Exchange
  Email: Boston@WorldComputerExchange.org
  For underserved youth worldwide.

Other options

Make sure departmental equipment is deactivated by the Property Office first.

• The Equipment Exchange
  Located in WW15 at 350 Brookline Street, the Equipment Exchange offers items for sale and interdepartmental transfer. There is no charge for items claimed by other MIT departments but, coming or going, departments must arrange to move the equipment.
• Recycling through the MIT Department of Facilities
  Recycle equipment through Facilities. Request a pick-up via the Building Services tab in SAPweb.
• TechnoCycle bins are located in most of the distributed mail centers (DMCs) on campus. Another option for disposing of small electronic devices and media is to send them, via campus mail, to "TechnoCycle in Building NW62."