Tech recycling generates major Acorn donation

Thursday 13 May 2021

Acorn Enterprises is thanking islanders for taking hundreds of old tech devices in to be recycled, generating a donation of £1,622 for the local charity.

Bailiwick Express teamed up with IT hardware firm ITHSCI, and Acorn to set up a 'Tech Amnesty' which allowed islanders to securely recycle their old devices, such as PC’s, laptops, mobiles, tablets, and be sure their data had been completely wiped off them.

Acorn Enterprises General Manager, Steve Pearce, said: "It was fantastic to partner with Bailiwick Express and ITHSCI for this pilot scheme. We’d like to thank everyone who took part by donating their old tech, which included iPads, iPhones and laptops, all of which could be reused. 

"This project sat well with one of our key objectives which is to look after our environment. It was also great to use the expertise of Bailiwick and ITHSCI in terms of reassuring the public about the disposal of any data.

"It’s a worthwhile initiative and all the funds donated from the project will be used to provide additional support and training opportunities for our clients with disabilities or health conditions. We hope that it continues in some form in the future."

Pictured: some of the devices which were handed in.

Once the old devices had been handed in either at Acorn in Trinity, or to the CI Co-Op - who also supported the initiative - in St. Helier, it was collected by the team from  ITHSCI who could then permanently wipe all of the data - even restoring factory settings doesn't do this completely, and in such a way that personal data can never be recovered.

In some cases, data such as pictures or texts can still be restored even following a factory reset.

If all of the data couldn't be removed then ITHSCI totally shredded the device, and its component parts or materials were reused instead. 

The initiative resulted in hundreds of devices being handed into Acorn, most of them suitable for destruction and recycling, due to their age and functionality. 

But, some also had a reuse value and that generated the donation to Acorn.

Pictured: the drop-off point in St. Helier, which was kindly provided by the CI Co-op.

Stuart Moseley, founder and Director of ITHSCI commented: "The Tech Amnesty has helped outline the importance of disposing of equipment correctly and that even old equipment donated in volume can have financial value.

"Here at ITHSCI we understand the importance of data held within end of life devices and process them correctly to stop data loss.  

"Whilst our business is aimed at the business-to-business market, and professional services around equipment disposal, the opportunity to work on the Tech Amnesty has been beneficial in outlining the types of service available in the Channel Islands."

Pictured: How Express promoted the TechAmnesty

Express Director Mark Jackson added: "New devices come out so frequently now, and each one uses materials which are precious. 

"We know that currently many people opt for an informal sale via a social media site - but there is a risk that all the data on their device hasn't been permanently erased as a factory reset doesn't do that; and for convenience, we use our phones to hold some very valuable data these days.

"On behalf of Express I'd like to thank our partners on this project - Acorn, ITHSCI and CI Co-Op - for their valuable support, it is certainly something we will look to repeat and extend in the future."