Put Your Older Computer Equipment to Great Use (and Keep It Out of the Landfill)

If you're thinking of buying a new computer for the new semester, here's a great chance to donate your old one to a good cause. And keep those heavy metals from polluting the local municipal dump.

Until September 19, the NCSU Libraries will be teaming up with the Kramden Institute to ensure that older computer gear finds a new home with a student who might otherwise not be able to afford what most of us take for granted ”a good machine to get the school work done on.

Kramden Institute Inc. is a not-for-profit charitable institution based in Durham that is dedicated to empowering hardworking, economically-disadvantaged students to bridge the digital divide and advance their academic and personal achievements by awarding them home computers. This is achieved by collecting donated computers to refurbish and reuse. Remember, as of July 1 it's illegal to put computers in the trash in North Carolina.

Just drop your donations at the main Circulation Desk at D. H. Hill Jr. Library and we'll take care of the rest.

Items that can be recycled

Used computer equipment that we will donate to the students Kramden serves

  • PCs less than 5 years old (800 MHz or higher processor)
  • PC Hard Drives- 20GB and larger
  • Laptops-800 MHz or higher
  • PCMCIA wireless cards for laptops
  • LCD Monitors
  • USB flash (thumb) drives- 64 MB or higher
  • PC Memory- 256 MB and higher
  • CDRW or DVD drives

Computer equipment and supplies we will resale to help fund our efforts

  • Routers, switches, or hubs (particularly gigabit switches)
  • Apple computers in working order, less than 3 years old
  • NO printers--however, we will accept;
    • New printer cartridges
    • New laser printer toner in original boxes

If you have older equipment you don't know how to dispose of properly

To provide NC residents with a location to recycle computer equipment, Kramden will also accept the following, when accompanied by a donation of at least $10 per item to cover Kramden's expenses and to help support its programs.

The following equipment is not used for Kramden's programs but will be responsibly recycled:

  • PCs over 5 years old
  • printers
  • scanners
  • CRT monitors