ACCRC logo

Alameda County Computer Resource Center

a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Obsolescence is Just a Lack of Imagination

Announcements

We regret that we must charge minimal fees to recycle some items

Although we prefer not to ask for any recycling fees, recent economic changes have made it necessary to charge small fees for some items. These fees ensure that the electronics you entrust to ACCRC for recycling are treated safely, correctly and responsibly.

Although it cost a little more, our electronics are NOT exported for treatment in countries with low environmental standards. Instead we send all our unrefurbishable electroncs to a bay area metals refinery which processes scrap electronics by shredding and separating the components, ferrous metals (steel), copper and precious metals, aluminum, and plastic. The steel and aluminum are recycled as metals, the plastic is recycled as plastic, and the copper and precious metals are sampled, prepared, and packaged for shipment to a primary copper smelter.

Please Help Us

The Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC) needs you. Time is running out as ACCRC is re-organizing and downsizing due to the economic crisis, reduction in donations and volunteers. In this desperate time ACCRC will continue to fulfill the mission statement and commitment to existing goals of job training, reuse over recycling, donation over sales, and free computers for those those in need.

The ACCRC is still located at 1501 Eastshore Highway in Berkeley, next to Interstate 80. We depend on you, the community, to provide us with your old hardware, your volunteer time, and your tax-deductible financial contributions. If you want to help, please make a financial contribution here on our site, or bring your unwanted computers, TV's, monitors and electronic devices to our Berkeley facility.

Got old computers or other electronics?

Picture of warehouse

We'll take it! We will recycle anything that you can plug into a power outlet. This means we will recycle your computer, VCR, television, copy machine, and even your microwave and toaster, but not your large appliances such as a washing machine or refrigerator. When you give us your computer, you will receive a tax write-off, and we will attempt to fix your equipment and then give it away to someone who is unable to afford to buy a computer. If we are unable to reuse your equipment, it will be recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.

To donate your equipment, simply bring it to us during our open hours. No appointment is needed. Nothing is too old or too broken. Some fees may apply for certain types of material, degaussing and for non-local pick-ups.

Know someone who needs a computer?

Refurbished Computers

We give free refurbished computers to schools, non-profit organizations, and economically and/or physically disadvantaged individuals. Although our computers are all old enough that they were discarded by their previous owners, the ones that we refurbish are still perfectly adequate for most home, school, and office applications. Our refurbished systems all run a Free software GNU/Linux operating system.

To apply for one or more computers, please print one of our three placement applications: school, non-profit, or individual, and then fax, mail, or bring us the completed form.

Want to volunteer?

We are always looking for volunteers to help us sort and palletize electronics. While helping us with this vital operation, you can learn how to identify various types of electronic equipment.

If you would like to volunteer, call us at 510-528-4052 or send an email to info@accrc.org to learn more.

You can gain more detailed hands-on experience with computers, by joining our Computer Refurbishment Program. You don't have to know anything about computers to join; you can learn! You can learn how to fix, how to break, and how to identify computer parts, pieces, bits, and doodads. You may also learn about Suse and/or Ubuntu GNU/Linux.

Please note that our Computer Refurbishment Program is currently in transition to a new location. In the meantime, please send us an email at info@accrc.org so we can keep you posted on our progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you do with this stuff?

If your equipment is in working or easily repairable order, we will fix it and place it with a charity, non-profit, school, or low-income or disabled individual somewhere on the planet Earth. If we cannot reuse the equipment, we will disassemble it and send the base elements off to approved, environmentally friendly secondary recyclers. Cathode ray tubes are smelted, allowing the lead to be removed from the glass so that both can be recycled. Circuit boards are ground up so that a number of different metal recovery processes can be used to reclaim the various nasty alloys that are in them.

Why do you do this?

Computers affect us all. For those of us well versed in the digital arts, the computer can be a tool for good. But for those who do not have access to technology nor to a computer of their own, the digital world can be a complete abyss of terror and confusion. It may be cliche to speak about the digital divide, but there's really no other way to describe the gap between the digital haves and the compu-havenots. We must bridge the divide.

We serve the public by refurbishing used computer equipment for which businesses, corporations, and individual donors no longer have a use.

What about my old data?

When you donate your computer to us, you are also giving us any information that is on your hard drive, floppy disks, or CD's. It is not our policy to go traipsing around other people's hard drives looking for pictures of their penguins in burlap shorts, but we cannot be certain that your data will be safely hidden from prying eyes... unless you ask us to destroy your data at the time of recycling. Here are your options:

Do nothing
Doing nothing means that you do not care who sees your data. This allows us to simply reformat the drive and use it in a rebuilt computer.
Format the drive yourself
Formatting a hard drive is not perfect, but it is generally enough to ensure that most folks won't be able to read your old data. The disk will remain in working order and we will be able to format it a second time and use it in a rebuilt computer. However, formatting your hard drive might require you to consult with a geek for help.
If you want to format your drives, here are a couple tools that may be useful. WARNING! Use them at your own risk. If they work as advertised, (they do) they will irrevocably destroy your data. These are freeware data destruction applications for use on AMD/Intel/new Macs. They will not work on older macs or esoteric hardware.
DBAN Floppy Use this if your system boots from a floppy.
DBAN CD Use this if your system boots from CD.
Pay us to either wipe or degauss your drive
For a fee (see sidebar), we will completely wipe your hard drive and install a fresh operating system so your hard drive can be reused. If the hard drive cannot be wiped, it will be degaussed.
We have a giant degausser. It is basically a metal box with massive electromagnets inside. When we turn it on, the magnets are switched on and off in a cyclical fashion, creating a magnetic field around the box that will destroy anything that uses magnetic memory. As such, using our degausser is the most effective and permanent way to remove your data from this mortal coil. It is perfectly all right for you to remove your drive yourself before you arrive. Degaussing a drive renders it useless. After we degauss your hard drive, we cannot use it in a rebuilt computer.

You want to donate your electronics to us but are located in Poughkeepsie, NY?

ECS Refining will donate their services to properly recycle all un-refurbishable material donated to ACCRC from out-of-state. They are a reputable and unbelievably adaptable recycler who wants to help you recycle your electronics with ACCRC and give refurbished computers to those without.

However, this does not leave you completely off the hook, as we have yet to find a matter transmitter or other source of free transportation so at this point there are transport fees that must be charged for your donation.

If you would like to donate your electronics to us from outside the state of California, go to Outside-of-California Donations to make arrangements.

Household Electronics Pick-Up Service

Free pick-up service for Berkeley residents.

If you reside in Berkeley, we will come pick up your household electronics and will not charge a pick-up fee. Call our Electronics Pick-up Line at 528-4755 and leave us a voice mail with your name, address, phone number and how many items you want picked up. We will return your call, answer any questions and make arrangements if you wish to have us pick-up your encroaching computers and other electronic stuff.