Pete Forsyth

“ Five years ago, Free Geek's unpaid founding members struggled to come up with rent; today, Free Geek has 12 paid employees, operates in a 15,000 square foot facility, and has hundreds of volunteers who process over 40 tons of e-waste per month. ”

“ If organizations like Free Geek can slow the flow of unsorted garbage, Ugandans will be more able to focus their attention on productive things, learning to use tech to its fullest potential. Assisting with education, where possible, is important as well. ”

“ Processing these donated monitors represents one of Free Geek's highest expenses, and so it is the one area where donators are required to pay a fee. Dropping off a monitor at Free Geek — whether it's working or not — costs $10. Sometimes donors are put off, especially when dropping off a working monitor. But they generally come around once they learn about the dangers of lead and the challenge of disposing of it safely. ”

“ Free Geek currently lacks the resources or the knowledge to plan and carry out delivery of working PCs overseas. But when Gulu University and the Beaverton Rotary Club approached Free Geek about donating computers to the Uganda university, they were glad to help. ”

“ Sidebar Every day, Free Geek provides a great service to third world nations by providing...well, a whole lot of nothing. The less Portland garbage that ends up in places like Lagos and Uganda, the better. ”

“ This e-waste is similar to what BAN reported is shipped to places like Lagos: piles of worthless (and potentially dangerous) junk, but also a few treasures, and a reasonable amount of junk that can be turned into treasure with a moderate amount of work. ”