Reboot Vancouver

Reboot - 879 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C.

Reboot Vancouver is a non-profit organization that aims to reduce e-waste by focusing on the refurbishment of computers. Having spoken to the coordinator of Reboot, Stuart McFarlene, we are glad to hear that there is another local non-profit community organisation, similar to Free Geek, that acts responsibly and ethically in the recycling of e-waste. Reboot tries their best to re-furbish what they can, and all other computer parts that are un-useable are sent to Free Geek and Encorp.

For those seeking to purchase a new computer or laptop, one might want to consider buying a re-furbished one from Reboot. This will contribute to the cycle of 'ethical recycling' and not towards consumerism. Their prices are not only aaffordable but they also provide computer services at a lower cost opposed to larger corporations, such as Best Buy and Future Shop. All profits that Reboot collect are put directly back into helping the community, by supplying re-furbished computers to low income families, schools, and other non-profit organizations. 

In regards to recycling hard-drives and computers, many are often worried about the their history and personal material on them. According to Stuart, privacy should not be a worrisome issue, especially because methods have been acquired and approved by the Department of Defense which reduce the chances of people's information being   tampered with.

Many believe that the Canadian government needs to step-in and take further action by implementing harsher measures on the issue of e-waste being sent to third world countries. Stuart suggests that what is most important is that ethical and responsible recycling systems need to be established not only in Canada but also in these developing nations. 

We would also like to thank Reboot for their contributions of pamphlets and posters that were handed out and put on display at our E-waste Day @ SFU. For information please visit their website http://www.rebootvancouver.ca/