Grantee Spotlight - Tech Exchange

E-waste is one of the fastest growing segment of the waste stream – in 2018, the amount of worldwide e-waste generation was expected to increase to 49.8 million tons. Only a small percentage gets refurbished or recycled, which means the rest ends up in landfill, burned, or illegally traded.  

To help address this, StopWaste’s Grants Program supports Oakland-based nonprofit TechExchange, which refurbishes donated and discarded computers for reuse among low-income families and schools across the East Bay.  By refurbishing donated technology from individuals, businesses, and organizations, they have diverted over 900 tons of e-waste from landfills and have distributed 49,000 refurbished computers to low-income East Bay families over the last 24 years. They continue to grow their impact, and in the last four years, they have increased the number of computers distributed in the East Bay from 600 a year to 4,000 a year.

Tech Exchange also hosts Tech Fairs to provide computers, training, and low-cost Internet solutions to families. In the last 12 months, over 3,000 East Bay families have received free computers and support. In addition to connecting homes, Tech Exchange has also helped establish a network of public computer centers to ensure all community members have access to technology.

You can read more about TechExchange on their website.