Second hand tech scheme helping people get online in Coventry
Coventry City Council aim to get thousands more online by recycling electronic devices
Coventry City Council has established a new partnership with Virgin Media O2 to help thousands of people in Coventry get online.
Through a Device Bank scheme, businesses and public sector organisations can donate items such as phones, tablets and laptops, which will be rehomed to communities that need them across Coventry.
The scheme aims to support people facing financial hardship, health challenges, or temporary housing across the city whilst supporting local recycling efforts by making better use of unwanted digital equipment.
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance at the Council, said: “This is a great project and I really hope it will accelerate the second-hand tech reuse across the city that is already underway here.
"The big difference is it will aim to develop a way that old products, that would be wasted by local organisations, can be cleaned and revamped locally and found a new home in the city.
“For instance, when the Council has older laptops - rather than dump them - we clean them and make them available to people living in the Coventry area.
"We want to work together with other local businesses and organisations, to help create a city-wide approach benefiting Coventry, as it has an added benefit to the environment.
“It will further bolster digital access for residents across the city too, to ensure everyone has equal opportunities to access the benefits getting online can bring, and I hope lots of organisations will find ways to get involved meaningfully.”