70,000 items distributed among the needy by Dubai Municipality

PC Refurbishment Center of Dubai Municipality distributed 70,000 electronic items including desktops, laptops, printers, scanners and other computer related devices to different charity organisations, schools and groups inside and outside the country during the last five years. 

Qasim Mohammed Rafi, Head of PC Refurbishment Center said that during the last five years, the centre collected more than 120 thousand pieces of computer equipment and accessories and distributed 70 thousand items.

‘The centre gets a big response from institutions and donors from both inside and outside of Dubai. It is the first accredited centre in the Middle East and seeks to protect and improve the quality of the environment in the emirate,’ Qasim said.

The civic body also aims to eradicate the technical illiteracy in terms of the proper management of electronic wastes through its recycling and rehabilitation initiatives as the computers and its components contain toxic substances including lead, mercury and lithium which can leak if disposed of improperly threatening the environment as well as human health,’ Qasim further explained.

“Individuals, institutions and the public can generously donate second-hand, damaged or discarded computers to the centre. The items, after necessary repairs, will be donated to educational institutions, social and charity organization. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment is responsible for distribution of these devices to people in need, while Microsoft provides the technical support,” he said.

“The centre helps to enhance opportunities for the spread of IT education in the emirate by providing educational, social and charitable institutions with necessary technical resources, computers and IT products. Residents and businesses should consider donating PCs and accessories rather than selling them or trashing. It also helps to avoid these from going into landfills, promotes charity and supports education,” he added.  

The used computers will be collected at any of the Municipality centres in Al Tawar, Al Karama, Manara and Hatta during working hours and PC Refurbishment Center in Al Qusais will collect PCs even in weekend days.