Middlesbrough Council has begun an initiative to reduce digital poverty among its residents.
Its library service has teamed up with the FurbidIT partnership, which collects and refurbishes unwanted devices and IT equipment.
Residents, organisations and businesses can drop off unwanted equipment at Middlesbrough Central Library, local libraries and community hubs for it to be cleaned, repaired, refurbished or scrapped in line with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, then distributed to people in need.
This takes place through a network that currently involves 35 distribution partners.
The council said the total number of donations is already nearing 1,000.
Initiative partners
FurbidIT includes businesses, statutory agencies, housing, academic institutions, charities, voluntary and community groups and is working with collection and recycling company Comply IT on the initiative.
Cllr Stephen Hill, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for culture and communities, said: “Access to modern, working IT equipment has never been more important, but sadly digital poverty is all too real. That puts people in need at a real disadvantage, whether it be competing for jobs, or just keeping in touch with loved ones.
“The FurbdIT initiative is an innovative local solution to bridging the gap, and one that will make a real difference to many people’s lives.”
