Recycling @ Goodwill Computer Works—Austin

Recently, a few acquaintances from Herdomain,a women's listserv, and I went to Austin Goodwill Computer Works to learn more about computer recycling. Goodwill Computer Works not only sells used computers and computer parts, but it also offers workshops and tours on computer recycling. You too, can learn about computer recycling and tour the Computer Museum.


Mark, The Manager of The Goodwill Computer Center Gave Us A Tour

Mark the manager of Austin Goodwill Computer Works and Courtney, an AmeriCorps member at Goodwill led us on a tour of the recycling areas and the Computer Museum, and Harry helped us learn to take apart computers for recycling. By the way, Mark says that the Computer Museum is in need of volunteers to lead tours.


Thank Goodness for Harry Who Showed Us Some Tricks About Taking Apart The Computers


Courtney, An AmeriCorps Volunteer, Cheered Us On With Her Can-Do Spirit

There is money in recycling computers. Well-functioning computers can be resold, and the non-functioning ones can be taken out and resold either as scrap or as parts. Mark said that 80 % of the computers that Goodwill receives are recycled as parts and scrap, and that they sell 20% (the ones that work well)through the Goodwill Computer Works store.

I was inspired to learn about computer recycling, by Las Chicas Bravas.
Las Chicas Bravas is a Mexican women’s electronics recycling cooperative. The women, in their 40s and 50, formed an electronics recycling cooperative to make money for themselves and their families. The town’s only industry had left seven years before. Despite their skills and experience, the leader of the cooperative said that the women probably would not be able to get jobs in another company if one moved in, because of a long tradition in Mexico of age discrimination against older female workers. That’s why the women started the cooperative.

I am unaware of any similar cooperatives for older women in the US, but given the current high level of unemployment in the US, I think that it would be good for some of us to think about work or skill cooperatives. It doesn't have to be an electronics or computer recycling cooperative. It could be a cooperative of artists, writers, or software designers.

Below are some photos of us taking apart computes at Austin Goodwill Computer Works.