We put the scrap-that-powers-on into a solar-powered computer room and get it solving real-world problems such as doing digital computations to search for medicines that can help people suffering with cancer or HIV.
For us, TAP (Technology Applied to Philanthropy) refers to using scrap computers (and sometimes phones) for good. In particular, we take computers that have no practical purpose anymore, and use them to do medical and scientific research. Almost any computer that still has a working CPU, even if many of the other components make it unusable for normal use, will do.
Finances
Do you
accept donations or quality computers?
No, we do
not accept money or computers that can be resold. We accept only scrap that can be used for
research purposes.
Do you
charge me to take the scrap?
No,
although we do ask that if it needs to be couriered to us, that you pay for the
courier if you can afford it. If you
cannot afford the courier, we can review the equipment and decide if we can
sponsor the scrap moved to us. This
depends on the weight (cost to ship) and potential research capabilities of the
hardware.
Do you
accept computers that do not work at all?
Yes, if
they are relatively modern (no less than 5 years’ old). We will try get them working just enough to
do some research. If we can’t get them
working, we will pass them on to the scrap recyclers.
Do you
get money for the research or scrap?
No, we get
no money for doing the research and we get no money when we pass the scrap
parts to the scrap recyclers. In fact,
it costs money to do the research (electricity) and to scrap the items (petrol
to deliver the items). This is entirely
a philanthropic exercise.
Are you
an NPO or company?
No, we are
a group of volunteers informally accepting scrap and putting it to work. (At present we are not looking for more
volunteers.)
Can I
get money from the scrap?
We do not
offer money for the scrap. We offer a
free, philanthropic service (as volunteers) to put scrap to meaningful work. If you are able to get money for the scrap
elsewhere, we recommend you do so.
What do
you do with the computer once it fails?
After some
time, the scrap-that-powered-on no longer powers on. We then store it, and when we have sufficient
material to justify a trip to the scrap yard, we take it. The scrap recycling centre we take it to does
not give us money. Although they are a
business, unlike us, the cost of crushing equipment and recovering metals from
it does not result in sufficient profit to pay meaningful amounts for scrap.
What do
I get when I send you the scrap?
Because what
you are doing is simply waste disposal, you don’t get any money, receipts, delivery
documentation or certificates (and neither do we get any of these things). You get the great feeling that your old scrap
might one day help find a cure for cancer.
This is much more responsible than throwing it in the bin.
Locations
Do you take
scrap from international locations?
No, we
accept scrap computers from South Africa only.
We don’t currently have any plans for anything outside South Africa.
Where
are your main areas?
We can
generally collect or accept in: Durban, Paulpietersburg, Howick, Kloof,
Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, but it is possible to courier items from just
about anywhere in South Africa.
What are
the delivery or collection options?
Depending
on the items and area, we can either collect, or you can courier to a nearby
collection point.
Can I
rather keep the scrap and put it to work on research myself?
Yes, that
is the ideal. However, not everyone has
the time and energy to do this. If you
want to put an old PC to work, see https://foldingathome.org or https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org.
Can I just
scrap it?
Yes, if it
really cannot turn on at all and you think it is likely beyond all hope, google
for an e-waste centre near you. Some
centres may charge you to collect or dispose of items. If you can find a centre that will pay you to
take the scrap, you should consider this, but be aware the transport cost may
be more than the cash you will get for the item. Here are some sample websites, which we have
not verified in person:
https://sustainableelectronics.org/find-an-r2-certified-facility/
https://www.wastegroup.co.za/recycling-services/
Electronic
recycling | Gauteng | Ez Electronic Recycling
eWaste
Recycling - Dispose-IT South Africa
E-waste Management Systems
| E-Waste Company | eWASA
Recycling of
Electronic Waste and Scrap Catalytic Converters (astrecycling.co.za)
Hardware
What
type of scrap computers do you take?
Anything
that isn’t older than 10 years, as long as it powers on. If it is a new (less than 4 years’ old) but
broken PC that is not worth repairing, we might consider taking such a PC that
does not power on.
Does the
hard disc have to be working?
No, we
don’t need a hard disc as long as the PC has a USB port or memory card slot.
Do you
need the cables?
No, you can
include them, but if they are missing, we have plenty.
What do
you do with the data on the hard disc if there is one?
One of the first
things we do is erase the disc to eliminate the risk of any virus or trojan
getting into our network. If the
computer you want to donate has sensitive data on the disc, and you are
concerned about this, you can remove the disc before sending it to us.
Does the
screen have to work?
No, if
there is an external monitor port, we don’t need a working screen. We do not accept CRT monitors (those old, clunky big screens) unless
it is part of a very large delivery that justifies us taking it to the scrap
recyclers on your behalf.
Will you
take new, working computers or computers in very good condition?
No. If it is good enough to resell or to donate
to a needy cause, we recommend you do that.
We want to take computers you would be too embarrassed to give to
someone.
Do you
refurbish computers?
No, we do
the minimum to get the computer to do research processing, and leave it to do
that work. Eventually it fails entirely
beyond all hope, and we scrap it for recycling at a nearby centre.
Do you
take smartphones?
Yes, we can
do research on older high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S4mini. They need to have been “expensive in their
time,” be less than 10 years old, run Android 4.4.2 or later and be mostly
working (e.g., the screen can be badly cracked, but we need to be able to touch
the screen and load the software).
Do you
need the powerpacks with the laptops?
We prefer
to have the power “bricks” that come with the laptops or phones, but they are
not essential. We have a lot of spares
and can usually get things working well enough just to do the research.
Do you
need the batteries?
No, we
don’t need the laptop or phone batteries.
Where possible we remove them and recycle them, and run the hardware
without batteries. The research makes
the systems very hot, which is a risk for old batteries. Unless the system works only with a battery
and won’t turn on without a battery, we don’t need it. But if you send a device with a battery, we
will send the battery for recycling.
(Note that not all batteries can be recycled in this country.)
Do you take
old video cards?
Yes, we are
able to use some of the older video cards.
Do you take
old crypto bitcoin mining rigs?
We have
never tried one, and we don’t do crypto, but would consider experimenting with
an old rig to convert it to do research if one was being scrapped. If it can run Linux and a video card driver,
we can probably repurpose it for research before recycling it into scrap metal.
Do you take
old mainframes and servers?
Generally,
servers and mainframes use so much electricity that they are not ideal for research. Desktops and laptops provide better research
per watt. However, we will evaluate the
hardware and make a decision.
Research
How does
the research on scrap work?
There are
special software programs that can examine simulations of chemicals. What is needed is the powered-on, functioning
motherboard (with memory and CPU) to get this done. It doesn’t matter if the screen, hard disc,
mouse or keyboard is missing or broken.
How does
the research help?
The results
from the computer simulations help researchers to find cures for diseases more
easily. Finding cures for diseases is
often a lot of trial and error. By doing
simulations on scrapped computers, much of the manual trial and error is
eliminated.
Can
research be done on new computers?
Yes,
everyone is encouraged to get involved and do research on their computers when
their computer is not in use. However,
it requires some know-how to get it to work and, if incorrectly configured, can
reduce the life of your system. We,
however, focus on using scrapped computers, squeezing the very last usefulness,
that no one else wants, out of the hardware.
What
technology do you use?
We use
BOINC (https://boinc.berkeley.edu/) and/or FoldingAtHome (https://foldingathome.org/) and/or other software.
Electricity
Who pays
for the electricity?
The leader
of the volunteers, aka “the tapchap,” paid for the solar panels and computer
areas used. He pays for electricity over
and above that provided by the panels if required.
Can you
power down during load shedding?
Yes, we set
up the computers to shut down during power failures and they can usually power
themselves back up. We can turn them off
manually when there is less electricity available, e.g., rainy days or grid
constraints.
How much
space and electricity are available?
We can
currently house over 200 computers and smartphones. Once we reach capacity, we remove the most
inefficient computers and have them recycled.
Please click on the Contact button on the top right
to send your scrap equipment for philanthropic use