Free Pickup in East Bay

Due to the conclusion of a one-year grant from StopWaste Alameda [County], free pickup in the East Bay by the Computer and Technology has been curtailed in all areas except the City of Berkeley.

The affected areas include Emeryville, Albany, and north Oakland.

The Computer and Technology Resource Center (CTRC), a 501(3)(c) environmental charity based in Marin and Alameda Counties, received a grant from Alameda County Stop Waste, to purchase a vehicle that will be used to expand its free pickup of e-waste (currently in Berkeley alone), to Emeryville, Albany and north Oakland.

That grant period is now over.

However, the acquisition of a Ford F-350 van will replace a vehicle that went out of service, and greatly expand the organization’s reach, and also the amount of e-waste it can process will continue to be used by CTRC.  Moreover, the van runs on compressed natural (CNG) gas, offering a cleaner burning engine, less pollution and less wasted fuel.

In addition to collecting and engaging in the ecologically responsible recycling of e-waste, the Computer and Technology Resource Center has been donating free computers to other non-profits, schools and low income individuals and families in the San Francisco-Bay Area region since 1994.

Over the past years, the Computer and Technology Resource Center has been providing computer and training to other Alameda County non-profits, such as Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), St. Mary’s Center, Educate2Invision, Rising Sun Energy Center, Berkeley Community Media, Berkeley Food and Housing Program,

Prescott Place School, Chabot Science Center, the Berkeley Free Clinic, the Comprehensive Action Network, Foot in the Door, the Street Level Health Project, Teen Challenge, Ascend School, Futures Elementary, Masjid Al-Islam Mosque, Oakland Digital Arts, the Computer Technology Program School in Berkeley. Most computer placements go directly to individuals and families in need of them

Last year, the organization donated 560 computers. Interested parties can find the application for a free computer at ewastecollective.org.

According to its website: “Alameda County Stop Waste is a public agency responsible for reducing the waste stream in Alameda County. It helps local governments, businesses, schools and residents reduce waste through source reduction and recycling, market development, technical assistance and public education.

“The agency is governed jointly by three Boards, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, and the Energy Council.

“Stop Waste takes a comprehensive approach to stopping waste. Our work influences decisions made by people at every phase of the materials management cycle, from purchasing and consumption choices to what happens when products are discarded.”

You can find more information about the Computer and Technology Resource Center at ewastecollective.org, and for Stop Waste Alameda at: www.stopwaste.org.