 Faq
What does Virgin Earth recycle?
If it runs on electricity or batteries (or used to), it's e-waste and we recycle it. We recycle computers and their components, network equipment, cabling, electric and electronic machinery and batteries. If you're not sure whether what you want recycled is e-waste, please contact us to ask.
What does Virgin Earth NOT recycle?
Paper, household plastics, glass bottles and other items that your local recycler processes. We specialize in electronic waste only, and can recycle the ABS type plastics and monitor glass associated with this, but not household or general waste. We do not recycle flourescent bulbs or magnetic tape.
Do you charge a fee to collect, recycle and destroy e-waste?
No, we don't. Our recycling service is free of charge from collection to destruction. However, donations are always welcome as this is definitely a not-for-profit operation. If you would like to contribute toward our running costs, please contact us.
How do you make money if this is a free service?
Surprisingly, e-waste recycling is not necessarily a profitable venture! Unless you're turning over many tons of recyleable materials daily - which we do not. So in a word, we don't. We've kept operations small and simple to keep our expenses minimal. There is some value in the metals, plastics and glass recovered from your waste, but we're not in it to make millions. We are generally able to cover our transport costs through what is extracted - eveything else is funded as we find the cash to do so. Donations are always appreciated.
What happens to my e-waste after Virgin Earth collects it?
We evaluate and test each item, then sort and processes it appropriate to component and material type. If at all possible we try to repurpose rather than destroy. However, we do guarantee that anything re-used is cleaned of all signs of a previous owner.
Any residual data is wiped from items that may store it (such as old hard drives) to ensure your privacy is protected. If you are concerned about the data on your hard drive, please download the free Darik's Boot and Nuke (1.45 MB .zip file), run it, and then let us process your clean hard drive, or re-use it in a machine destined for one of our charities. Please note that this will scrub any hard drive found in the machine, so use with caution.
How can I get my other stuff recycled?
 In the Cape Town area we recommend Clearer Concience, who provide a household collection service. There are many other recycling agencies available countrywide, a few of which you can find listed here.
What if I'm not in the Cape Town area?
We can hook you up with recommended e-waste recyclers in other parts of South Africa to cover your area's needs. Please contact us and we'll pass on your details to the appropriate company.
Do you have any locations where I can drop off my e-waste?
Not at the moment, but we are happy to partner with schools, colleges, universities, community groups and businesses who have an existing recycling programme or would like to start one. Check with your local organization to see whether they're part of our network. If they are not, please ask them to contact us - we'll gladly get involved in their initiative on a once-off or more regular basis. |
