Digital equity through e-waste reduction
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Arts London
Department Name: Creative Computing Institute
Abstract
As agreed with AHRC please see the Case for Support attachment for the full application
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mick Grierson (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The UK is one of the worst producers of e-waste. In 2016, 24.9kg of e-waste was produced per person in the UK so the potential impact of this project on the reduction of e-waste is significant. One of the key ways to reduce e-waste is to extend a product's life span by finding a new use for it or by re-using it. Since many laptops and smart devices are unable to be efficiently wiped, these devices are going to waste. Laptop and smart device waste accounts for 7% of e-waste across the globe with more than 30,000,000 tonnes of e-waste thrown out across the globe. The project put together a working MVP to start showcasing the potential benefits of the system and the impact the software can have towards reducing e-waste. The Creative Computing Institute also provided Power to Connect with something they can immediately start using to increase their volunteer capacity and a number of incoming device donations. |
| Exploitation Route | There are several strategic areas that the project aims to have an impact on with the research findings of the project: Through the diversification of devices and scaling P2C only currently repurposes laptops. With the research findings, they would also be able to develop the technology to wipe other devices for re-use, such as mobile phones and tablets, while also targeting more recent models of laptops and potentially other smart devices. Furthermore, P2C currently have 65 volunteers and only one permanent staff member. They aim to double the number of trained volunteers by the end of the project hence the project aims to half the entry barrier and training time to use such software by simplifying the current processes. This allows P2C to scale both in terms of onboarding more volunteers with drastically reduced training time involved while also increasing the current output capacity of recycled laptops with existing volunteers. Schools The aim is to redistribute more devices to more schools to address the digital divide. P2C aims to partner with another 300 new schools across London in the next couple of years. The security that this software would provide means that more schools can take part in the scheme without the risk of children and families having access to inappropriate data from hardware not sufficiently wiped and will ensure that P2C can reach its goal. Donor organisations By demonstrating that the software can securely erase data, more potential partners will feel confident in donating their devices and so there will be a greater pool of higher quality devices to redistribute. Influence policy The partners will document their impact on the reduction of e-waste and digital inequity and make a case to local education authorities, borough councils, and national education authorities to use their project as a model to implement similar projects. The partners will make a case for new policies that would encourage organisations to repurpose their digital devices where possible and discourage the practice of discarding useable devices. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics,Environment,Other |
| URL | https://www.arts.ac.uk/knowledge-exchange/stories/case-study-future-observatory-2022-cci-x-power-to-connect |
| Description | The project put together a working MVP to start showcasing the potential benefits of the system and the impact the software can have towards reducing e-waste. The Creative Computing Institute also provided Power to Connect with something they can immediately start using to increase their volunteer capacity and a number of incoming device donations. This project has been an exciting start to what has potential to be bigger more impactful collaboration with UAL's Creative Computing Institute. The new system created has meant our volunteer recruitment process can be more flexible, and we can now recruit volunteers from all backgrounds not only from IT specialist backgrounds. - Megan Barrett, Head of Operations at Power to Connect "I feel like this is just the start to an exciting collaboration and I'm looking forward about see how we can continue working together to find the most effective way to reduce e-waste and ultimately help tackle digital poverty." |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |