Photos: Re-use don't recycle, says Computer Aid

"Re-use — don't recycle," said Roberts. "United Nations University research has proven empirically that re-use is far more environmentally friendly then simply recycling. Producing and using PCs has significant environmental costs. Seventy-five percent of the fossil fuel use associated with PC use is expended in the manufacture process before it is used for the very first time. Given this high environmental cost of production, it is essential that we then use every PC to the full extent of its productive life, rather then simply scrapping or recycling equipment after a just a few years."

Old CRT monitors (pictured) are a good example of Computer Aid's approach to making the best use of old tech. An organisation the charity works with in Africa, Computers for Schools Kenya, turns unwanted monitors into cheap TVs for the local population.