FreeGeek Chicago is a not-for-profit community organization that recycles used computers and parts to provide functional computers, education, internet access and job skills training to those who want them. At FreeGeek, volunteers learn to tear down, test, and build functional computers. After 24 hours in our program, volunteers earn themselves a free computer.

Since 2005, FreeGeek Chicago has carried out a dual mission: to reduce the environmental impact of personal computers and to ensure that all Chicagoans have access to basic information technology and the knowledge to use it effectively. By training our volunteers to refurbish and recycle second-hand computers, we educate and empower while responsibly managing electronic waste.

5 tons, $1,643.04

Recycling old electronics the right way takes some serious resources: time, energy, money, and a lot of hard work. As you can see, we've got the hard work part covered, but our revenue from sales haven't kept up with the growth of our volunteer program or the size of "palletopia", our name for the growing expanse of our space devoted to boxes full of old electronics to recycle.

On our last two recycling runs (Dec 10, 2010, Mar 11, 2011), we took 5 metric tons of electronic waste to be responsibly recycled by Supply Chain Services, Inc in Lombard, IL. At $0.12 a pound and $6 a monitor, our final bill was $1,643.04. We need your tax-deductible donations to help cover our costs.

Why should I care what happens to my electronic waste?

In the United States, more than 3 million tons of electronic waste end up in landfills every year. The fraction that is recycled is often sent overseas. In Asia and Africa, at places like Agbogbloshie, Ghana and Guiyu, China, our old computers, TVs, and cell phones damage the environment and undermine the health of the local population. The Internet, computers, and cell phones do great things for the people who can afford them, but how we make them and how we throw them away poisons the land, water, and bodies of those who can't.

FreeGeek Chicago reuses and refurbishes everything we possibly can, and make sure that what we can't use is recycled according to the highest environmental and worker safety standards available, whether we send it to Belgium or Zion, Illinois. We try our best to be transparent about our how we dispose of waste: you can learn more about our recyclers, view our recent recycling figures, and learn how to recycle a ton of circuit boards yourself.

Join us on a recycling tour with a donation of $100 or more

The best perk we're offering is the possibility to join us on a recycling day and and come tour a recycler as scheduling permits. We know our work isn't glamorous or sexy (our definition of "all expenses paid consists of a donut, a cup of coffee, and a ride to a random suburb), but we think somebody will get a kick out of seeing what happens to electronics when they die.

Support a strong community

A few weeks ago, a volunteer found herself locked out of her car as people milled around before a community council meeting and after the biggest day in our history (58 volunteers!). Within 10 minutes, our volunteers had found a towing company that could open her car and put together the $75 needed to get on her way. FreeGeek Chicago is a strong community that needs your money, time, and friendship to get our job done.