Hardware Donations

When someone wants to donate a computer or related item to Free Geek, they do so in the receiving, or hardware donations. This area is run by volunteers and overseen by staff. There is a Receiving calendar now available for pre-notification of hardware donations staff and volunteers.

What you can learn here

• Hardware identification
• Mouse, speaker, and keyboard testing

First, meet the donor

1. Ask if they're here to make a donation. Direct them to the store or front desk if they are not.
2. Help them unload.
3. As they unload, fill out a tally sheet, indicating quantity of each type of item they are donating.
4. Give them the tally sheet and direct them to the donation desk.
5. Finally, thank them for donating! They are the first step to keeping e-waste out of landfills.

Items we do not accept

There are certain items that people might try to donate that we do not accept. You can suggest that people contact Metro Recycling Information Center at (503) 234-3000 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for instructions on how to properly dispose of these items.

Photocopiers	Major Appliances
Microwaves	Smoke Detectors
Styrofoam	Alkaline Batteries

Items that we do accept

• Most items can be put away in boxes in receiving. Some need to be moved elsewhere in the building. See map for details.
• If there are a lot of donations coming in, concentrate big items like monitors, systems, and printers first.
• Filling out a tally sheet is important for Free Geek's database - that's how we log how many items we have collected from the community!
• There are thousands of devices that can be incorporated into a computer that are not listed here. We take all of them. Additionally, there are many types of non-computer equipment that we do take. If you don't know what they do, ask a staff member.
• If you are unsure of any item, talk to a staff member!

Item	Where It Goes
Systems	Evaluation 1
CRT Monitors	Keepers go in monitor testing in the warehouse if the date on the back of the monitor says it's newer than the year 2000. Recyclers are monitors that are older than 1999, and they get recycled into the gaylord that says "Covered CRT-Monitors." If the monitor has a sticker that says "Uncovered Electronic Device," please put it into the "Uncovered CED Monitors" gaylord.
LCD Monitors
Televisions	If they are high-quality televisions, put them in the shelf in Basic Testing. Otherwise, recycle them in the warehouse.
Printers	Send to printer-island in the warehouse.
Scanners	Send to printer-island in the warehouse.
Speakers	If there is a left speaker, a right speaker, AND it's independently powered by an external source, put them in a paper bag in the Basic Testing Area where it says Speaker Incoming.
Keyboards	Put in Basic Testing
Mice	Put in Basic Testing
Laptops	Give to a staff member
Apple Hardware	Mac shelf
Cards and Motherboards	Card and motherboard box
Floppy Drives	Recycle in the box marked Old Drives
CD-ROM Drives	Recycle in the box marked Old Drives
CD-RW and DVD Drives	Advanced Testing Box
Floppy Disks	Recycle in the box labeled Floppy Discs
CD-ROMs	Destroy and put in CD box, unless it's a factory pressed linux disc, in which case send to store.
VCRs and DVD Players	A/V Box, except in cases of large hardware, in which case take directly to AV cart in hall.
Stereo Systems	A/V Box, except in cases of large hardware, in which case take directly to AV cart in hall.
Telephones	Recycle in the box labeled Copper Bearing Materials
Cell Phones	Give to staff member.
Wall-warts	Put in box labeled Wall-Warts for further sorting
Cords	Phone, network, and printer cables get recycled. Ask a staff member to help you identify these. All else ask a staff member.

What to do when times are slow

• Clean up. Often there are abandoned cardboard boxes to break down and put away, sweeping up to be done, etc.
• Move receiving boxes to their designated areas - e.g. advanced testing box to advanced testing, steel box to recycling.

What about the big donations?

See Handling Corporate Donations at Receiving

Where do the boxes go when they're full?

See Where Full Boxes Go