IT Reuse for good: Tackling the twin issues of e-waste and digital exclusion
The Digital Media and Society Institute at University of Liverpool brings together researchers from a range of disciplines to investigate the ways in which digital media influence and inform the lives of individuals and society. Professor Simeon Yates has led multiple projects focused on addressing digital inequalities in partnership with government, third sector and industry partners, including the Minimum Digital Living Standard mdls.org.uk.
Good Things Foundation is the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity. With the National Digital Inclusion Network and our strategic partners, we reach communities across all four nations. And we’re delivering real impact – every sixty seconds, someone becomes more digitally equal because of our work. We’ve worked in partnership with University of Liverpool on a number of research and evidence projects exploring ‘what works’ for digital inclusion.
Share Your Experience
Is your organisation part of the IT Reuse for Good (ITRfG) ecosystem? We are looking for organisations that are part of an IT Reuse for Good scheme to take part in a short survey, which seeks to:
Scan the QR code to access the survey.
IT reuse for goodIT Reuse for Good is a crucial part of the circular economy. Focused on recovery, refurbishment, repair, and reuse of devices, these schemes can address both the digital divide and the environmental impacts of e-waste.
Many organisations in the UK are leading the way in setting up, scaling up, and maintaining successfully established IT Reuse for Good schemes. This includes donating decommissioned devices, refurbishing and repairing, generating funds to procure devices or distributing renewed devices to people and communities who are digitally excluded. There is a developing ecosystem of corporate, public sector, charity, and ITAD organisations that could represent a future IT Reuse for Good sector of its own.
The UK Government has shown increased interest and incentives in this area, with the publication of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan in 2025 leading to the establishment of the IT Reuse for Good Charter. In parallel, the IT Reuse for Good Charter Playbook offers guidance for organisations starting, or scaling up, IT Reuse for Good schemes.
In the UK, one in four households with children are below the Minimum Digital Living Standard Yates et al., 2024and 1.6 million adults do not have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Research shows that 1.9 million households struggle to afford their mobile contract Good Things Foundation, 2025, and 30% of parents of school-aged children report that their child does not have access to an appropriate device for learning at home.Ofcom, 2025. Being digitally excluded makes it difficult to engage with health and financial services, government and council services, and to manage family life in the digital age.
Demand for digital tech shows no sign of slowing, and e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally. The UK is the second largest producer of e-waste per capita in Europe, with IT and Telecoms equipment accounting for over 40,000 tonnes of waste in 2024 Material Focus, 2025.
A substantial proportion of organisations’ carbon emissions are represented by electronic goods , and up to 200,000 tonnes of business electricals are thrown away with general waste rather than being refurbished, reused or recycled Material Focus, 2023
Almost 40% of laptops donated for recycling are likely to be fit for reuse instead Wrap,2017 and up to 800 million unused items are languishing in in UK homes Material Focus, 2025, some of which (e.g. computers, laptops and mobile phones) could be repurposed through IT Reuse for Good schemes.
January 2026
January 2026