Public administrations and local circular economy entities have formal, scalable and sustainable reuse circuits that offer traceability and guarantee proper recycling. City councils deliver device surpluses to citizens and organizations, with great effect in creating inclusive jobs, starting or accelerating efficiency and scaling up of local exchange/market of second hand computers and mobiles, and related jobs of transport, refurbishment, support, recycling.
The users of devices are citizens that prefer second hand devices for environmental reasons, citizens in risk of exclusion supported or advised by public social services, and organizations demanding larger volume of devices such as schools, social enterprises, environment or budget-concerned public or private organizations. Citizens benefit from a pool of devices at a lower economic and environmental cost, at well as creating local jobs (in social and commercial organizations) for the collection, refurbishment and support (computing-as-a-service) by locals for locals.
Circuit in Barcelona
The circuit in Barcelona provide the following benefits: 20 consolidated workplaces in 18 social reuse centers, 500.000 €/year of social economy created, 350.000 €/year in cost savings on subsidies from city governments related to addressing digital divide, waste prevention (92% of the devices given are reused) and 43 ton in savings of electronic waste and 864 ton of GHG emissions from usage of second hand devices, increased guarantee of recycling (95%) with recovery of raw materials (last year in Europe only 35%), development of the local economy, digital inclusion from the affordable supply of second hand (400 entities recipients of equipment each year), 16 million of computing hours created each year.