Demand soars for Rehab’s refurbished laptops

Almost 3,000 ‘recycled’ laptops have been bought at knockdown prices over the past 18 months, according to Rehab Recycle.

The company, which has five offices around the country, as well as operations in Poland, Britain and the Netherlands, said demand for refurbished laptops was soaring, in part due to tightened family budgets.

Rehab sold 1,500 recycled laptops last year and in the first half of this year, another 1,250 were sold.

Students are among those buying the overhauled computers, which are sold for as little as €120.

Martin Reddy, commercial director at Rehab Enterprises, said: “We have a student to computer ratio of 12:1 in Ireland, compared to [the] 5:1 OECD average, so we have an opportunity to bridge the gap that exists between our children and their counterparts.”

He said the laptop sales were also boosting employment opportunities for people with a disability.

“In Ireland, there is over 70% unemployment among people with disabilities and at Rehab Recycle more than 55% of our staff are people with disabilities,” he said.

Sarah Finlay, marketing executive at Rehab Recycle, said: “We get calls all the time from parents with one or more children in full-time education, looking for laptops.”

The company said it sources IT equipment primarily from companies who no longer need it, in addition to donations or in some cases buying from the original owner.

All information is securely wiped from the hard drive before the unit is rebuilt with a Microsoft Operating System, with Rehab Recycle being the country’s only Microsoft authorised refurbisher.

One recent customer is Cork’s Hope Foundation. Its honorary director Maureen Forrest said: “While the right IT infrastructure is vital for the running of our organisation, upgrading PCs is often put on the back burner, as our available funds are put to use ensuring that we can provide vital and life-saving services to those in need on the streets of Kolkata.”