New Trier Volunteers Repair, Donate Unneeded Electronic Devices

WINNETKA, IL — One of New Trier High School's newest official clubs combines expanding access to technology for less privileged communities with building digital skills for North Shore teens and keeping electronic waste out of landfills. The student group BinaryHeart repairs and refurbishes electronic devices to donate to families in need. It became an official school club in January after operating independently for several years, and its founders recently started their senior year.

The amateur coders who founded the club were keenly aware of the value of working with technology from a young age. In the United States, 7 million tons of usable electronics are tossed out every year, while nearly half of families below the poverty level have no computer to access the internet, the group noted.

The groups four co-founders started the group as freshman after a meeting at the Wilmette Public Library, Pioneer Press reported. They hope to eventually expand to other high schools.

Since receiving official club designation and school sponsorship, BinaryHeart has roughly doubled the amount of donated electronics it has taken in. The group has processed more than $100,000 worth of devices as of the start of the 2018-2019 school year, according to its website.

It donates the repaired computers to Northwestern Settlement, an anti-poverty nonprofit in Chicago.

According to New Trier News, the group's first repairs took place in a co-founder's garage, but they have since expanded to a streamlined and organized process to quickly turn around donated devices.

“It is crucial that every student has access to master the digital tools they’ll need to succeed in the modern world,” club president and co-founder Marzuk Rashid told the school paper.

BinaryHeart accepts electronic devices of up to 10 years old, whether working or not. Generally, they accept desktops, laptops, tablets, flatscreen monitors, keyboards, mice and cables and do not accept printers, cell phones, CRT monitors or TVs, according to its website.

Donations can be dropped off during the group's meetings from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays at New Trier's Winnetka campus, 385 Winnetka Ave. or New Trier Township residents can schedule a free pickup for any donated devices.

Learn more from BinaryHeart