February 20, 2008 marked the launch of a new program for Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio. Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio and DELL introduced Reconnect, a FREE drop-off program to recycle unwanted computer hardware.

Reconnect will serve people throughout Northwest Ohio. The program leverages DELL’s resources and global recycling experience and the donation and retail infrastructure of Goodwill. Reconnect helps protect the environment through responsible recycling or reuse of computer equipment and provides residents a convenient way to support a local non-profit organization.

The program’s goal is twofold: to divert nearly one million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year and to provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally responsible computer disposal. Reconnect also will help create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers.

Beginning today, residents throughout Northwest Ohio can visit www.reconnectpartnership.com to locate the most convenient drop off at any of our 15 participating Goodwill donation centers and retail stores in Northwest Ohio. Goodwill will accept and sort the donated computer equipment and DELL’s product recovery partner will recycle and remarket the recycled materials, such as plastics, glass and metals. All proceeds support Goodwill’s non-profit training and employment programs.

Residents will be responsible for removing data from hard drives and other storage media before donating to Goodwill. Goodwill staff will provide donors with a donation receipt at the time of donation.

Other similar Goodwill-DELL programs are underway in California, Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and New Jersey.

We look forward to helping the envoironment, our Northwest Ohio stakeholders/ customers and providing more jobs and services for our region.