The State Surplus Property Agency, a division of the North Carolina Department
of Administration, is the medium through which transfer or sale of all surplus
property among state agencies, universities and other state institutions is
administered. Prior to 1997, the agency disposed of surplus computer equipment in
unknown condition through public bid or sale to government agencies.
Unfortunately, this process did not recognize the educational and economic value
of the computers. In an effort to capture the full value of the used computers, State
Surplus Property implemented a computer program in February 1997 to provide
used and refurbished computers primarily to public schools for classroom usage.
P2 Application:
Presently, state universities and agencies send used and out-dated computers to the
old Polk Youth Correctional Institution in Raleigh, where State Surplus is currently
housing the program. Technicians separate the computer equipment by model and
test each one to determine the condition. The computers are then repaired and
built to meet the specific needs of recipient schools, agencies, and non-profit
groups. No new parts or equipment are purchased for repair because all needed
parts are removed from available equipment.
More than 1,600 computers with 386, 486, or newer hard drives have been
placed back into schools.
Several hundred nonfunctioning monitors have been sold to a refurbisher
instead of being landfilled.
Unusable or extra circuit boards, disk drives, metal parts, and power supplies
are sorted and stored in gaylords to be sold to recyclers.
At least ten trailer loads of miscellaneous computer parts have been sold and
kept out of the landfill.
Total Cost Savings: $3,100,000.00
Details of Reductions
Electronic Waste
Comments: With the average cost of new computer systems at $2,000, public schools and
state agencies have saved at least $3,168,000.00 in 1997 by purchasing repaired
or rebuilt computers.
Electronic Waste
Comments: Broken monitors that would cost $15 each to landfill are sold to a refurbisher
for $5.75 each, producing a net savings/revenue of $20.75 per broken
monitor.
Hazardous Waste
Comments: Each refurbished computer is sold for $20 and has created approximately
$32,000 in revenue.
Additional Information :
The State Surplus Property Agency was selected as a Government Case Study in the
1997 Governors Award for Excellence in Waste Reduction competition.
