Community Computer Upcycle

Computer hardware UpCycling program

Everyday in the US thousands of still usable computers are thrown into landfills or disassembled for recycling. During 2025 this number is likely to be higher than normal as Microsoft plans to discontinue support for Windows 10 in October and has declared some older computers to be ineligible for upgrade to Windows 11. Some users will be left to continue using computers no longer receiving security updates. But most of these computers can be up-cycled for many more years of productive use.

The Solution: Linux Inside

The majority of computers run Microsoft Windows. Other operating systems include Apple’s macOS and Google’s Chrome OS. But there is another option many people may not have heard of: Linux. While Windows, macOS and Chrome OS are proprietary products with development focused on operation on the newest, most powerful computer hardware, Linux is free and open source, designed to be efficient and useful even on the oldest hardware.

Apps Included

In day-to-day use Linux is comparable to Windows and macOS but the apps you’ll find on a Linux computer are, like the OS itself, free and open source software (FOSS). Your Linux computer comes preinstalled with productivity apps like Libre Office which is comparable to Microsoft Office. Libre Office includes a full suite of apps: Writer for word processing and page layout, Calc for spreadsheets, Draw for creating vector art and Impress for creating presentations.

You’ll find other open source apps like the Firefox web browser installed along with Thunderbird which includes email, calendar and contact management. Thousands of other apps are also available as free downloads from the included software manager.

Your New Up-Cycled Hardware

Our program offers one Up-Cycled computer per household. While we cannot offer a warranty on used equipment we have checked that each device functions as expected after it has been installed with a fresh, up-to-date version of Linux Mint. Even more, we want you to succeed with your new computer and offer an optional, new user set-up and orientation when you pick-up your computer during which time we’ll give you a brief overview of Linux and cover a few basics to help get you started.

Ongoing opportunities for training

We want to help you get the most out of your Up-Cycled computer! Check back soon as we’re planning to offer tutoring and small group classes on basic and advanced app usage. Until then, get started with our Quick Start Guide to Linux!