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Date: Tuesday, 16 August 2005

Title: San Francisco recycles computers to help bridge ‘digital divide'

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/08/16/news/20050816_ne01_recycle.txt

Remarks: By Justin Jouvenal

In an effort to bridge the so-called "digital divide," San Francisco began recycling surplus computer parts so they can be transferred to community centers and low-income households around The City. Speaking near a stack of computer monitors at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the initiative saying The City had collected more than 4,000 monitors, keyboards, mice and other components from its different departments. The equipment will be transferred to Goodwill's Bay Area Computer Recycling Project, which will refurbish the parts before shipping them out. He said too many of The City's underprivileged do not have access to computers, which is a major impediment to a successful career and schooling. Newsom said the program also had another aim: reducing waste in city government. San Francisco's budget weighed in at more than $5 billion this year. "I'm trying to be more businesslike in city government," Newsom said. "Not everyone needs their own cell phone, not everyone needs their own copier or their own car at the taxpayers' expense." Newsom's administration has had some success in that regard, although he said The City still needs to do more. Figures from the Department of Administrative Services show the amount The City has paid for cell phones, car use and copiers for city employees has declined this year. All together, The City has saved nearly $6 million on those costs.