Community · Abbotsford & the Fraser Valley
Recycle & Repurpose
Everyone should be able to get online. Give your old phone, computer or electronics a second life, and help someone who can't afford a device get the one they need. Donated devices are wiped, refurbished and given to people in need. What can't be fixed is recycled responsibly.
Donate a device📦 Mail it in freeNeed a device?📞 672-382-2202
Our mission
A phone or a computer is how people apply for jobs, see a doctor, bank, do homework, and talk to family. For many low-income people, seniors, students and job seekers, buying one just isn't possible. I repair and sell devices every day, and too many good ones end up in a drawer. This project connects the two: your unused device becomes someone else's way online.
This is a community project by a local repair shop. It is not a registered charity and no tax receipts are issued. It is not affiliated with any of the programs linked on this page.
Donate your device
Phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and related electronics, working or not. Drop-off or pickup by arrangement, or mail it in free.
✅ What I accept
- Smartphones and cell phones (any brand)
- Laptops, desktops and tablets
- Monitors, keyboards, mice, chargers and cables
- Routers, small printers, game consoles and other small electronics
- Broken devices too. If they can't be repaired they are recycled properly
Please no large appliances or loose batteries.
🔒 My data-wipe promise
Before any device goes to someone else, it's erased following the approach in NIST SP 800-88, the standard guide for media sanitization. You don't need to be worried about your photos, messages or passwords. For extra safety, sign out and reset your device first (tips below). Drives that can't be wiped reliably are not passed on.
I don't issue wipe certificates.
🚗 Drop-off or pickup
Drop-off: at the shop in Abbotsford, by arrangement. Pickup: can be arranged in some cases. Tell me your area in the form. Mail: see the free mail-in option below.
Call or text: 672-382-2202
Offer a donation
Tell me what you have and I'll get back to you, usually within one business day.
📦 Mail it in free
Can't get to Abbotsford? Mail it in. We'll email you a free prepaid shipping label. I'll send it to the email you give, usually within a few business days, not instantly.
How mail-in works
- Fill in the short form below.
- I email you a prepaid Canada Post label at no cost to you.
- Pack your device (tips on the right) and drop it off at a post office.
- I wipe it, refurbish it and pass it on, or recycle it responsibly.
Mail-in is for working devices with undamaged batteries. Canada Post doesn't allow mailing damaged, defective or recalled batteries, or batteries sent for disposal. Broken devices can be dropped off in person.
Packing tips
- Remove the SIM card and any memory cards and keep them.
- Sign out of every account: Apple ID / iCloud (turn off Find My), Google account, Microsoft account and Samsung account. A device that is still locked to your account can't be reused.
- Back up what you want to keep, then do a factory reset if you can. If you can't, don't worry: I wipe it either way.
- Power it off so it can't switch on in transit, and put in a charger if you have one (optional).
- Protect the battery: only mail working devices with undamaged batteries. Don't mail anything with a swollen, leaking, hot or damaged battery. Keep spare lithium batteries out of the box unless you've tape-covered the terminals.
- Pack tight: a strong, rigid box, wrap each device, fill the gaps so nothing moves, and tape it well. Canada Post says electronics travel at your own risk unless packed to its guidelines.
- Lithium battery rules (Canada Post): devices with batteries installed (up to 4 cells or 2 batteries, which covers phones, tablets and most laptops) need no special label. Loose lithium batteries, or batteries packed alongside a device, need a lithium battery mark and go by ground only. Lithium batteries can only be mailed within Canada and to the U.S.
Source: Canada Post, ABCs of mailing: batteries and electronic goods.
Request a free shipping label
Need a device?
If you can't afford a phone or computer, ask. There's no charge.
Who can apply, in plain words
- Low income: money is tight and a device isn't something you can buy right now.
- Seniors: you want to stay connected to family, doctors and services.
- Students: you need a device for school or homework.
- Job seekers: you need a phone or computer to apply, interview or work.
You don't need to prove your income to apply. I'll call or email, ask a few simple questions, and match devices as they come in. Supply depends on donations, so there may be a wait, and I can't promise a particular model.
Apply for a device
How it works
From your drawer to someone's hands.
Collect
You donate by drop-off, pickup arrangement or mail. Nothing is promised sight unseen: each device is checked first.
Wipe
Every device is erased following the approach in NIST SP 800-88 before anyone else touches it.
Refurbish
Working devices are cleaned, updated, tested, and fixed where it's practical (a new screen or battery, for example).
Give
Refurbished devices go to people who applied and need them. Where one is a good fit, I match it to the person.
Recycle
Anything that can't be repaired goes to a proper electronics recycler, not the landfill.
Other helpful resources
Real programs that help people get online. They are independent organizations, and I am not partnered with or endorsed by any of them. Check each site for current rules, since offers change.
Return-It Electronics (BC)
Free, province-wide drop-off for old electronics that can't be reused, run by the BC e-waste program. Find a depot near you.
Find a Return-It depot ↗Computers for Schools Plus
A federal program that refurbishes donated computers for schools, not-for-profits and eligible low-income Canadians, through local affiliates.
How to receive a computer ↗Electronic Recycling Association
A national non-profit that offers free electronics pickup in the Lower Mainland, including Abbotsford, and donates refurbished computers to registered non-profits, charities and schools.
ERA pickups in BC ↗Connecting Families (low-cost internet)
Government of Canada program: home internet for $10 or $20 a month for eligible families and seniors who receive an invitation letter. Those who qualify can also ask for a low-cost device while supplies last.
Connecting Families details ↗TELUS Connecting for Good
Low-cost phone and internet plans for eligible seniors, families and people with disabilities. Check the program page for current rules and prices.
TELUS programs ↗Tech Savvy Seniors, Abbotsford
Free drop-in help with phones and computers for adults 55+, Mondays and Wednesdays 10 am to noon at Matsqui Recreation Centre. Phone 604-245-8410.
Abbotsford Association for Healthy Aging ↗Fraser Valley Regional Library
A free library card gives you free internet, wifi and basic computer and internet classes at the Abbotsford Community and Clearbrook libraries.
Library details ↗Literacy Matters Abbotsford
Free tutoring for adults, including basic computer skills, through Access2English.
Adult programs ↗Questions
Is this a charity? Do I get a tax receipt?
No. This is a community effort run by Mikey's Cell Phone & Computer Repair & Sales. It is not a registered charity, so I can't issue tax receipts. If you need a receipt, the national programs linked below do offer them through their own affiliates.
Do the people who get devices have to pay?
No. Refurbished devices are given free to approved applicants while supply lasts. Supply depends on what's donated, so there can be a wait.
What if my device is broken?
Tell me anyway. If I can fix it, it can still help someone. If not, I'll send it for proper electronics recycling. The one exception is mailing: Canada Post does not allow mailing damaged, defective or recalled batteries, or batteries sent for disposal, so please only mail working devices.
Can you guarantee my data is gone?
I wipe every device before it goes to anyone else, following NIST SP 800-88, the standard guide for media sanitization. You should also sign out and reset your own device first (tips below), which is the best protection. I don't issue wipe certificates.
How do you decide who gets a device?
In plain words: if you're on a low income, a senior, a student or looking for work and can't afford a device, apply. I'll contact you, ask a few simple questions and match devices as they become available. I won't ask for tax returns, SIN, or bank details.
Is my information kept?
The forms send your details to me by email and are kept like any other request on this site, only to reply to you and arrange the donation or device. Please don't put SIN, banking or health card numbers in a form.