Our Commitment to environmental and social causes
At Mac Plus, we are committed to environmental preservation and social causes through reducing electronic waste through our 3R approach: Repair, Repurpose and Recycle.
Repair: Macs in repairable conditions for sale to end users or second-hand dealers.
Repurpose: Suitable Macs are refurbished for donation to non-profit organisations.
Recycle: Macs that are beyond repair are stripped down to component levels. Parts that are usable are used for testing purposes. Unrepairable parts are recycled to recover precious metals.
Repurpose. Our Social Causes.
Macs Donated
At Mac Plus, we refurbish Macs to give them to low-income beneficiaries. Although we are a small business, we try our best to give small donations when we can. We have donated to Youth With A Mission, Fei Yue Family Service Centre and Nanyang Polytechnic. Macs that we Singaporeans find too old can make a big difference in improving the lives of people with low-income.
We are currently only taking in working Late 2013 or newer Macs for donation. iMacs needs to come with working keyboard and mouse.
Recycle. It Lowers Armed Conflict Through Lowering Demand For Conflict Minerals.
Singapore is the largest producer of electronic waste in Southeast Asia. Although we are a developed nation, our recycling efforts are far behind other developed nations. In many states in the US, it is illegal to dispose of electronic waste without sending them to a proper disposal facility.
The reason behind such laws is not merely for environmental conservation, but also due to social concerns. Macs, iPhones and ther electronic devices contain precious minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper, silver, platinum, tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold.
Tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold are often referred to as conflict minerals. These minerals are mined in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Warlords, rebels, and militia groups who sell such minerals have been involved in corruption, violence, rape and the murder of millions. The money made from the sale of such from such conflict minerals has been used to fund human rights atrocities in the DRC.
Although Apple has made attempts to source such minerals from conflict free zones and has assured consumers that their products are made from 100% conflict-free minerals, no one can be 100% sure of that fact as illegal sale of such minerals goes deep into the supply chains. We can do our part by recycling electronic waste and reducing our consumption.
What You Can Do.
Spread Awareness
Tell your friends what conflict minerals are. Below are links to information you can share with them.
Repair. Reduce.
Most Macs can be repaired. Reducing your consumption for newer devices helps to lower demand for conflict minerals.
If your Mac is bought in the last 5 years, upgrading it to a Solid-State Drive helps to speed it up such that it is even good enough for graphics work.
Repurpose. Recycle.
We only collect Macs for donation, and recycling. We are currently not buying in used Macs. Alternatively, you can drop off your device at locations listed.