The machines, which would qualify as waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) are to find a second life in Africa, where they will be re-used instead of recycled.

Companies such as AIB and PricewaterhouseCoopers partnered with the not-for-profit group Camara, based in the Digital Hub.

The organisation, which was set up by former investment banker Cormac Lynch, received a donated premises and counts on the voluntary work of various technical workers to prepare the computers to be sent abroad.

Cyber Crime specialists at University College Dublin, ensure than none of the original data is left on the computers.

“We spend a lot of time trying to educate people that there’s an alternative to just recycling,” Lynch told Silicon Republic.

“The stuff people throw away could make a huge difference to people’s lives in Africa. It feeds into education and makes a difference.”

He added: “We get angry when we hear about organisations throwing old machines away without thinking whether they could be reused.

“Dialogue with companies is very important in order to make them comfortable and many agree it’s senseless destroying these wonderful machines that could be put to good use.”

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