The Digital Poverty Alliance is urging Scottish and Welsh election candidates to support its call for no public sector device to end up as waste.

The charity said nine per cent of people in Scotland remain offline, and old laptops and computers could be better used to help young and old people without internet access to get online – rather than recycled or sent to landfill.

According to the charity: “Digital exclusion is rising, driven by the cost-of-living crisis and the increasing pace of digital transformation. Access to a suitable device remains one of the key barriers for children, working-age adults and older people affected by this deepening issue.

“In Scotland, 9% of the population is offline. In Wales, around 7% of people are offline. But the figures are higher for those who are under-connected: people who may use a smartphone to send messages, but lack the confidence, skills or access needed to take part fully in a digital world.”

Across the UK, 11 million people lack the most basic digital skills, including turning on a device, changing the volume, setting passwords or saving files, the DPA says. Among children, 40% of digitally deprived families surveyed by the DPA said their child could not use a well-known search engine.

“This is a growing issue, and one that demands practical action,” a spokesperson said.

The DPA is calling on election candidates in Scotland and Wales to support its ‘No laptop into landfill‘ campaign for no public sector device to end up as waste, unless beyond repair or re-use.

Each year, thousands of computers are discarded by public sector organisations. In Wales alone, a Freedom of Information request last year found that public sector organisations took more than 22,000 laptops and phones out of service, but only 3,144 were donated for reuse. The remaining 17,633 were recycled, incinerated or sent to landfill.

The spokesperson added: “While these devices may no longer be efficient for enterprise-level use in a government department, local authority or public body, they could still be transformational for a child doing homework, a single mother looking for work, or an older person trying to access healthcare. All of these now often require digital access.”

They added: “Charities like ours, working with communities across Scotland and Wales, can offer cost-neutral, highly secure and environmentally responsible alternatives to crushing, recycling or disposing of usable technology. We are already working with the UK Government in Whitehall, but there are thousands more devices that could be ring-fenced for families and communities in Scotland and Wales. Wherever possible, we want devices from an area to remain in that area.”