Welcome to our page dedicated to the Digital Cleanup Day. Here you will find all the information about the operation: purpose, how to organise a Cleanup, guides & tools available, etc.
Take action between 16 and 21 March 2026 !
Cleanup useless data
Give your equipment
a seconde life
Collecte your end-of-life equipment
1. About
The aim of the Digital Cleanup Day is to create the conditions for a global awareness of the environmental impact of digital technology by setting up sensitisation actions, federating, friendly and allowing us to take the first concrete step: on the one hand by cleaning up data and on the other hand by offering a second life to our digital equipment.
The Digital Cleanup Day takes place every year on the third Saturday of March. Citizens, companies, associations, schools, everyone can organise their own CleanUp using the tools provided.
The Digital Cleanup Day is an international action, that is part of the global movement “World Cleanup Day”, led by the NGO “Let’s do it world”. Our counterparts from INR France have set up a dedicated website for the initiative : https://digital-cleanup-day.fr/. On this page or our website, you will find similar content, also made available in English and Dutch.
The main message we want to send is to do everything possible to extend the life of your digital equipment and to give it a second life.
Check the methodology note for more information about the purpose of a the Digital Cleanup Day, the orders of magnitude of your actions, the methodological approach, and its limits.
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The Institute for Sustainable IT (ISIT-BE) organizes many events (webinars, workshops, conferences) all along the year.
👉 Browse all our events
2. Digital Cleanup Data
Clean up your data (office files, photos, applications, etc.) and declutter your equipment (computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc.). This way, you help extend the life of your digital equipment and you will feel lighter (the servers as well).
With this in mind, Cleanup Data has 3 major objectives :
- .Deleting files stored on your equipment has the ultimate objective of extending its life. The challenge is to help reduce the proportion of equipment that is replaced while it is still functional. Naturally, the size of the machine gradually slows it down, or even makes it impossible to update the operating system. This can therefore be identified as one of the causes of equipment renewal, along with marketing invective and, of course, the increasing demand for resources to run applications, web pages and operating systems. Limiting data storage on your equipment is a good way to take care of it so that it continues to work longer without slowing down and therefore feels less need to be changed.
- Deleting data from a local server is broadly in line with the previous objective. The challenge is to avoid the purchase of a new server (more powerful, larger storage capacity, etc.).
- Deleting data in the cloud is first and foremost about being aware of all the data being handled and transferred. Storage and transfer are intrinsically linked. The environmental cost of storage in the cloud is, according to studies published to date, a small part of the digital environmental footprint. The environmental cost of transferring data is slightly higher. The challenge is therefore above all to be able to be aware of the immense amount of data that we handle without always worrying about the size of each file transferred
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3. Digital Cleanup Reuse
Give a second life to your electronic devices (phones, tablets, …) which are sitting in a drawer somewhere. Take care of your smartphone and start repairing broken but still functional equipment so you that you can continue to use it for a long time to come.
Actors for Reuse in Belgium :
- Econocom (ISIT-BE member) : Econocom offers a wide range of ICT devices, services and financing options to help businesses meet their technology needs. With their Second Life IT offer, by purchasing your used or end-of-life devices that still have value, they enable you to give your ICT devices a traceable second life and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Out of Use (ISIT-BE member) : Out of Use is a one-stop-shop for all decommissioned and unused electronics from businesses, managing the recycling and refurbishment of all types of electronic equipment. They process a diverse range of materials, including laptops, servers, screens, and more, ensuring comprehensive service management. Out of Use also guarantees secure data destruction and compliance with CSRD legislation, helping companies achieve their ESG objectives. By enabling employees of client companies to purchase refurbished devices through their webshop, ‘Back in Use,’ they enhance the circular economy. Need a collection? Contact them : https://outofuse.be/en/request-your-pickBack Market :
- AIBrux is a social economy enterprise focused on fighting the digital divide, refurbishing and recycling computers as part of sustainable development, and reintegrating people into society by training breakdown technicians.
- Back Market is a platform (marketplace) that offers refurbished equipment. Its main asset is to promote reliability: each seller who is active on Back Market has to go through a selection process and is regularly checked.
- Close the Gap : Close the Gap collects donations of equipment from European companies to close the digital divide. This can help to implement the action globally, if you have branches outside of Belgium. Click here to donate : donations@close-the-gap.org
- iFixit : iFixit is an online plateform with manuals & tutorials to help you repair your IT equipment, find spare parts, buy repair tools, etc. iFixit is a member of “Right to Repair EU”.
- Les petits riens : Les Petits Riens accepts donations of computer equipment in good condition from individuals and companies. The equipment is checked and rehabilitated before being resold at low prices in their second-hand shops. The profits from the sales help finance numerous social projects in Belgium (socio-professional integration, shelters for homeless people and social services for people in precarious situations). To make a donation, there are several drop-off points in Brussels and Wallonia: https://petitsriens.be/dons-en-nature/
- Oxfam : Oxfam accepts donations of computer equipment from organisations, enabling them to refurbish the equipment for sale in their “Computer Shop”. ». To donate to Oxfam, you can contact Bertrand MbiaffiĂ©; they are looking specifically looking for laptops, PCs (desktops, mini-towers), screens, keyboards, mice, printers, smartphones and tablets.
- Repair Together : The Repair Together association represents the network of Repair Cafés in Brussels and Wallonia. In addition to the training courses they organise, you can find the next Repair Café near you in the agenda available on their website : https://repairtogether.be/en/agenda/repair-cafe-en/
- Right to Repair EU : European community advocating for the “Right to Repair”, fighting to remove the barriers to repair our products. For more information, you can also check this summary from the European work on the matter : https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2022/698869/EPRS_BRI(2022)698869_EN.pdf
- TIC Harmony : asbl approved as a social integration enterprise by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.
- Tictopia : Ccooperative active in the collection, repair and resale of IT equipment.
- An idea for a Belgian actor? Does your company offer similar services? Contact-us to be included in the list !
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4. Digital Cleanup Recycling
Set up a collection point for end-of-life equipment in order to hand them over to local eco-organisations. The aim is to encourage the development of a treatment process and to promote the e-waste recovery.
Actors for Recycling:
- CF2D : CF2D offers its customers a complete service for the management and removal of e-waste. You can also drop off your defective appliances at their workshop or in one of their collection points.
- Recupel : Recupel is the Belgian organisation responsible for the collection and recycling of e-waste. The association was created to support the legal obligation to take back these appliances, which stems from the European directive on e-waste. You can find all their collection points on their website : https://www.recupel.be/en/find-a-collection-point/
- Recupel – Recupel also offers a pick-up service for companies: https://pickup.recupel.be/?lang=en
- An idea for a Belgian actor? Does your company offer similar services? Contact-us to be included in the list !
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5. Guides & tools
- The methodology note of the Digital Cleanup Day
- Guides :
- Guide n°1 – Clean up your computer and your drive
- Guide n°2 – Clean up your smartphone and tablet
- Guide n°3 – Clean up your emails
- Guide n°4 – Clean up your social networks
- Need help to repair your equipment ? Check out iFixit : https://www.ifixit.com/
- Practical sheets :
- Template to collect & assess your results (for your own detailed report)
- Visual Pack (logos, graphic charter, pictos & more)
- “Do you know the 3R?” now it’s also common to talk about the 5R
- Bilan Ă©dition 2021 (FR)
- Bilan Ă©dition 2022 (FR)
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6. Organise your own Digital Cleanup
A Digital Cleanup is about taking some time – face-to-face and/or remote – to (as you wish):
- Carry out data cleaning operations
- Organise workshops to give a second life to digital equipment
- Suggest collection points for equipment that is no longer in use to ensure responsible management
To make it simple, follow these 4 key steps:
- Consult the practical sheet to know how to organise your Cleanup
- Consult the guides to prepare your Data Cleanup
- Make your colleagues aware of the issues and courses of action for a more Sustainable IT
- Take action! Don’t forget to measure your effort and share it with us
Your Digital Cleanup operation can be done alone or with others, privately or publicly, with your family or in a company, with just your team or with an entire department !
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7. Assess the results of your Cleanup
To take all the actions into consideration, please share your results with us via the international website : https://www.digitalcleanupday.org/
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