ABOUT ERA
The Electronic Reusing Association is a nonprofit dedicated to extending the life of electronics through responsible collection, refurbishment, and donation. Founded in Calgary in 2004, the ERA network has served communities across Canada, Chile, Madagascar, Bosnia and beyond for over 20 years — and we’re now growing that work across the United States, with warehouses in South Florida and a presence in Chicago and Houston.
OUR STORY
In 1996, Bojan Paduh emigrated from Croatia to Canada with his family. They couldn't bring much with them. A church group gave him a donated computer — and that one machine changed the direction of his life, eventually leading him into computer science.
Years later, Bojan watched perfectly working computers being dumped at a landfill. He started collecting and fixing them himself, and in 2004 he founded the Electronic Recycling Association in Calgary — because he knew firsthand what a donated computer means to a family that can't afford one.
In October 2018, ERA announced its expansion into the United States under the name Electronic Reusing Association. Today the US team runs warehouses in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with a presence in Chicago and Houston — part of a network that has been at this work for more than two decades.
Bojan remains ERA's Founder and President.
“At ERA, we believe technology should be accessible to everyone.” — Bojan Paduh, Founder & President, May 2026
MILESTONES
From one founder in Calgary to refurbishment hubs, donation programs and community partners across four continents.
Bojan Paduh founds the Electronic Recycling Association in Calgary, Alberta.
The network expands to Vancouver.
ERA receives an Alberta Emerald Award and opens a Toronto depot.
Shell Canada donates $1 million worth of technology through ERA, benefiting First Nations communities.
ERA announces its US expansion under the name Electronic Reusing Association.
First US donations in Seattle, including 20 laptops to Southwest Youth & Family Services.
The COVID-era “Lending a Lifeline by Lending Laptops” program launches, and ERA's annual scholarship competition begins.
The network collaborates with Quebec's Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Gilles Bélanger.
ERA USA operates warehouses in Fort Lauderdale & West Palm Beach, with a presence in Chicago and Houston.
THE NETWORK IN NUMBERS
OUR MISSION
We refurbish working electronics and place them with students, schools and nonprofits who need them. Devices that can't be reused are recycled to certified downstream partners — never sent overseas, never to a landfill.
OUR VISION
We see a future where every business has a secure, transparent way to retire IT assets — and where every retired device becomes an opportunity for someone else to learn, work or connect.
WHAT WE DO
Every device we collect is logged, securely wiped or physically destroyed to NIST standards, and routed for the highest reuse value possible. Working hardware is refurbished and donated. Broken hardware is recycled responsibly through audited downstream partners.
Businesses receive certificates of data destruction, serialized asset reports, and a real-world impact statement showing where their retired equipment ended up.
WHERE WE OPERATE
ERA is an international refurbishment and donation network. We run pickups, refurbishment hubs and community programs out of the cities below, and ship refurbished devices to verified education partners around the world.
United States · growing
Fort Lauderdale & West Palm Beach (warehouses), Chicago, Houston
Canada
Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax
International
Copiapó, Chile · Antananarivo, Madagascar · Ilidža, Bosnia
CAREERS
E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams — and managing it responsibly creates green jobs. As we grow across the United States, we're looking for people who want their work to keep electronics in use and out of landfills.
