The correct disposal of your old IT equipment is much easier than you might think, most businesses will go through a process or replacing old computers and equipment that just isn’t up to the job anymore. But alongside this upgrading of technology comes the responsibility of what to do with the older kit.
What do I do with my old IT Equipment?
We always advocate the 3 r’s
Reuse – wherever possible old computers and the like should always be reused, this may mean each unit as a whole, or by breaking down and reusing different elements of your IT equipment.
Recycle – where the reuse of equipment isn’t possible, recycling individual components is the next step. This might mean melting down different materials to be used in new products for example.
Reduce – In an ideal reducing your use of electrical equipment is ideal, but in a business this isn’t always possible. But your environmental impact is your responsibility regardless. Make sure you old IT kit is dealt with correctly and ethically, any professional company you use will have the necessary certification and licenses so do ask to see their credentials.
Recycling doesn’t have to be difficult
A specialist IT recycling company will collect your old equipment, they will assess what can be reused and what can be recycled. Depending on a number of factors this may or may not be a free service (please contact us for individual quotes (link to contact page)). They will separate out any items for recycling, break them down by materials and make sure that these are passed on to be reused again. The idea is for as much as possible to be reused or recycled and as close to zero as is attainable to go into landfill.
They will also be able to remove any data from computers to ensure that the information kept on them is destroyed, therefore protecting yourselves again any data protection leaks. Simply manually deleting files does not mean that they cannot be obtained from your computer, the data wiping has to be done by professionals to ensure that the information is gone for good.
Some General Recycling facts
- A wide variety of raw materials including paper, plastic, metal, glass, electronics and textiles can be recycled. In fact, probably a lot more than you may realise.
- Recycling helps to conserve our natural resources
- 2000 pounds of recycled paper can actually help to save over 17 trees, that’s over 350 gallons of oil, and landfill space.
- Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the general waste bin could be recycled.
- Recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials
- It takes 24 trees to make 1 ton of newspaper.
- Nearly all electrical equipment can be reused or recycled
- If the electrical equipment is still in full working order why not donate to charity rather than throw away.
- Some councils accept household electrical equipment at their waste recycling centres.
- Try to buy electrical items that have a longer life span, sometimes spending a bit more money up front can save over the longer term.
- In the UK we have over 50,000 bottole banks, each one can hold around 3,000 bottles.
- The average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles and only 270 of those are recycled.