News19,135 Articles

November 11, 2009

92% of firms don't care about PC recycling

New campaign aims to boost re-use

Carrie-Ann Skinner

More than nine out of ten businesses don't care whether their old PCs could be reused elsewhere, says Remploy.

Research by the IT refurbisher revealed that only eight percent were concerned about making sure old computers could be put to good use elsewhere, despite the fact that 73 percent of companies surveyed claimed they were recycling old equipment.

According to Remploy, IT recycling that does take place is more likely to cover components than old PCs.

With this in mind, the company has launched a 'Re-use IT' campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of IT equipment being sent to landfills by encouraging its re-use once all pre-existing data has been securely erased.

Remploy e-cycle general manager Malcolm Watson said: "The importance of reusing things is now well understood for many types of waste, both in the office and at home, yet for some reason IT equipment such as laptops, printers, mobile phones and PDAs seem to be treated differently.

"As businesses and individuals alike we need to consider the environmental impact of all that we undertake. Disposal of our IT equipment is no different so I strongly urge everyone to support re-use wherever possible," he added.

Small business IT advice

See also: Developing countries a dumping ground for old PCs

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Comments received


Jon Selby said on Thursday, 12 November 2009

Tier 1 totally support the Remploy view that re-use is far better than recycling, especially when so many organisations have KPI's based on sustainability as part of their waste reduction and CSR initiatives. Tier 1 would also emphasise that Corporates wishing to ensure the re-use of their end of life IT equipment should use a specialist with H.M. Government I.A Standard No. 5 - Government approved data security standards, to ensure that their data is not compromised as part of the disposal and re-use process.

Anja ffrench, Computer Aid International said on Thursday, 12 November 2009

The news from Remploy is shocking. Research has proven it’s twenty times better for the environment to re-use a PC, rather than recycle it down to its component parts. 80% cent of the energy used in a PC's lifetime is consumed during manufacture, before it is switched on for the first time, so extending the life of computers is critical if we are to dilute their impact on the environment.

The WEEE Directive prioritises the re-use of equipment over recycling and Computer Aid has saved over 5,000 tons of usable PCs and laptops from being recycled down to component parts or being sent to landfill.

Organisations including Virgin, Orange and Sainsbury’s have recognised the social and environmental benefits of donating their PCs and laptops for reuse, ensuring compliance with WEEE legislation, while boosting their CSR programmes and environmental credentials. We support Remploy in urging others to follow their lead.

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