Karl Cushing reports on the options available for disposing of
electronic equipment in the EU's Green Age.
Disposing of old IT equipment has become more pressing with the
passing of European directives aimed at ensuring old IT hardware is
disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment. The Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive became EC law
on 13 February and will become law in the UK by August 2004. The
directive encourages the safe disposal of old electrical equipment
through recycling and refurbishment. From 2005, IT suppliers will
be responsible for collecting and safely disposing of equipment
sold to customers.
The impact of WEEE will be compounded by the Restriction of
Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment
directive, which states that from 1 July 2006 electrical and
electronic equipment for sale must not contain a number of
materials including lead, mercury and cadmium.
Although the directives place the burden of responsibility on
suppliers, IT departments and businesses also need to be prepared
not least because, until 2005, unless they are replacing hardware
they will probably be responsible for getting rid of the old
equipment.
"From an IT manager's point of view this is still important. They
need a policy in place so they are seen to be conforming with the
directives," says Phil Reakes, managing director of recycling and
reuse firm Selway Moore.
Organisations such as Intellect, an association that represents the
IT, telecoms and electronics industries, have also urged IT leaders
to get to grips with the WEEE directive and factor it into their
upgrade cycles.
But just how do you get rid of old hardware?
Donate to charity
While old equipment may be defunct to you it could be useful
elsewhere. London-based charity Computer Aid International, for
example, will pick up old kit for a small fee. CAI refurbishes
hardware and sends it to not-for-profit organisations in the
developing world. Unusable equipment is sent to its recycling
partner, Silver Lining, to strip the 95% of parts that can be
recycled and dispose of the rest.
The charity wipes data from the machines free of charge. It only
asks that the size of the load is quite large and, in the case of
PCs, they are at least Pentium 1 machines.
One organisation that has chosen this route is University College
London. Brigitte Picot, divisional co-ordinator for the college's
education and information support division, says the university has
disposed of more than 700 PCs in this way since the scheme began
two years ago. The college, she says, has more than 10,000 PCs and
the constant need for more powerful machines means a maximum
upgrade cycle of three years. The university pays about £60 for a
van-load of about 150 PCs to be collected and a small cost to cover
any that need to be recycled.
Sell it on and recoup the revenue
Alternatively you could give your old equipment to a specialist
company which will refurbish it and sell it on. This may not be as
virtuous as donating PCs to charity, but avoids the landfill option
and can generate revenue.
BT is setting up a scheme that is a mixture of the above two ideas.
When the company replaces hardware, third-party firm Computacenter
takes it, cleans it and sells it on. The revenue is split between
charities and the department disposing of the equipment. "We're
safely, cleanly disposing of old equipment whilst giving money to
charity," says Adam Oliver, head of information access at BT. "You
have to be very careful about the disposal of old kit. If something
goes wrong with it you could be liable."
He also points to the implications of the Data Protection Act when
disposing of hard discs and the need to wipe data held on
them.
The point is also flagged up by Phil Reakes, who urges IT directors
to factor in legislation such as the Data Protection Act when
disposing of old hardware. "This is a security issue, not just an
environmental issue," he warns.
Upgrade old kit
Upgrading ageing hardware is an increasingly viable option. The
price of components such as memory chips these days makes it
possible to extend the life of PCs and servers.
Lengthening the upgrade cycle of hardware could save your budget
while leaving you safe in the knowledge that you are being green in
the process.
Employee purchase schemes
Reakes recommends the tried-and-tested technique of staff purchase
schemes for ageing hardware. It can recoup revenue spent on IT and
have the advantage of building relations with staff who may view
this as a perk.
When all else fails, recycle
When equipment is beyond all use yet not old enough for the museum,
it should be recycled. After 2005 the onus will be on the supplier
to collect hardware it has sold and pay for it to be recycled.
Until then it is down to the user. Recycling can be costly, but it
is better for the environment than the landfill option.
And finally, while it does not solve the problem of getting rid of
old IT kit, you could buy refurbished equipment. This option saves
money as long as you ensure that all refurbished kit you buy comes
with a full warranty.
Five ways of disposing of old hardware
- Donate it to a charity
- Give it to third party such as Computacenter which can sell it
on and recoup revenue
- Upgrade old kit
- Set up an employee purchase scheme
- If all else fails, recycle it.
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