Some 12.5 million unwanted PCs or laptops in the UK have
not beenre-used or recycledby their owners
over the past five years.
Research by Fujitsu Siemens Computers reveals the wastage.
Fujitsu says more than one million computers have been dumped in
household rubbish or even in the countryside, with about 25% of
users taking unwanted machines to their local tip.
The existing waste is a result of only one in two
unwanted computers being recycled or donated to another person
over the past five years, said Fujitsu.
Only one in 10 Brits said their discarded computer was actually
recycled via a manufacturer's recycling facility, and four in 10
said they had given their old computer to a friend or charity.
Fujitsu said municipal tips now needed dedicated IT and
electrical waste staff at sites to prevent potentially useful
machines being tossed into landfill piles.
The Fujitsu findings come six months after the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive passed into
law, which dictates that users can return unwanted electronic items
to retailers and suppliers to be safely recycled.