Something you need to know about Electronic Waste from your Office

Every business that calls itself modern relies heavily on electronic equipment to succeed and prosper. The modern office is laden with electronic wizardry that ranges from computers to printers to scanners to telephones and such, equipment you would list in the perishable category.

And that’s where the problem starts. When electronics disposal needs to be done, you would gawk at the number of businesses that don’t know how to best deal with the scourge that is e-waste.

Throwing away electronic equipment is not an option: filling up landfills is not just found to be unpalatable by the environment; it’s against the law even. Electronic waste comprises toxic materials that are released into the soils from landfill sites. These include toxic elements like lead, mercury and arsenic, elements whose impact on humans and other living beings is devastating.

Knowing this, why don’t some people recycle their old equipment? Convenience has been used as an age-old excuse you would be surprised it’s still applicable today. Most businesses that don’t recycle either haven’t thought about it, can’t be bothered, or are just too lazy to go the small distance of recycling; a practice that could even earn them some money.

And there is the other issue of security concerns that need to be addressed when it comes to computer recycling. There have been cases of some fidgety fingers penetrating used computers that had been wiped clean to recover sensitive data and information. In real sense though, these are mostly hard drives that hadn’t been professionally cleaned or sanitized.

Better Options

Anyway, when it comes to recycling, businesses have great options out there that should free up storage space and earn money either directly or indirectly.

One of these ways is to donate the old equipment to a charity or non-profit organization, whether locally or abroad. In fact, donations could even qualify your business for tax rebates and you should confirm this before disposing your IT assets.

Additionally, you could enquire from your IT equipment supplier if they have a buy-back program in place that gets rid of unwanted equipment which they proceed to recycle. Chances are, they will.

The other option is to make use of electronic waste recycling companies who will indeed dismantle the old equipment to harvest any functional parts that could be reused or resold.

Old electronics could be reused and put into better use

You need to be careful when contracting this service to third parties though. Reason is because you could be putting your business out to dry if you happen to pass on used computers and IT equipment to unscrupulous dealers.

Do your research well before settling for a reputable e-waste recycling company because if you happen to land a good one, they should be in a position to offer very reasonable advice not just on the e-waste currently at hand. They should be able to advise on how best to leverage old IT equipment to maximize returns.

If it’s not a route you’ve taken or contemplated before, now would be a good time to.