Jun 4 2013
For ethical and practical reasons many companies, organizations and small businesses are now keen to start recycling their old and redundant computer equipment but are unsure how to start. With this step-by-step guide, we will explain what needs to be done to prepare your equipment for recycling and provide a brief summary of what options are available for recycling.
Step One - Identify Equipment to be Collected
This sounds like a very obvious and basic step, but you would be amazed at how many organizations have no idea which departments have redundant IT equipment, or even the amount of equipment they have in store. A quick phone call or email to each department asking them for the amount of items they have would normally save you a lot of time and hassle later on.
Step Two - Identify Services Required
Once you have identified the quantity, and perhaps even the age and quality of computer equipment which is to be recycled, you will need to decide which services you require.
(a) Collections - Are you able to deliver the equipment to the recycling site or will you require them to collect? Please remember that most companies will charge you for collection. Some may charge you a one-off fee while others may charge by the item. Depending on how many items you have, you should decide which is the most cost-effective.
(b) Equipment Tracking and Certification - Do you require a full breakdown of all equipment disposed of and a certification of discharged liability? Some companies require these and other documentation for auditing and other corporate responsibility purposes.
(c) Sensitive Data Removal - Most companies hesitate to send their computers for recycling or reuse because of the fear that the sensitive data in their PCs may be extracted and used for unscrupulous purposes. Your reputable recycling/reuse organization should be able to offer you a solution in certified drive wiping on request or else, you can ask your IT department to remove all data before the PCs go out. Remember that removing the data will take time, and allow at least 1 week for this to take place, or more if you have a large number of PCs.
(d) Broken and Hazardous Materials - Certain broken and non-reusable electronic items are considered hazardous. Monitors are obviously one example, with broken glass. However, other items can also be hazardous if they have leaking parts, or have been left in the rain, or are rusty. You have to ensure that your chosen recycling/reuse organization are licensed and insured to take these broken materials away. Because of the hazardous nature of these items, you will most likely be charged higher disposal costs to take them away and dispose of them through an authorized specialist.
(e) Employee Schemes and Charitable Donations - Some companies would like their equipment sold to employees or donated to charities, but do not want to deal with the administrative hassle of doing so. Certain recycling organizations such as ERA.CA (http://www.era.ca) will collect your equipment and set up these schemes for you whereby some of the old computers can go to you designated charity. Please note that charities may not always accept equipment if they are older than their current PCs.
Step Three - Select a Recycling Organization
After deciding which services your company requires, you should select a recycling organization which will meet all your needs. If your equipment is not re-usable some parts of it can still be useful to charities and those community groups always check with your recycling organization to ensure re-use is maximized first as re-use required less energy waste than recycling so it must always be a preferred option. Once you have selected a recycling organization and set a date for collection, remember to collate all your redundant equipment into one place. Also ensure that the front staff are aware of the of collection details.
If you would like The Electronic Recycling Association to help you organize a recycling event for your company or your community please contact us. [email protected] 1-403.262.4488
Source: http://www.era.ca/