How your company can manage its e-waste responsibly and effectively
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E-waste is a growing issue for our environment. From improper disposal and lack of recycling, 83% of redundant electronics are discarded without being sustainably recycled. To help tackle the issues of e-waste, companies need to ensure they are getting rid of their old IT responsibly.
Why should your business recycle electronics?
Aside from doing your bit for the planet, there is a range of other benefits to responsibly managing your company e-waste, including:
- Reduced risk of data theft.
- Saved costs if a company chooses to refurbish and reuse kit.
- Ensures GDPR compliancy as any data held on an asset is destroyed.
- Improved company reputation and brand image.
How to start disposing of your E-waste
Begin a discussion
Surprisingly, 39% of companies destroy their electronics because they believe it is better for the environment. This is an increasing problem, miss information and lack of knowledge prevent businesses from moving forward with their e-waste disposal.
To rectify this, discussions need to be conducted within businesses about what they are currently doing with their redundant assets, and what can be improved.
Start small and expand
If your business doesn’t already recycle its e-waste, you can start small and build your processes over time. The best place to start with recycling your IT is to dig out old assets hidden in cupboards and storerooms and have it recycled. Unused assets, no matter how old, can still be recycled, and clearing out your currently unused kit prevents it from being thrown away and wasted.
Once your stored redundant assets are recycled, you can then move on to creating a plan for when your current assets need disposing of in the future.
Speak to a professional
The regulations and standards around how you recycle your company’s electronic waste can be confusing. To avoid fines and keep in line with set regulations, make sure you speak to a professional IT Asset Disposal company before agreeing for someone to take away your assets.
New 2020 classifications for types of E-waste restrict how some forms of WEEE (Waste electrical and electronic equipment) can be disposed of, so ensure you’re using a complying recycler by requesting certifications and asking about the recycling process.
How to improve your current E-waste procedures
Critique your current recycling process
If your company already has an E-waste management plan in place, it might be a good idea to review and evaluate it frequently to ensure it is keeping up with current regulations and expectations.
As time goes on, discoveries are being made about electronics and how we can recycle them. Because of this, keeping the same methods in place without updating them can result in them no longer being reliable.
Change your methods depending on your needs
Sometimes your business is going to need different services when dealing with old electronics. When replacing your old kit with a fleet of new ones, considered trading-in these assets for a rebate. This can potentially save your company from spending money on new equipment and prevents the generation of E-waste at the same time.
Along with this, you don’t need to destroy an asset with sensitive data on it. Data wiping offers the opportunity for that piece of kit to be completely wiped of all pre-existing data, making it suitable for reuse. This can be done for numerous devices and also prevents the need of buying entirely new assets.
We can help to recycle your company e-waste, learn about our Secure WEEE Recycling Service.
