Waste and Disposal of Equipment

While it sounds like common sense to recycle hardware, what is not commonly known is that some recyclers do not actually recycle the materials, and a significant amount of waste is shipped to countries like India and China where components can be extracted at a lower cost.  Environmental laws in these countries, although relatively strict, are often not enforced in rural areas where this processing often occurs.

Most commercial IT equipment has inherent value at the end of its life.  This value can potentially provide additional revenue at the time of disposal.  For this reason, you should consider asset recovery vendors before recycling for obsolete equipment.

The development of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive), an EU initiative, has increased focus on end-of-life management of products .  The WEEE Directive came into effect in January 2007 with the intention to “minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment, by increasing re-use and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. ”  The primary method for achieving this goal is to make manufacturers responsible for the costs involved in collecting, treating, and recovering electronic waste.  Although many manufacturers have had asset recovery programs in place for many years, the attention on WEEE has resulted in more marketing by manufacturers and consumer awareness.  In addition, many manufacturers are developing equipment that is easier to take apart and easier to recycle.  This feature is a criterion in the IEEE 1680-2006 Standard that is the basis for the EPEAT registration system.

Many IT buyers are now also including an asset disposal requirement in RFPs.

Check out the WEEE directive site for more information on what the UK is doing to manage electronic waste.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/weee/page30269.html

On July 15, 2008, IDC released the criteria (and the first companies to be certified) for their new asset recovery certification program called Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E).  For more on this development, read Certification for IT Asset Disposal.

Looking for ways to improve your IT department's environmental performance?  Check out our Green IT Guide and Toolkit.