Businesses advised to turn worries into comercial advantage

While businesses and organisations have for some time been obligated to dispose of end-of-life IT equipment responsibly, the introduction of the EU’s new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive – which aims to minimise the environmental impact of electrical and electronic equipment by increasing re-use and recycling, and reducing the amount going to landfill – has become a cause for yet more concern.

Most businesses and organisations looking to dispose of redundant computer equipment believe they only have a few limited and costly options available to them, but e-cycle – part of Remploy, the UK’s leading provider of specialist employment services for disabled people – says many are inadvertently overlooking a lucrative opportunity to create and maximise a new revenue stream.

At present most businesses and organisations will either pay to take their end-of-life equipment to a local waste and recycling centre; hire a professional waste disposal service; or donate it to a good cause. While the latter option admittedly does not involve costs, all three come with another very real danger – that of confidential and important data potentially falling into the wrong hands.

By contrast, Remploy e-cycle can provide peace of mind to businesses and organisations by disposing of end-of-life IT equipment in compliance with all applicable legislation, including WEEE, and ensure that all data is completely removed from each unit. What’s more, its technicians can also refurbish equipment so that it can be returned to the business or organisation for redeployment, or, sold on to a third party, thereby generating additional revenue.

Tony Stroud, general manager for Remploy e-cycle, says: “Many businesses and organisations think IT equipment that is no longer functioning at full capacity has reached the end of its working life, but more often than not much of it can be refurbished to a standard whereby it can be re-deployed within the organisation or re-sold. In short, thousands of businesses and organisations across the UK are paying to get rid of equipment that doesn’t necessarily need to be disposed of and, as a result, are missing out on generating a potentially significant new revenue stream.

“The existing duty of care to dispose of IT equipment responsibly, coupled with new legislation such as the WEEE Directive, undoubtedly causes businesses and organisations considerable amounts of concern as well as frustration at not being able to find out their immediate obligations easily. Remploy e-cycle aims to remove these worries and turn an otherwise complex and costly situation into a commercial advantage.

“And, on top of all this, there is an additional corporate social responsibility benefit – any company or organisation working with Remploy is automatically helping to provide sustainable jobs for disabled people. It really is a win-win-win situation.”

In all instances, Remploy e-cycle arranges for the collection and transportation of the equipment – regardless of the organisation’s geographical location – while also offering a full order tracking facility.

In addition, Remploy e-cycle is a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher (MAR) and operates to the highest data destruction standards in the world, using specialised BLANCCO software which has been approved for both UK government and US Federal Government data cleansing.