Computer Recycling

At buy-it-back.com we are constantly helping companies rethink there I.T strategies in these challenging times. We specialise in Buying Back redundant Servers, network switches, Hdd storage, desktops, laptops tablets and IP telephones. This allows your company to purchase home solutions for your staff by using capital from the sale of your now redundant office Hardware , resulting in cost effective home solutions without breaking the bank.

We arrange to Buy your I.T hardware, collect, data erase all hdd’s with certification and pay you quickly to allow you to use the money to help keep your business running from staffing at home or due to relocation.

Excess I.T equipment rarely goes up in value so let us help you maximise any residual values immediately.

If you would like more information on how we have been assisting our clients and more importantly how we can help your business please email us info@buy-it-back.com or call on 01621-786860

In these uncertain and challenging times businesses are looking at ways to cut costs and streamline their business models. One of the first steps seems to be allowing employees to set up and work from home and this could become the norm in the future. The savings are two pronged one for the employee cutting down on travelling and social costs and for the companies the opportunity to downsize there office space and make massive savings on rent and rates.

Many companies can help fund this new business model by utilising there current desktop technology and offering it to employees at home or use a company like www.BUY-IT-BACK.com to come in and Buy Back there office Servers, Switches, hdd storage, desktops, monitors,  IP phones etc to help fund new laptops for home use.

If you have excess I.T or telecoms hardware please feel free to contact us for a free valuation. tel 01621-786860  or www.buy-it-back.com where there is an enquiry form.

Finding the right premises for your business can be a difficult decision, whether you are first time business owners or you are relocating your business to even bigger and better premises. So check out some of our tips below to help you to find the perfect premises for your business.

Prioritise what you really need

Unfortunately it is very unlikely that you will ever find the absolutely perfect premises for your business, so at some point you will inevitably have to compromise. Therefore it is a good idea to draw up a list of one or two things that are absolutely vital and then work down from there to other points that would be good and then finally don’t forget to include some of the things that really don’t matter to you either way – you’ll be surprised how much that will help to focus your mind on the things that do!

Location, location, location

It may sound like a cliche but location really does matter. Whether you are looking to be easily accessible for your customers or to attract the right staff, your location should be a key deciding factor.

Buy or rent?

Whilst renting may feel like it gives you more flexibility, especially in the first years of a new business, it is always important to remember that it may not be as secure. Also you may find that in many areas, your monthly rent can far outweigh any mortgage repayments. Also by buying property this can be classed as a business asset, increasing the value of your business and acting as an investment for the future.

Legal considerations

Before you commit to anything make sure that you have checked out all of the legal considerations for your chosen property. Does it have the right licence, or have you ensured that you will be granted one? What about building safety regulations such as structural, fire, ventilation, heating and space? Also consider your premises’ accessibility and if there are any specific restrictions in your area such as waste disposal or unloading time constraints?

And finally, once you have found the right property for you, you then have to consider the practicalities and impacts on your business of the move – especially if you are relocating an existing business.

But don’t worry, it needn’t all be doom and gloom. An office move can be a great way to refresh your business, getting rid of all those cupboards full of things that you really don’t need any more and finding a space that really works for you.

Also many businesses will use a premises move as an excuse to upgrade their existing IT, telecoms and other tech. Rather than paying to move all of your old and unwanted IT and computer equipment to your new offices, why not start afresh with a great new set of kit?

But then what do you do with your old and unwanted electronics and what about the money that you could be losing by doing so? Well don’t worry! Simply contact Buy IT Back and we can work with you to clear out your old tech, ensuring that it is either recycled or reused to the highest environmental standards – and we can even pay you for doing so!

To find out more about getting paid for your old and unwanted IT, telecoms and other electronic equipment contact Buy IT Back today.

Conflict elements is the term given to rare minerals and metals whose extraction has been linked to both environmental and humanitarian issues – and many of these are the elements that form the cornerstone of the electronics that we use in both our personal and professional lives.

Currently the list of conflict elements includes; gold, tantalum, tungsten and tin, with calls for further elements such as cobalt, silicon, aluminium, copper and lead to be added to the list of officially designated conflict elements. Each of these are finite materials with significantly diminishing amounts of them remaining in their natural state, making them a precious and valuable resource. However many of these elements are only found in countries with unstable political and economic climates along with significant concerns raised in their human rights records.

The four official conflict elements are mined almost exclusively (apart from gold, 60% of which goes to the jewellery industry) for use in the electronics industry:

• Gold – as we saw in our last blog post, gold is used in electronics due to its high levels of conductivity and it’s low corrosion rates.
• Tantalum – due to it’s high melting point, high levels of conductivity, low levels of corrosion and it being one of the few metals that is almost entirely resistant to acidic solutions, tantalum is prized for use in electronic capacitors and high powered resistors.
• Tungsten – is a strong, dense metal that can retain a great amount of heat without melting. It’s main uses are in both electronics and aerospace applications, along with lighting filaments and heating elements.
• Tin – having a very low melting point makes tin an ideal material for use in the soldering processes and compounds that are employed to connect elements in electronic circuit boards.

Whilst being incredibly important in the manufacture of electronics these elements are not only becoming rarer in the natural world, but are also most commonly found in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this area there is evidence that the mines producing these elements are controlled by violent groups who use the profits to finance armed groups or perpetrators of violence.

There are also reports of mines in conflict areas employing child labour, modern slavery and extremely hazardous working conditions to maximise the available profit, that then purportedly goes on to finance both sides of the bloody civil war that has been raging in the area for the last 15 years.

So whilst our reliance on electronics is increasing what can you do to avoid the use of these conflict elements? The obvious answer is to limit your use of electronics entirely, however this is hardly a practical solution. Another option is to ensure that the elements used in your electronics comes from a non-conflict source. However for most people this is almost impossible to do, as complex supply chains can muddy the waters and much of this information is difficult to access for the average individual.

However there is one simple step that could make a huge difference – recycle your electronics. There is currently estimated to be higher levels of many of the conflict elements locked up in existing (used or unused) electronic items than remaining in the ground, and with modern advanced recycling techniques incredibly high levels of these can be fully and effectively recycled.

So whether you are simply getting a new personal laptop or smartphone, or upgrading your companies entire IT system, ensure that any old or unwanted electronics are reused or recycled.

Buy IT Back are specialists in computer recycling, with more than 25 years in the business. This means that they can treat your unused electronics with the highest levels of environmental care, ensuring that they are either refurbished and resold (meaning an even lower carbon footprint) or fully recycled – and what’s even more, they can even pay you for doing so!

To find out more contact Buy IT Back today.

Ok, so it might not be the most important mineral that you’ve never heard of, but coltan is actually a really important (and diminishing) natural resource. So what is coltan, why is it so important, and why on earth are we telling you about this on a computer recycling blog?

Coltan is a metallic ore composed of niobium and tantalum. Once extracted coltan is refined into metallic tantalum, a little known but vital element which has unique capacitor properties. It is these capacitor properties that are vital for the functioning of computers, smart phones and basically anything that has a micro-electrical circuit.

However there are a number of issues with coltan which means that recycling the existing tantalum that is found in unwanted or outdated IT and electronic devices is incredibly important.

1. Coltan is a finite natural resource, meaning that there is only a certain amount of it available on earth, and when it’s gone it’s gone. Although there is the possibility of finding new ways of manufacturing electronics without tantalum, this is currently a long way off and there is a real possibility of us running out of coltan before then.
2. Coltan is found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia and a few other very limited areas of the world, with the highest concentrations being in DRC. However the exploitation of coltan in the DRC has caused an environmental crisis. Mining severely affects the natural environment resulting in the destruction of the habitat of many endangered species including Grauer’s gorilla, the eastern chimpanzee, and the forest elephant.
3. One of the methods of coltan extraction is vis pit-mining, a practice which involves digging large and deep wells in which the earth is removed and sluiced to extract the ore. In areas such as DRC this practice is often badly managed and unregulated by health and safety legislation, resulting in extremely hazardous working conditions.
4. Once the coltan ore is extracted, there is then a complex and time consuming process required to extract the tantalum. However there are now becoming less and less areas where the coltan ore contains high enough percentages of tantalum to make this process financially viable.

However, if all of the tantalum that is currently being held in unwanted and disused electronics were to be recycled the need for newly mined coltan would be significantly decreased. So if you have any old or outdated IT, telecoms or other electronic equipment it is incredibly important that you ensure that it is either recycled or reused.

Buy IT Back is a specialist computer recycling company that offers a ‘buy back’ scheme for all of your unwanted electronics. This means that they will pay you to take away all of your old equipment which will then be refurbished if at all possible and sold on, or will be expertly stripped down into its component parts which will then be independently recycled and reused. To find out more contact Buy IT back today.