News

Jul 29

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First Quarter 2014 WEEE Figures looking Promising

By Roger | Computer Disposal, Computer Recycling, News, Uncategorized | No Comments

The Environment Agency published new figures on June 5^th 2014, highlighting the volume of WEEE collected in the first quarter of 2014. New WEEE regulations were put in place in January and therefore the Environment Agency was keen to see if the changes were effective. Collection levels so far have been described as ‘encouraging’ by those in charge.

The figures published showed the overall WEEE collection from January to April 2014 measured in tonnes moved here. Several industry experts and bodies including the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have made statements claiming the figures are in line with expectations.

Between January and April 2014 112,091 tonnes of all categories of WEEE were collected. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills had a pre-set target of 490,000 tonnes collected in the whole of 2014 which means the first quarter results are slightly below target but spokespeople are upbeat and positive about the results so far.

The 2014 figure is slightly lower than that of the same period in 2013 but this was put down in part to the decline in the amount of equipment being presented for recycling. It’s another case of individuals and companies simply not realising or not following guidelines when it comes to their WEEE disposal. Tonnage decrease has also been put down to the bulkiness of items actually being disposed of with a reduction of desktop PCs and large, heavy display units in use at all and therefore the weight of the items being disposed of naturally falls.

Some critics have stated that the fall can’t be viewed positively but experts are upbeat and the bulkiness of items is being repeatedly stated as key to the change in volume, rather than the fact that less is actually being recycled.

Computer Recycling

Business computer and IT recycling makes up a large proportion of all the WEEE recycling that takes place each year. Businesses who strive to remain within EU WEEE Directive guidelines will ensure their old computers and hardware are disposed of responsibly, so they don’t end up in landfill sites.

Professional WEEE recycling companies play a key role in reaching government targets for recycling levels and as a business, choosing to work with a professional partner with industry knowledge gives you peace of mind and may save money and time in the long run.

As well as PCs and laptops other office hardware can be recycled by professional companies. Many offices may have old printers, scanners, server units and other electrical items which need a new home or can be broken down for parts. Companies like Buy IT Back also ensure businesses are paid for their old equipment so the cost of new equipment isn’t too much of a strain on the company’s bottom line.

May 01

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Developing Countries becoming the eDumps of the West

By Roger | Computer Disposal, News | No Comments

Countries in the developing world have been taken over by digital waste from the west. Computer equipment, mobile phones and more have been shipped out to huge e-waste dumps in China and Ghana and much of this activity is illegal.

It is believed that over 50,000,000 tonnes of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment ends up in the dumping grounds in both Guiyu in China and Agbogbloshie in Ghana. Some of the equipment is rebuild or redeveloped and sold on whilst the rest is broken down into component parts. Some of this can be sold on to manufacturers in raw form whilst some is simply left as toxic waste.

In the UK all businesses have a legal requirement to ensure their waste electrical and electronic equipment is disposed of responsibly but this obviously isn’t happening in every instance.

The Environmental Protection Agency figures state that recycling just 1 million mobile phone handsets, and many more are thrown out each year, 50lbs of gold, 550lbs of silver, 20lbs of palladium and over 20,000lbs of copper could be salvaged. The process of salvaging all these materials has become known as urban mining and there is so much digital junk being thrown into waste dumps in the developing world, we are all losing out.

Recycling your waste electronic and electrical equipment as a business person is an absolute legal necessity. Simply throwing it away or using a general recycling company does not ensure your waste has been dealt with properly and you could be in contravention of the law.

Instead it makes sense to work with a professional IT recycling company who guarantee responsible disposal of your equipment. Our services cover this for your entire stock of office equipment and we also ensure that you receive a fee for handing your items over to us.

We analyse and assess all your equipment and give you a quote based on the prices we can get for resale, ensuring none of your equipment is simply thrown on the landfill or shipped to an e-dump in the developing world.

Wherever possible we find ways of reselling your equipment rather than simply breaking it down for parts. A huge proportion of computer equipment which is just thrown out could actually be reused and utilising a professional service like ours means you get some cash back as well.

Cash Back for your Computer Equipment

Rather than potentially acting illegally and contributing to the already considerable problems the developing world has to contend with, your business will benefit from responsibly recycling old computers. The computer recycling London companies and those across the UK need can be provided by our specialists.

As well as cash back for your old IT hardware, we offer a full data erasure service you can be sure that even if your items are resold there is no need to worry about security features.

Giving the developing world a chance to overcome the masses of toxic e-waste building up on their land is something we should all try to do.

Feb 18

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European WEEE Compliance Scheme Collective to be launched

By Roger | News | No Comments

It was announced mid-January that a new WEEE compliance scheme is launching across Europe. Nine large compliance schemes are linking up together to form a collective to deal with WEEE across their home countries.

The scheme brings together the nine non-profit schemes across Europe as a response to the failure of the last European WEEE Directive consultation. Despite demands for simplification of regulations for the industry, nothing major was done.

Standardisation has been a problem for WEEE recycling and management across the EU as different countries have different methods of disposal and more importantly the ways of reporting WEEE figures are also different from country to country. This new WEEE Europe scheme hopes to tackle this in its own way and plans to offer members the following benefits:

Compliance with legal obligations and individual national laws

Reduction of the potential for error in reports due to one single set of data for all involved schemes

Production of the above consolidated reports for a single centralised input of data

Anyone who joins WEEE Europe can join other affiliated compliance schemes in affiliated countries. The countries involved at present include UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Switzerland (twice). More member states are being contacted and the scheme is looking to expand to allow for the simplification of WEEE disposal regardless of the Directive’s suggestions.

WEEE and your Business

Disposing of WEEE as a business person can be a difficult issue to organise. Above anything else in the modern workplace WEEE constitutes computer hardware and related equipment. Responsibly disposing of your used computer equipment, whether it’s a single unit or a whole office’s worth of hardware, is a legal responsibility for your company.

Computer recycling is best carried out through a professional, experienced partner company. Working with a specialised IT and electronics recycling company will give you the peace of mind to ensure your WEEE is being disposed of in a way that 100% fits with the guidelines of the legislation.

Running an office based business means you need to ensure your equipment is up to date and meets the needs of your employees and more importantly your clients. The replacement of your full range of equipment comes at a cost which is why recycling unwanted computer hardware for cash will help ensure your costs aren’t too extreme.

Choosing a commercial partner to do this will ensure you comply with the WEEE Directive and Discovery Computer Services Ltd trading as Buy IT Back also offer server recycling if you’re having a complete overhaul or perhaps moving your company into the world of Cloud computing.

Simplification of WEEE legislation would be welcomed by all in the business, especially if it benefits our clients.

May 30

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Computer Recycling for Business

By Roger | Computer Recycling, News | No Comments

All business, schools and colleges make use of computer and IT equipment. Naturally, as technology becomes more advanced, we are faced with redundant hardware as these establishments favour newer, even slicker equipment.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) was introduced into UK law with the aim of decreasing the vast amount of electronic goods being produced, whilst reducing, reusing and recovering unwanted electronic equipment. Here’s where you come in; as a user of electronic equipment, you have a responsibility to ensure its safe, responsible disposal.

You may be surprised to know that 99% of most computers can be recycled! Tonnes of computer equipment such as scanners, laptops and computers are sent straight to landfill each year. Some internal components of a computer such as lead, lithium and mercury are poisonous to plants, animals and humans. When dumped in landfill, these chemicals can seep into the ground, having a detrimental effect on water, animals, humans and crops.

With that in mind, getting shut of your old unwanted electronic goods in an efficient, responsible way needn’t be a hassle, and there are a plethora of reasons why it is good for your business.

Earn money by recycling.

Companies such as Discovery Computer Services Ltd (www.buy-it-back.com) offer a full Buy Back service for all unwanted computer hardware. They’ll collect all your unwanted goods and either refurbish them or responsibly recycle the components. You could earn a pretty penny for it too.

Donate to a worthy cause.

Whether you’re a school, business or another kind of establishment you can donate any unwanted, but functional electronics to a charity. You can be sure their productivity will increase and they’ll do more with it than it would crushed up in a landfill.

Shout about being WEEE compliant.

It might be an obligation, but you’re helping to reduce the impact that electrical appliances have on the environment. Why wouldn’t you want to tell your business partners and customers?

The benefits of being WEEE complaint within your business are endless. If you’d like more information of how you can become WEEE compliant or to see if you have obligations, The Environment Agency has produced a whole host of literature for your disposal.

Mar 22

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The importance of secure Data Destruction

By Roger | Data Destruction, News | No Comments

When running your own business it is important that you take the storage of personal data seriously. Due to legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 as a business owner you are responsible and accountable for the safe storage of your customers and employees personal data.

Day to day business will inevitably involve customers or clients to transfer sensitive data over to you such as contact details or payment details. It is for this reason that it is important that your business takes the security of this data seriously. Allowing this type of data to get into the wrong hands could not only lead to legal proceedings it could seriously damage your brand equity and ultimately cost your business.

If you have to store sensitive data or information then it is vitally important that it is completely secure and only your most trusted employees have access to it. There will also come a time when the data is no longer needed and it will have to be destroyed. If the data is storage on a solid state hard drive then you will need to ensure the destruction process includes degaussing, this will ensure that data is permanently deleted by altering the magnetic fields inside the hard drive so that it can never be recovered. The most secure way of permanently erasing any data is use an external company like Buy IT Back to do it for you, make sure that the company is Blancco certified, runs criminal checks on their staff and can provide testimonials from previous/current customers.

With the currently economic crisis, it is now more than ever important to keep the costs of your business down. However, with data destruction it is important not to take any short cuts and ensure that the job is done properly. If not done properly then it could cost you a lot more in lost reputation and ultimately lost business.

For more information please click here to find out more about how Buy IT Back can help with your computer recycling needs.

Dec 16

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5 Tips For Choosing a Computer Recycling Company

By Roger | Computer Disposal, Computer Recycling, News | No Comments

So it’s time to upgrade your old computers and other IT equipment – you want the latest in all-singing, all-dancing technology – well who doesn’t However, next arrives the problem of deciding what to do with your old IT equipment. There are a number of Computer Recycling Companies that provide a service to recycle your unwanted electronic hardware, however how do you decide which the right company to choose is? Have a look at our list below to give you some points to bear in mind when choosing a computer recycling company.

Is the company WEEE compliant?

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was introduced into UK law in January 2007. It aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it. The WEEE Directive also aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. So what does this mean for your business? Basically, all unwanted electrical equipment is now classed as hazardous waste and so has to be disposed of in a WEEE compliant manner, not doing so can result in hefty penalties being awarded to non-compliant companies. Therefore it is important to check that your computer recycling company is fully WEEE compliant.

Does the Computer Recycling Company strive to ensure that as little equipment is finally disposed of?

To ensure that your unwanted electrical equipment does more than just end up on a landfill site, check that your computer recycling company is committed to either refurbishing and then re-selling old IT hardware, or stripping down the equipment and recycling its individual parts. Companies such as Buy IT Back are committed to attaining these standards for a number of reasons. Firstly they have an intrinsic ecological outlook and are committed to that upkeep. For example old electrical equipment when dumped in landfill often poses a risk of leaking hazardous chemicals into the groundwater and these becoming a possible harmful pollutant. Also by recycling electrical components, this can mean that less of these raw materials have to be freshly mined, thus often protecting ecologically sensitive areas. And finally, by refurbishing and re-selling unwanted computers it can reduce the numbers of new electrical items that have to be manufactured thus reducing energy consumption and helping to drive the prices of new items down.

Secure Data Destruction

Can the computer recycling company that you are entrusting your business’ old IT equipment (including printers, servers, laptops, PC’s, desktops and networking/telecoms equipment) guarantee that your company data will be securely and completely destroyed? With the increasing concern over data security, identify theft and other fraud, is this an area that you can afford to ignore? However, companies such as Buy IT Back, can guarantee that all your remaining data (including all company references and security markings) will be completely destroyed by using the government certified Blannco software.

Does the Computer Recycling Company offer a Buy Back service?

Many computer recycling companies will charge you for removing your unwanted electrical equipment, however some companies such as Buy IT Back can offer a complete Buy Back service for your old IT equipment. As they can make a small profit from re-selling refurbished items, some of this can be passed directly onto your business. In general, Buy IT Back will come to your business, remove all of your unwanted IT hardware, then ensure that it is either recycled or re-sold, and pay you for doing so!

Established Business

Finally it is often worth considering choosing an established computer recycling company, as these are often more likely to be able to ensure that all of the above points are met. Discovery Computer Services Ltd, the owners of Buy IT Back, have now been in business for 20 years and as such can offer a wealth of practical knowledge and expertise to ensure that you unwanted IT equipment has all data securely destroyed, is then either recycled or refurbished, and can offer you the most generous price as part of its Buy Back Service.