Recycling e waste brings rewards to businesses, including a potential new revenue stream, sustainability leadership and brand safeguarding—not to mention recycling electronics is simply the right thing to do.
Keeping in mind the average lifespan of an office computer is only estimated to be between three and five years, how does a company safely (and sustainably) dispose of used computers and IT equipment on a regular basis?
Rather than simply tossing out electronics—which contributes to ever-expanding landfills and the global environmental crisis—a growing number of businesses are instead looking toward alternative, cost-effective solutions to salvage spent IT assets. By engaging in a corporate electronics recycling program and setting up a sustainable e waste management strategy, your business could create a new revenue stream, securely destroy data, and support corporate environmental initiatives.
What contributes to the e waste crisis?
Unfortunately, electronics are not built to last forever. Once the “honeymoon phase” of a new computer or electronic device wanes, aging office equipment quickly loses its luster. Computers and laptops “age out” due to a variety of factors, including physical wear-and-tear, increasing memory or software requirements, diminishing performance, and lapsed service agreements for repairs. Outdated electronics eventually malfunction or simply become obsolete over time.
Once electronics pass their expiration date, IT managers and business leaders are faced with the task of responsibly disposing of or repurposing retired IT assets, many of which contain proprietary data that could be harmful if not properly destroyed. Employees are often burdened with the responsibility of painstakingly wiping hard drives clean, and either storing or discarding working and non-working components.
Considering the significant amount of time, energy and financial resources attributed to purchasing, setting up and disposing of IT equipment, corporate IT assets can become an extremely costly investment. This cost is compounded for businesses that are consistently exchanging outdated devices for replacements.
How does corporate electronics recycling benefit your business?
Recycling your old IT assets can be a surprisingly cost-effective—and sustainable—alternative to donating or dumping discards in the landfill. Believe it or not, your less-than-functional desktops or devices may be worth a fair chunk of change. As an added bonus to value recovery, you may find this method does double duty by checking off boxes on your corporate environmental initiatives.
A good corporate electronics recycling company will partner with you on custom solutions that fit your unique needs. An e waste management strategy may include refurbishment and repurposing of salvageable equipment, reimbursement for precious metals and other valuable electronic components, or reselling unwanted electronics for cash. These tactics all allow you to recoup some of your financial investment, along with the good conscience aspect of your company going “green.”
Recycling electronics also offers peace of mind when it comes to concerns about data security: Professional electronics recycling companies are trained and certified to securely destroy data, protecting your company’s brand and personal information. You can rest assured that all data and information is completely scrubbed and that your devices are sanitized.
When it’s time to recycle your used IT assets, having a solid corporate electronics recycling plan in place can make a big difference for your value recovery, data protection, and sustainability efforts.
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