Got old computers?

If you are like a lot of small to medium sized businesses, you may recognize this scenario: a network closet filled with strange and bizarre tech do-dads, old computers, used toner cartridges or backup tapes, retired servers, old software installation discs, unwanted CRT monitors, and other assorted debris from tech days gone by.

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, IT equipment has become ever more disposable. However, disposal options for old equipment have not developed at the same rapid pace, leaving many SMBs with the situation described above—a stockpile of unneeded equipment and no clear-cut best practice for disposal. Ever thought about computer recycling?

Between the EPA and private-sector, long-term e-waste solutions are still developing. In the meantime, here’s some tips to help business owners address this issue:

1) Plan ahead. Many manufactures now offer a wide-variety of leasing options. One of the many benefits of leasing is that the responsibility of the equipment stays with the manufacturer, who can manage and reuse old equipment more efficiently. For companies who prefer to buy, make re-use part of the plan. Old equipment that companies will replace after a few years is still valuable, especially to charitable organizations and schools. Find a partner in your local community who can make use of your donations directly.

2) E-cycle responsibly. Sometimes, old computer equipment is just dead or unwanted and needs to be disposed – computer recycling is a viable option. E-cyclers are becoming more common, but not all of them are created equal. It’s up to you to verify that your disposal resource is handling your donated materials in a manner that is consistent with your wishes: Some recyclers still end up sending unwanted equipment to landfills or sell bulk waste to exporters (where it will be sent abroad and burned in order to extract heavy metals like gold and copper). Talk to your e-cycler or check Earth911.com to find environmentally friendly recyclers in your area.

3) Always make sure your data is secure: Have a policy to ensure that sensitive data is written over securely—this can usually be done without removing the hard drive or deleting the system files—which would degrade the value of the device for re-use. In some cases where extremely sensitive data is present on a hard drive, it may be preferable to have the hard drive separately removed and destroyed.

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