IT recycling scheme helps improve recycling rates

• Mar. 18 by Peggy Sue (0)

Birmingham City Council’s IT recycling scheme is proving a success as figures show that the amount of waste going to landfill has decreased since the scheme began in 2009.

The scheme was set up to ensure the safe disposal of the councils IT equipment as well as the city’s residential and business computers.

Statistics showed that UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling. (source: defra.gov.uk)

Electronic rubbish, particularly computer equipment, is shown to be increasingly contributing to UK waste.

Towards the beginning of the scheme 400 machines a month were being recycled and nearly 60 tonnes of IT equipment collected. A lot of this is due to making recycling convenient for the consumer.

Electronic recycling guidance

New legislation which came into action in 2007 states that users:

‘Must store, collect, treat, recycle and dispose of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) separately from other waste.’

It also goes onto to say:

‘It is now a requirement that you obtain and keep proof that your WEEE was given to a waste management company, and was treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound way.’

Importance of electronic recycling

Technology is constantly changing so there are always newer and faster gadgets on offer to consumers. As part of the scheme the importance of cutting down on the amount of raw materials needed for the manufacture of new products has been a main focus.

The scheme allows for the different parts of a computer including the monitors, printers, hard drives and circuit boards cannot be disposed of along with normal household waste as they contain toxic substances which can be harmful to the environment.

It is important that the IT equipment is recycled due to the harmful effects it can have on the environment. When waste is sent to landfill harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases is released so by recycling it helps reduce pollution that is produced as a result.

Disposal of parts can be done by sending the product back to the manufacturer, or a professional waste disposal facility. Some non-profit organisations also accept donation of working goods.

Big brands such as Hewlett Park recycled over 74 million kilograms of electronics in 2005, leading the way for smaller businesses to follow.