RECYCLING IT | HIGHER EDUCATION
“IF CORRECTLY REFURBISHED, MOST IT EQUIPMENT SUCH AS SCREENS, PCS AND SERVERS CAN BE REFRESHED FOR THE SECOND USER MARKET”
R I GH T : C omp u ter
A id I nternational is a ch arity estab lish ed in 1 9 9 8 , receiv ing arou nd 1 5 , 0 0 0 PC s and monitors, 2 , 5 0 0 lap top s and arou nd
1 0 0 tab lets annu ally for its p roj ects in Z amb ia, Z imb ab w e,
K enya, C h ile and th e U K
A
ccording to WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme,) an
estimated 10 million tonnes of electronic products will be bought in the UK before 2020’s end, 25% of which will be IT equipment, consumer electronics and display screens. This figure comprises 20 tonnes of gold, 400 tonnes of silver and seven tonnes of platinum group metals – which is evidence of IT products retaining value when reaching the end of their working life. At a micro level, universities
need to adopt disposal policies which protect both sensitive data and the planet. Indeed, conscientious universities might consider helping IT users on the other side of the world when they come to update equipment. The need for establishments to be increasingly environmentally responsible is taken up by companies such as the Stone Group, a leading provider of IT solutions to the education and public sector. Head of recycling Tien Nguyen said: “At the time of obsolescence, a university will consider internal redeployment, a decision taken by its IT department on the equipment’s condition, re-deployability, specification and usefulness. Alternatively, the equipment could be advertised for sale to other university departments or schools for non-business use, but if disposal is necessary, it will be
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arranged through the university’s IT department and done in accordance with the University Sustainability Policy, complying with WEEE regulations through a licensed IT recycler.” Obsolescence depends on various
variables, not least usage, while Tien stresses a piece of equipment or device being out of warranty does not render it automatically obsolete. The potential to give IT equipment a new life is impressive. “If correctly refurbished, most IT equipment such as screens, PCs and servers can be refreshed for the second user market, with the Stone Group able to reuse over 85% of equipment processed through our recycling facility. Certain components such as tested and securely data-sanitised memory and hard disk drives can be used to upgrade and enhance the lifespan of second user IT equipment.” Naturally, data must be
considered at the time of removal, with the Stone Group’s award- winning and fully-accredited IT recycling facility having received exclusive status as ADISA Certified with Distinction. Operating with industry best practice, their onsite recycling facility uses Blancco (erasure soſtware) exclusively, ensuring every data-bearing product is cleansed in accordance with the HMG Information Assurance Standard Number 5. This is an auditable process providing verifiable, tamper-proof erasure evidence. The group also
offers an in-house hard drive shredding service ensuring data is physically destroyed. Increasing use of BYOD will
come with increasing responsibility for owners. “Around 60%–80% of organisations have no formal BYOD policy, which provide clear rules and guidance regarding information governance and recycling. An increase in BYOD responsibility for the ethical and secure disposal of end-of-life hardware will inevitably shiſt toward the end user. This has impacted the recycling rate and ability for universities to impose their internal IT disposal policy strategy.” An arrangement with a
major IT equipment company ensures smooth transitions at City University London, where purchasing manager Keith Wood said: “We predominantly use Dell equipment for staff and students, the students’ PCs being desktop- based (ie not portable) and coming with a four-year warranty, all machines being replaced when this warranty expires. Staff PCs, both laptop and desktop have a similar four-year warranty and are replaced continuously throughout the year as and when the warranty expires. Whatever residual value is obtained from the ‘old’ equipment is used to offset the cost of the ‘new’ equipment.” Such old equipment is
removed regularly and disposed of responsibly. Wood adds:
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