For every business, there will come a time when a hardware upgrade is needed, or electrical items at the end of their life need replacing. It could be one printer, or hundreds of computers. As a business owner are you aware of the laws which require you to dispose safely of this IT waste?
The Environment Agency has said that waste electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing type of waste in the UK. These items cannot be discarded along with other waste, in rubbish or recycling bins. It is important that IT waste and other electrical are safely disposed of so as many parts as possible can be recycled or treated.
WEEE Regulations
If you aren’t familiar with the WEEE Regulations 2013, then you need to get on board with the legislation so you don’t face a fine. The main objective of this regulation is to reduce the amount of electrical equipment that ends up in landfills. Instead, WEEE items need to be collected and taken to a designated recovery facility, which makes sure the waste causes as little impact on the environment as possible. The regulations apply to all householders and businesses with commercial waste, so everybody has a duty to dispose of their electrical waste responsibly.
How to Dispose of Your IT Waste
IT waste disposal can be tricky and expensive for businesses that need to get rid of a large amount of items. Distributors of electrical items now have to offer take back schemes – so if you’re replacing hardware then the company you are buying from may accept similar WEEE items in return.
Otherwise, you will have to arrange the secure collection of your electrical items to be treated and recycled. Have a look for a local IT equipment disposal service which is compliant with WEEE regulations.
Data Destruction
Businesses have another thing to worry about when disposing of IT equipment – data destruction. You’ll need to make sure that you stay compliant with data protection rules as well as waste disposal laws, so if you’re throwing away hard drives or any other equipment with data you’ll have to destroy it first.
This can usually be done on site and you can choose how you’d like the data to be demolished – shredding, data wiping or degaussing.
Pink Chalk offers a comprehensive IT disposal service which includes secure data destruction, collection, technical processing and certification. Contact us for more information.
