Why Every Business Needs an Electronics Recycling Program

by Stephanie Faris on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 12:30

By now, everyone should know the importance of recycling electronics. Yet in 2017, a United Nations report estimates that up to 50 million tons of electronic waste will be dumped. Judging by 2015 numbers, that waste will likely end up in landfills. In addition to the environmental cost of creating electronics to satisfy constant customer demand for new products, the hazardous materials inside discarded mobile devices and computer equipment harm the environment.

Many businesses believe the process of sending equipment to a recycling facility is complicated, requiring a level of knowledge they simply don't have. But actually, electronics recycling can be done affordably and conveniently, bring substantial rewards. If you're still considering recycling your own business's equipment, here three great reasons a recycling policy is a smart idea.

Recycling Is Responsible

When electronics end up in a landfill, it can be dangerous, leaking toxic chemicals into the air and water supply. On the flip side, by recycling electronics, valuable materials such as copper, palladium, silver, and gold, can be recovered and put into future products. With the demand for new electronics only increasing over time, this recovery is vital to protecting the Earth's natural resources. Additionally, a business that recycles can advertise its commitment to the environment in its marketing materials, strengthening relationships with customers who place great importance on companies that care about such things.

Recycling Is Safe

When you toss a piece of used equipment into a dumpster, you put any data that resides on its hard drive at risk. This holds true whether it's a server, computer, printer, or mobile device. Sure, you may think you've wiped the drive to recommended standards, but are you sure every trace of data has been removed? One data breach can seriously damage your business's hard-earned reputation. By partnering with a company that specializes in responsible equipment recycling, you can assure yourself and everyone associated with your business that all customer and business data is safe. The best practice is to both degauss and shred each hard drive, which means removing it before sending the equipment to its next location.

Recycling Is Easy

For an affordable price, businesses can turn their equipment recycling practices over to a third-party provider that will pick up the equipment, properly secure any data stored on it, and take it to a recycling facility that will safeguard the environment in its disposal practices. By working with an expert in this field, your business will be able to focus on other duties, rather than dealing with loading and transporting equipment to another location. A trusted IT decommissioning provider can also provide any paperwork necessary to assure business partners, investors, regulatory authorities, or auditors that data has been safeguarded and customers have been protected.

National Computer Warehouse Services specializes in recycling used equipment, whether it's a business's servers, computers, or other equipment. We can set up a decommissioning plan that will keep your work areas clear while also making sure both the environment and your customers are safe at all times.