Computer recycling is no new concept, with businesses across the UK continuing to work hard to reduce their technology waste via various recycling outlets.
But with ESG goals becoming increasingly important in the corporate sphere and companies across the board committing to embracing zero waste initiatives within the next few years, the desire for even more innovative solutions has increased.
Businesses now want to benefit from recycling initiatives which support their own in-house goals, with tangible results connecting their action to real-time impact. From protecting the environment to bridging the digital divide through innovative refurbishing and recycling programs, some of the best solutions available today are built on collaborations between corporate companies and charitable organisations like ours.
Without further ado, here are some of the benefits of these innovative and collaborative recycling solutions, from both an environmental and a social perspective.
Introducing the most innovative recycling solutions
There are a number of ways that computers and other technological devices can be recycled.
The first involves taking a device which is no longer used or functional and stripping it down into its useful individual parts. This solution allows decommissioned and no longer working devices to still be beneficial and facilitates cheaper and more accessible repairs. Not to mention, it minimises the demand for brand-new manufacturing and makes it possible for existing devices to be repaired, thus reducing the amount of waste.
For those devices which cannot be repaired or stripped for parts, computer recycling offers a safe outlet whereby the device is broken down into its different materials and components, and disposed of safely. Here, recycling does not have to mean that it is reused – rather, it can mean that the device is disposed of in a way which protects the environment.
Finally, we have computer donation, which connects devices which are not being used with those communities and individuals in need of tech. With charity partnerships based here in the UK and overseas, our donation program connects corporate donations and devices with those who need them – bridging the digital divide and supporting the concept of computers being given a new lease of life.
Safe to say, there are plenty of options available to those who are keen to explore computer recycling for their business, but what exactly are the benefits – both environmentally and beyond?
The environmental benefits of computer recycling
To understand the environmental benefits of computer recycling, we need to consider what happens to a computer which is simply thrown away or discarded as rubbish.
When a computer is thrown away, it is likely to be sent off to a landfill site – vast mounds of waste which are often situated in overseas countries, staining the landscape and causing a lot of damage to the ecosystem. These computers are not designed to be simply thrown away and left, and over time start to break down and release their hazardous chemicals into the environment.
These chemicals leak into the waterways, cause damage to habitats, and change the local ecosystem in such a way that affects local wildlife – while gradually making its way back into our own food chain.
Plus, when computers aren’t effectively recycled, used for parts, and refurbished for reuse, the demand for brand-new manufactured goods only continues to increase. This feeds the carbon footprint of the technology industry, as the amount of energy used to produce each computer is huge – so much so that each computer is said to use the majority of its lifetime carbon footprint through production alone.
So, computer recycling doesn’t just reduce the pressure on landfill sites, but it also reduces the demand for tech manufacturing.
Other benefits of computer recycling for businesses
Beyond the environmental benefits of computer recycling, businesses in particular are often drawn towards the social and corporate governance benefits – providing a foundation for effortless philanthropic work and offering an easy solution for the protection of their business data.
When you opt for the computer donation solution as mentioned earlier in this blog, any and every device that you recycle is stripped of all its data and then refurbished to optimum working order. The device is then matched with the need of one of our charity partners, allowing a community, school, or local group to access online resources and new communication outlets that were previously unavailable to them.
The digital divide remains a long-standing issue that can only be bridged through computer donations and other charitable work, funding technology hubs and computer labs in areas and communities all over the world so that everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources.
Find out more about this, how it could boost your business's ESG initiatives, and how to do your bit for the environment, with computer recycling solutions from Computer Aid.