One of the fastest-growing areas of waste is electronic waste, which hit a record high in 2019 of 53.6 million tonnes. In addition, not all of this waste was recycled correctly or in an environmentally-friendly way, according to the UN’s Global E-Waste Monitors and there are signs that the coronavirus pandemic is going to increase the amount of laptops, computers and other electrical devices bound for the scrapheap.
In our latest blog, the team at WEEE Technology, specialists in data erasure and destruction in London, look at the reasons behind this, and how by using us, companies can dispose of their electronic waste safely, securely and in line with all the latest legislation.
The Closure of Parts of the Economy
Many firms are being forced to close down or downsize because of the financial pressures brought about by the pandemic. The Financial Times estimated that 21,000 more businesses collapsed in March 2020 in comparison to the year before, with coronavirus being cited as the main reason, followed by general economic uncertainty caused by the UK’s exit from the European Union.
When a company ceases trading, or reduces in size one of the assets they have to dispose of are all of the electronic devices, such as PCs, laptops, and mobile phones. It is the responsibility of liquidators, administrators or management accountants to ensure that these are disposed of correctly.
Studies also suggest that a lot of firms are downsizing their office space as a result of the surge and success of working from home during the pandemic. This move away from the traditional office set up is leading to changes in IT equipment requirements – and subsequently lots of old redundant equipment.
Our Growing Reliance on Technology
As more people are working from home they are relying on mobiles and laptops with applications such as Zoom, to keep in touch with other colleagues and get work done. One survey showed that 97% of firms have bought buy new laptops to accommodate for the switch to working from home.
With schools also increasingly having to rely on digital learning rather than face-to-face teaching, this has led to a big increase in the numbers of devices being bought. It is therefore not a surprise that experts are predicting a big increase in the amount of waste which will be generated a few years down the line, as these products reach the end of their natural lives and will need to be replaced.
How WEEE Tech Can Help
We are well placed to help reduce this projected increase in the amount of e-waste. Our corporate services include collection and transporting of IT equipment, securely wiping data, issuing asset and audit reports, and providing certificates of data erasure or disposal, taking a lot of the burden away from you.
We work with Global Lifecycle Solutions EMEA, the UK distributor of WhiteCanyon WipeDrive and their dedicated support team, using their software for our secure data erasure. We also sell the software and provide support to prospective customers who wish to erase the data themselves.
We also offer a rebate service whenever we sell computers on, sharing the profits with the customers. Anything that is not resold is either dismantled and sold to precious metal refiners, to scrap plastic or metal merchants, or taken to specific e-waste companies.
Data Erasure and Destruction from WEEE Technology
If you would like to know more about any of our data erasure and destruction services for companies in and around London, you can complete our online quote form or call us on 020 7859 4669.
