Ahead of World Earth Day on 22nd April, South West-based BOM IT Solutions has partnered with licensed, electronic waste company, Byteback, in a mission to help the IT sector reduce its electronic waste and cut its carbon footprint.
A recent report revealed that the UK is the second highest producer of electronic waste globally, just behind Norway, and is responsible for 23.9 kg of e-waste per head per year. The UK is also on course to become the world’s largest contributor as early as 2024 and is estimated to produce as much as 55,000 tons of e-waste per year by 2030.
Electronic waste includes any electrical hardware device that is no longer needed or used including computers, laptops, printers, mobile phones and tablets.
Byteback will be supporting BOM IT Solutions in the safe disposal of redundant devices from across its national client base of over 100+ SMEs and Enterprise organisations. When systems become obsolete, they are collected by BOM, or taken away by Byteback. These are then broken down, with key components recycled, or refurbished, so that communities in the UK and abroad, without the means to purchase expensive new machines, can benefit from unwanted commercial technology.
Andy Carter, Managing Director at BOM IT Solutions said: “We recognise the impact that UK IT industry is having on the country’s overall e-waste statistics and the important role we can play, in partnership with organisations like Byteback, to help reduce this.
“While we work closely with our customers to try to extend the life of their devices and IT infrastructure through extended warranties and service agreements, we also recognise that this equipment does has a shelf life. We also understand that businesses do need to upgrade essential equipment to maintain best service to customers, and also benefit from the advancement of software technologies.
He added: “When machines do become obsolete, this is when our partnership with Byteback is invaluable. Rather than the equipment just becoming another landfill statistic, Byteback has the expertise to inject new life back into devices to the benefit people and the planet.”
Seventy percent of the systems, hardware and devices that are processed by Byteback are reused. Specialising in recycling and disposing of hardware safely, the company is aligned with NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) practices within the ISO 27001 framework, and ensures GDPR compliance throughout its disposal processes. It has procedures in place to breakdown and recycle key components, as well as cleaning, wiping, and refurbishing hardware giving it a second life, where it can be used by disadvantaged communities and groups in the UK, or safely exported to developing countries.
On the UK’s growing e-waste issue, Andrew Town, Director at Bristol-based Byteback, said: “For the size of country, the UK produces an extraordinary amount of e-waste, both through household and commercial routes.
“Year on year, we typically dispose of roughly 300 tonnes of redundant devices and systems. Due to the rise of the smaller, lighter handheld devices, however, while the tonnage has remained largely the same the actual number of devices we’re processing through our sorting facility has increased massively.”
On the partnership with BOM, Andrew added: “We have been working with BOM IT Solutions for a number of years. They have a nationwide client base that use tens of thousands of devices daily. It’s great to see BOM acting responsibly and helping to reduce the impact these clients and their devices are having on the planet.”
