What to do with aging IT equipment has always been a problem. Simply disposing of it in the trash is not a solution. Embedded toxic materials make it dangerous to the environment. Over the years, companies have had to comply with more and more stringent disposal regulations, requiring comprehensive documentation and audits along with the higher costs to avoid severe penalties for not adhering to regulations. Recycling is supposed to solve this dilemma, but even that is not really sustainable. Therefore, we must ask what can be done now to help solve this problem?
Simply stated, it’s refurbishing and reusing the equipment. Properly implemented, refurb and reuse practices reduce toxic disposal in landfills and also makes your equipment compliant to modern standards without sacrificing technology performance. It benefits everybody, including the companies disposing End-of-Life (EOL) equipment, the vendors refurbishing the equipment, and the companies buying the newly refurbished and compliant equipment.
e-Recycling – Only Part of the Solution
Recycling is not enough to solve the global electronic waste (e-waste) problem that is wreaking havoc on parts of the environment. Techbuyer notes, “Because of the inefficiency of current recycling methods, even if we recycled every IT device in the e-waste mountain, there would still be copious amounts of wasted materials. Therefore, solely focusing on recycling technology to solve the e-waste crisis is just not going to cut it. We must all look for and utilize alternatives, especially while recycling remains so wasteful.”
During COVID and the ensuing supply chain challenges, equipment manufacturers could not keep up with demand. So, businesses started looking for other options, including refurbishing their existing equipment or, in many cases, purchasing refurbished equipment.
Refurbishing is a Win-Win Solution
What’s interesting is that refurbished servers and IT hardware components can provide the exact same performance as new equipment. Look who’s leading this trend. “Google leads big business by refurbishing their own servers and have done so since 2015. The tech behemoth has saved over $1 billion in operation costs, purely based on energy efficiency. They state: “Once components are in inventory, there is no distinction made between refurbished and new inventory, both are considered equivalent.” (Source: Circular Economy at Work in Google Data Centers, Ellen MacArthur).”
Key benefits of refurbishing used equipment:
- Reduced e-waste
- Available in stock for purchase
- Lower RMA rates than offered by the manufacturers
- Extensive testing
- Performance is proven to be as good as new if not better than products now offered through manufacturers
- Significant cost savings by avoiding expense of implementing completely new systems
- Fully compatible with other systems in your current environment
- Maximized flexibility for IT procurement
- Often less expensive maintenance contracts
Will Refurbished IT Equipment Work for My Business?
Because of complex compliance regulations for IT assets, the best practice is to work with an IT asset disposition (ITAD) specialist firm with NAID AAA Certification such as Castaway. We work with Enterprise organizations to streamline their IT lifecycle process and ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations. We also help Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) avoid costly disposal violations and optimally secure their offline data.
Castaway’s philosophy is to help facilitate the best possible outcomes for used IT equipment that’s being replaced, upgraded, sold or discarded. Jay Marchand, our lead ITAD account manager sums it up for us. “It is much better for both us and the client… and the planet, if quality equipment can be reused in any way.”
Used Electronics Collaborative
Castaway consults with clients to provide options for refurbishing their existing electronics and IT assets or to help them buy or sell refurbished IT equipment through our integrated business alliances. Practically any medium or large enterprise can benefit from the cyclical efficiencies of our procurement processes. Our sister company, TechWORX Remote Solutions provides a rapid IT hardware purchasing system that is ideal for supplying high-growth and high-turnover remote work settings, or any situation involving remote or satellite teams. Spicket River Electronics is another Castaway partnered resource that resells used computers, commercial grade electronics and office equipment in a friendly retail environment.
For further information about managing your existing IT asset disposition and refurbishment options for selling or buying, contact one of our electronics refurbishing experts online or call (978) 208-4730.
