Comtek Network Systems (UK) Ltd.

Disposal of Electronic Equipment

Some Unpleasant Facts

Electronic products contain deadly toxins such as mercury, barium, lead, chromium, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins.

E-waste that is dumped into landfills or is recycled without care, can leach heavy metals into the ground water and soil. Burning E-waste produces lethal fumes which contaminate the air.

Workers inhale acid fumes, chlorine, and sulphur dioxide gas. Waste products such as lead, mercury, and PCBs are dumped in waterways, fields, and open trenches, or are vaporised after being burnt in the open air. Contaminated soil and drinking water often contains poisonous levels of lead and other heavy metals. The consequences of this pollution include serious health problems such as respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, and leukaemia.

Artificial demand for new equipment

Manufactures invest large amounts of energy and resources persuading customers to replace older IT equipment with brand new IT products. OEMs attempt to create a façade of environmental sensitivity, using spurious claims that their new models are more energy efficient than older products. The reality is that IT products are produced using extremely energy-intensive manufacturing processes; the energy used to manufacture the products is many magnitudes greater than the total energy consumed during a life-time of daily operational use. Manufactures profit from replacing older equipment with new. The network performance improvements gained by purchasing the "latest and greatest" technology products is often minimal, and is always accompanied by a hefty financial cost. Many manufacturers have a policy of ceaseless rolling withdrawal of support for older products, with the expectation that the replaced equipment will be scrapped; this is an expensive and toxic blow to the environment.

A 2008 Corporate IT Forum study, found that 69% of IT managers viewed cost efficiency as being critical to implementing greener policies.

The current tough economic conditions have placed tight budgetary constraints on IT managers. The working life span of a network infrastructure is potentially almost unlimited. Comtek's repairs and maintenance services are affordable and reliable. Environmentally Green IT policies are good for budgets and good for the environment.

Save Money, Protect the Environment

There are a number of steps that equipment users can take to preserve both their IT budgets and the environment. Many companies have already taken these steps, and even though they may not be motivated by environmental principles, they have reaped sizeable financial savings and benefits without any loss of network performance or reliability.