Got a green product that you love or hate? Share the word by writing a review and telling the world.
Millions of serviceable computers in the UK end up in landfill sites rather than being recycled, according to research sponsored by Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC). The study found that 12.5 million unwanted PCs and laptops have not been reused or recycled by their owners.
One in four machines is taken to tips and more than one million computers have been dumped in household rubbish or the countryside, the FSC research revealed.
Only one in ten Britons claimed their discarded computer was recycled through a manufacturer's recycling facility, and 40 per cent said they gave their old computer to a friend or charity.
A massive 6.2 million people said they have unused computers lying around their home or garden, while 5.1 million said they took their old computer to their local dump.
Electrical and electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Around 1.8 million tonnes are generated every year, with IT equipment accounting for 39 per cent of it.
More than six months on from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive coming into effect, just 26 per cent the 94,600 tonnes of IT WEEE waste is recycled.
FSC said that even for the one in four people who takes their rubbish to the local tip, unless their laptop or PC is assessed on the site, there is no guarantee that it will be passed on for reuse or recycled. It said this was a "huge missed opportunity" as, with the right facilities, these thrown-away units could easily be reused elsewhere.
The company said assessment facilities need to be established at the municipal sites where people drop off their waste.
12 March 2008 03:18pm
Why takeyour pc or laptop to a site, there are websites available where you can offer them to other people for free. Even if they dont work you can state that and someone will still take it for spares or repair. Many people dont have a working pc but can use a librarys or someone elses to access these sites and would be glad of a helping hand.
Please note: Your email address must be entered but will not be displayed
Please note: All submitted content becomes the sole property of CNET Networks UK and may be used, edited or rejected at CNET Networks UK's sole discretion. You acknowledge that you, not CNET Networks UK, are responsible for the contents of your submission.
Got a green product that you love or hate? Share the word by writing a review and telling the world.
