Employee #5724’s retired laptop sat in a closet for 6 months before being bundled with a few hundred other pieces of IT equipment. Last month it was shipped off to a recycler instead of an IT Asset Disposal company that specializes in data security, environmental compliance, remarketing, and returning the highest ROI to its clients by selling well refurbished IT assets on the retail market. Instead of getting a detailed asset disposition report by serial number, and a check, employee #5724’s computer actually went to this guy:

Do you know where your retired computers go?

I loved that vehicle. It ran great, looked good, and best of all- it was fully paid for. Which to me, seemed like the perfect time to get rid of it. I figured that cars are like corporate IT equipment… unless they’re really old and beat up, there’s got to be SOME value left in them.

I HAVE donated cars before (to the Society for the Blind, so hopefully they aren’t driving it). I got to write it off, feel good that my piece of junk was going to be used for parts, and then (hopefully) not end up in a landfill somewhere. I consider it the equivalent of recycling computers, except my car didn’t have sensitive data in it that could ruin my reputation and cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. At least, not that I remember. Or will admit to.

My Hyundai was different though. I would no more donate it than I would recommend an IT Manager recycle perfectly good computers. It didn’t have the latest in car technology – no keyless entry or built in navigation, but much like a 4 year old laptop, someone who wasn’t going to buy new was going to be getting a really good deal. Plus… I needed the money to help pay for my next car.

What I wasn’t sure of, was how I was going to recoup the value that was left. Just like different IT Asset disposal companies have different business models that result in a higher or lower return, I knew I could either trade my vehicle into the dealer, sell it to a used car lot, or sell it myself. In the end, I went with a dealer trade in because it was the easiest thing to do – they handled everything for me, cleaned it up for sale, and I made out pretty nicely. It’s exactly what we do with IT assets, although my car dealer wasn’t Authorized by Microsoft.

Now I drive a Kia Soul and I’m happy with it. It’s got a USB port, an ipod connection, AND Bluetooth. Now that I think of it, my Kia is even more like a laptop than my Hyundai was.

The author states that a key priority for cities adapting to a world transformed by global warming is increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to stave off even more of a catastrophic climate change. He suggests green initiatives that could realistically be taken on by US cities that would have a big impact on the environment, such as black tar roofs being replaces with white tar, mandatory cleaner burning fuels, a water-efficiency program, and rebates for installing rainwater harvesting systems.

Because there was no mention of electronic re-use, I did my own research.

Kudos to The City of Santa Barbara, which currently offers a service that will pickup and reuse or recycle computers, computer monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, paper shredders, copy machines, televisions, radios, microwave ovens, stereo system components, compact disc/DVD players, speakers, camcorders, cameras, telephones (including cell phones), toasters, hair dryers, electric typewriters, and vacuums for a fee, as well as professionally delete all information from computer hard drives. No lifting or moving required from customer.

The city of Alexandria, VA reminds website visitors that “it’s reduce, reuse, and then recycle”. They advocate reuse of all electronic equipment and offer a reuse network directory and a list of green online resources for retired PCs.

The hall of shame award goes to Oklahoma City. In 2009, Oklahoma City recycled only 3% of its waste. Households have to pay a steep price to recycle, resulting in the worst recycling rate in the land. As of today, the cities electronics recycling page does not list any services for reuse, although I did download a pdf factsheet from the state of Oklahoma. It suggests that to combat Oklahoma’s mounting e-waste problem, residents voluntarily refurbish, fix, or upgrade their own equipment and continue using it or delete any sensitive data themselves and give it away. As an alternative, it’s suggested that people donate their old electronics to a local charity.

Oklahoma. Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains and people hold onto their computers longer because the government suggest it, and where charities are happy to take old electronics that aren’t thoroughly cleaned of their data. I wonder if Oklahoma has any idea just how much of an environmental impact they could have by advocating a computer re-use program. On top of that, they could offer affordable, refurbished equipment to their residents, and use the profits to fund other green initiatives.

Go for it, Oklahoma.

It looks like some companies may be keeping their current IT equipment in place a little longer, which isn’t much of a surprise, given the economic climate these days. In fact, it would be shocking if the PC market WASN’T affected. Most IT Managers are so busy dealing with the present that they don’t have time to think about the future.

Unfortunately, America’s own economic future is all that bright right now.

When corporations start to consider their next big IT hardware purchase, it’s unfortunate that recycling is still the popular path. Especially since it’s not the economically superior one. Or the environmentally optimal one either, for that matter. (There’s a reason “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” lists recycling last)

When it’s time to retire corporate PCs, well informed IT managers know they can still hold value, but the maximum value will have to come from an asset value recovery specialist, e.g., PlanITROI. By looking ahead at their financial planning, starting with current values and going several years out, they can utilize projections on asset values and determine the best refresh cycle for the maximum financial return.

Which, of course, can help pay for the next round of computers. And servers. And even some more personnel. And a cushy new office chair. Or 50 office chairs. You get the idea…