Issue #0739/2 - Local governments can be key players in encouraging consumers to submit their unwanted IT items for responsible reuse or recycling. Hewlett-Packard is forging links with those local authorities to help make commonplace hardware recycling a reality.
With global warming / climate change and other ecological issues taking more and more airtime on our TVs and radios and column inches in our newspapers on a regular basis, governments, local municipalities and equipment manufacturers are under pressure to start being seen to perform. In a trailblazing move, several municipal authorities in the UK have teamed up with Hewlett-Packard to offer a service for collection and recycling of IT equipment.
While the municipality makes its local waste collection facility available for a special Recycle I.T. day, Hewlett-Packard take responsibility for the hardware. It will be reused where possible or recycled where reuse is not feasible.
Hardware that has reached the end of its useful life in the developed world (or just been rejected in favour of newer and fancier models) is often sold at greatly reduced prices, after reconditioning, into developing nations as a means of providing much needed IT hardware in an environment where the funds are normally just not available.
To take a slightly cynical (but almost certainly realistic) view of the operation, this partnership has several
major benefits for Hewlett-Packard as a company—focussing on the printer side of the business rather than PCs, mobile phones or cameras.
Even if the initiative is seen as being primarily altruistic, make no mistake that Hewlett-Packard ultimately will benefit - and not just from PR and publicity coverage.
Firstly, as already indicated, it is an opportunity for Hewlett-Packard to sell more hardware. There is mention of charitable organisations benefiting where possible, so the extent to which Hewlett-Packard can benefit financially in this way is uncertain. There may simply be adequate return to cover costs.
However, this is not the major attraction. For instance. Hewlett-Packard could, if so desired, filter out hardware from competing manufacturers (breaking it down for spare parts or for materials recycling), thus ensuring that only Hewlett-Packard units are sold on into the developing world.
This in turn means that only Hewlett-Packard’s user base increases and that only Hewlett-Packard consumables will be bought for the machines involved - and remember, the largest part of the profit to printer manufacturers lies in the sale of consumables!
By the time PCs and other relevant branded and badged hardware is also taken into account, the visibility, market profile and brand awareness benefits to the company are significant.
Currently, this UK recycling initiative seems to have been adopted by Birmingham and Hertfordshire (which includes Dacorum Borough Council, the council whose leaflet is reproduced here).
In terms of practicalities, I can see the main danger lying in the fact that this appears to be a one-off at this stage. Individuals will need to be organised and prepared if they are to take advantage of the brief window of opportunity, having sorted out the equipment for recycling and made a note of the date in their diaries!
As always, a system has to be easy to use and easily accessible for the level of public take-up to justify the costs involved.
However, this represents a tremendous step forwards in the fulfilment of obligations under the European WEEE directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and should encourage other government bodies to follow suit.
It is not yet clear how widespread this initiative is but clearly Hewlett-Packard is attempting to broaden the scope.
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