What’s cutting edge technology today will be obsolete sooner or later. From time to time your team will need to upgrade its hardware, which presents a conundrum: What are you supposed to do with all those old pieces of equipment?
Of course, you can always just dump it in the garbage—but while that may be an easy move, it doesn’t necessarily exhibit the best stewardship.
Recycling Old Technology
Assuming the hardware is still functional, you can probably recycle it in some way. First, do a quick check of its condition, and make sure it’s not completely useless. Assuming it’s not, spend some time fully wiping clean all data that’s stored on the device. This is crucial.
From there, you have a few options available to you:
- Donate your old computers, printers, and other equipment to local charities or non-profits. Churches, Boys and Girls Clubs, and other groups would gladly take them!
- See if any of your employees would like to use the equipment in their home. Just make sure you have a system for distributing old technology, without any sign of favoritism.
- Consider other ways to use the device within your organization. Maybe it’s no longer current enough for day-to-day operation—but could you use it to run something like the occasional training session?
- Sell your old computers; there’s usually a market for used IT products. You may not get a lot of money for it, but it’s certainly better than just throwing it away.
- Research different technology recycling programs that exist; many major electronics company offer them, and they can provide you with eco-friendly options to dispense with your old equipment.
Again, you don’t have to settle for tossing your old computers in a landfill. Seek creative ways to extend their usefulness!