Dimension Data dives into e-waste removal

IT service provider Dimension Data has launched an e-waste-removal service to capitalise on the growing amount of end-of-life electronic equipment.

The e-waste is part of the company's newly expanded Technology Lifecycle Management Assessment service, which originally just analysed network end-of-life and security issues.

E-waste encompasses everything from computers and mobile phones to batteries. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), e-waste is one of the fastest-growing types of waste, with Australians voraciously snapping up new technologies.

Clean Up Australia claimed that in 2008, there were around 37 million computers that ended up in landfill (PDF).

"Expanding our Technology Lifecycle Management Assessment to include an e-waste solution means our expert advice doesn't end at the point of disposal," Colin Curtis, Dimension Data director of sustainability, said in a statement. "We can now assess the strength of each item in a technology base, determine its point in the lifecycle, and then use best practices to dispose of elapsed devices and equipment in an ecological and regulatory-compliant manner.

"In addition, the organisation's security and brand are not negatively impacted."

The Australian government has made attempts to tackle the e-waste issue, introducing the National Television and Computer Recycling scheme in May 2012.

The objective is to set up free collection points for TVs and computers in selected locations, with a national rollout planned for over the next five years. It is underpinned by the Product Stewardship regulation, which makes manufacturers take some responsibility for the recycling of their electronic products. That regulation has yet to be fully implemented (PDF).