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It seems that every year, a new technology comes along that benefits our lives or our businesses. But with all those benefits comes one major problem: what do we do with all the old stuff? It wasn’t too long ago that the answer to that would have been to throw it away, but these are changed times.
With landfill volume reaching ludicrous levels, all businesses should be doing their bit to ensure they aren’t adding to the pile. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of your options for when you replace the old with the new.
Give It Away
Giving away your old tech to charity is a great way to do something for your community and beyond. Organizations like the Red Cross will take what they need and ensure that anything that is unusable is sent to the right place for disposal. Alternatively, it could be a good time to build up links with your community. Youth clubs, community centers, and religious institutions could all benefit from your generosity. If you make sure you involve your accountant, they can get all the donated equipment from your capital column on your balance sheet, too.
Green Disposal
There are many companies that will take away your old computers, phones, and displays and recycle them in the correct manner. However, before you ring any old man with a van, be careful to make some background checks. You don’t want a situation where you are driving home on a country lane and see all your old office equipment strewn across a hedgerow. Fly tipping is a serious problem, so make sure you hire a company with a good reputation. Visible companies like Junk Me are going to be a safer bet than the guy you met in the bar one night.
Use It For Marketing
If you have some good technology that has outgrown its usefulness in your business, it may be useful to someone else. Why not create a competition as part of a marketing push? Second hand Apple Macs, for example, are still highly sought after, and you could use this to encourage sign-ups to your newsletter, or build up your social media following. Don’t be afraid of the fact that it is used equipment. It’s an opportunity to connect with people in your local community and a quirky way of showing off your environmental credentials.
Keep It
Of course, while it is tempting to get rid of all your old office technology, is it really worth it? Anything you buy for your business should be scrutinized, and it is the same for anything that you get rid of. Is all that equipment really useless for you? If you are running a network of computers, for example, you might have issues setting up the new tech. Older communications devices may not work with newer models. There are lots of things that could go wrong, so only get rid of stuff that has no value or has been replaced by something better.
That’s our four ways of getting your old office tech out of the way in a safe and eco-friendly manner. Do you have any methods you would like to share?