Despite increased awareness, e-waste continues to find its way into landfills, both domestically and in developing countries. The Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition, a San Jose-based advocacy group, estimates that only 10 percent of unwanted, obsolete computers are recycled while the Basel Action Network estimates that up to 80 percent of e-waste is exported overseas-where dismantling shops lack the processes to prevent hazardous materials from harming workers and the environment.

Fortunately, these issues are attracting more attention as a new wave of environmental consciousness sweeps Corporate America. As a result, this is an excellent time to conduct a review of IT asset management and disposal practices in light of the three "Rs" that form the foundation of true environmental sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Desktop computing technology, in particular, has matured to the point where the traditional three-year lifecycle can often be extended to four or five years. Gartner has recommended that "organizations can now safely adopt a usable life of five years for desktop PCs purchased before 2005. Organizations considering purchases in 2006 or 2007, however, should plan on a four-year (48 month) refresh strategy, with the option of extending to five years if business needs/requirements allow. If systems remain functional into the fifth year, exploit the installed base for the maximum period of time, beyond five years in some cases."

Risks associated with service issues can be minimized through outsourced maintenance combined with an asset management strategy that ensures "hot spare" systems are available as needed and can quickly be deployed.

Microsoft Vista is the latest operating system that threatens to drive a new wave of refresh programs, but many organizations have learned from past experience not to adopt too early or deploy too fast. They are either delaying their Vista implementations or developing strategies to upgrade existing hardware to make it Vista compatible. The days when each new generation of Windows forced corporations to overhaul their desktop systems appear to be on the way out as the "managed diversity" approach in which PCs are replaced on an ongoing basis becomes a more accepted practice.

The other opportunity to reduce technology is to repurpose surplus computers that sit idle as a result of reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, or other business changes. Too many organizations allow computers to sit unused - and unaccounted for - in spare rooms or closets with little consideration for the costs, lost asset value and productivity, and security risks. Too few consider how these systems could be repurposed to benefit the organization. According to industry research, 150 million obsolete PCs are currently sitting in warehouses, storerooms and closets. In addition, IDC estimates that most corporations store old computer equipment for up to three years at a cost of about $360 per machine, and then pay an additional $218 for its eventual disposal.

This problem is particularly acute in distributed organizations that have not centralized asset management. Multiple stockpiles of equipment build up across the organization with no enterprise-wide visibility into the number, or type, of assets sitting idle. When asset management practices are centralized, many of these computers may be able to find a home within the organization, eliminating the need to purchase new equipment.

This is a situation where sound business and environmental practices align perfectly. The U.S. EPA has made available an Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator that you can use to calculate the cost savings and environmental benefits of reusing technology (see A Closer Look below). You may be surprised to see just how big of an impact reusing 10 percent or 20 percent of technology systems can have on the environment - and your bottom line.

Supporting Recycling Policy with Process

Many organizations may believe they have the third "R" covered as a result of environmental policies that are intended to keep computers out of landfills. But many of these policies are not adequately supported by appropriate processes. The economics of computer disposition still make it less expensive to ship technology overseas than to recycle it properly. Some recyclers may agree to adhere to a zero-export policy and then simply resell technology to a recycler who has not made that commitment. It is easy, of course, for a corporation to "look the other way" and plead ignorance as to what happens to technology after it enters the marketplace, but true environmental stewardship requires putting procedures into place to track equipment through the entire recycling process. Environmental policy aligned with business process can aid regulatory compliance and help avoid costly public relations problems.

The Time is Right

Our industry has come a long way in the past 10 years in reducing the impact of technology on the environment by diverting dangerous chemicals from landfills and promoting responsible recycling, but we now have an opportunity to go even further. The new wave of corporate interest in sustainable business practices, along with the ever-present need to manage budgets, make this an excellent time to increase efforts aimed at extending equipment lifecycles and increasing utilization.

To see firsthand the environmental and financial benefits, statistics can be compiled through the Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator. The University of Tennessee, with support from Abt Associates and Dillon Environmental Associates, developed this calculator under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This system quantifies the benefits of environmentally sound management of electronic equipment. Users can calculate the benefits from reusing and recycling their computers. This calculator can determine savings in energy use; virgin material use; CO2/greenhouse gas emissions; air emissions; water emissions; toxic materials; municipal solid waste generation; hazardous waste generation; and cost, where feasible. Consider this, if your company has: 1,000 computer processing units, of which 200 were reused and 800 recycled 1,000 liquid crystal displays, of which 200 were reused and 800 recycled 500 notebook computers, of which 200 were reused and 300 recycled The total savings using the benefit calculator would be:   Savings Equivalent Energy 2 million kWh 175 households/yr GHG Emissions 160 MTCE 125 cars off the road Primary Materials 1,600 tons 12,000 refrigerators Toxic Materials 160 kg 80 bricks 10 Hg thermometers Hazardous Waste 15 tons 7,500 bricks MSW 25 tons 15 households/yr Cost Savings $200,000   (Assume all are EPEAT registered and meet the silver tier.) The calculator tool is currently available in an Excel Spreadsheet format. In 2007, the EPA plans to make it available as a web-based tool.