Computer amnesty calls for all old IT equipment

The amnesty is part of the district council’s preparations for the forthcoming European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, due to come into law in 2004 (see related story).

It is open to both residents and businesses, and will take place between 10am and 3pm in the council’s car park on Westfield Road, off the A5 into Dunstable. However, you don’t have to live or work locally in order to take part, Alan Asbury, South Bedfordshire Council’s Strategic Waste Management Officer, told edie. But if you’re driving from too far a field you should think about the sustainability of your journey, he warns.

The scheme is being run jointly by local recycling company Recycle IT, who will repair equipment, or strip it down for parts. Equipment can include keyboards, modems, monitors and base units.

Although the event is currently a one-off, if it is successful it may become a regular scheme, with the possibility of including other local councils, says Asbury.

Anyone who goes along on the day will be entered into a prize draw for a refurbished computer with Millennium 2000 software and a six-month warranty.

Earlier this year, an Essex-based asset management company, RDC, won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its computer recycling programme that processes 30,000 units of computer equipment each month (see related story).