What is really important here?

Being seen to be environmentally friendly is a corporate must these days. Every website is full of the various initiatives most companies support and if they can spin it into good news, the trade mags and local papers happily print the stories. On the other side of the coin, causing any pollution or mess has become a PR disaster...just ask the guys at BP.

However, deep down in the corporate mindset, this is mostly a sham of course. Profit for sanity recycle for the cameras is the reality. If it costs, most companies will look for some wriggle room and try to minimise the pain.

And so they should. Any business manager who does not try to reduce costs is not doing his job properly for his shareholders. Businesses really should make profit. That is what creates job and contributes to the well-being of us all. Money makes the world go round, as they say.

Sitting here in the ‘where there is muck there is brass’ sector, the wriggle room is provided by less than satisfactory services. Offering free collections gives the lazy manager a chance to salve his or her conscience about ‘doing the right thing’ whilst not spending so much as a penny.

The fact is that the majority of people in this country pay lip service to the environment. In fact most of us do, some of the time. Me included. Recycling will take time to become ingrained in us, and our kids will no doubt put us to shame in that regard. But in the case of electrical equipment, I am not sure many people understand the consequences of our actions.

Keeping scrap out of landfill is a no brainer. Any sane individual has to be able to see that burying our waste is stupid, especially if it includes harmful substances. So why would those self same individuals condone sending our WEEE to Africa, to let bare-foot children throw it all in acid baths and bury our problems somewhere else?

And yes, anyone not choosing a reputable IT recycling partner is condoning that by default.

Quite apart from the laws being ignored and the corners cut, you are abusing a third world country for a very small corporate gain.

So my plea to each and every one of you is make a difference. I know you have to keep a lid on costs but check out your recycling partners. Protect your data and then focus on the environment. Where is that kit going to end up?

That is far more important than a few quid.