Disposition of electrical and electronic equipment is tightly regulated in many jurisdictions, largely on the grounds of protecting the environment and enforcing responsible handling of scrap materials. Legislation has driven the development and growth of the ITAD industry. ITAD providers typically provide some or all of these services:
These services address a number of growing problems. Recent research estimates 50 million tons of eWaste are generated worldwide annually and this is expected to double in the next 30 years. In terms of cost to IT departments, current hardware and device expenditure worldwide is estimated at $900bn per annum. Given the typical lifecycle of 3 to 5 years for IT assets, that’s a huge investment that’s contributing to the waste stream and a huge opportunity to create an ITAD program that’s cost-neutral or even cost-positive.
