Commercial IT disposal is time consuming and complicated, but a charity can provide a suitable alternative, says a west London college.

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College (EHWLC) donated 86 PCs to Computer Aid to comply with the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

“We initially trialled two commercial disposal companies but the process was complicated, time consuming and cumbersome,” said Richard de St Croix, IT operations manager at EHWLC.

“Talking to Computer Aid was a breath of fresh air. The charity clearly explained our obligations under the WEEE directive and how they would fulfil these on our behalf, and offered a cost-effective and ethical way to dispose of our IT equipment.”

“It was a relief to sign over legal obligation to professionals who could guarantee compliance and provide us with the right documentation, and as a public sector organisation we were very pleased to work with an NGO and help disadvantaged children.”

Computer Aid has its own professional decommissioning service and reassured EHWLC that it could comply with all requirements.

Computer Aid will refurbish the PCs and send them to Zambia where they will provide orphans with at least four years of educational use.

Last week, Computing reported that one in five UK small businesses claim to have no idea whether they are required to comply with WEEE.