Disposing of IT equipment

The University has an arrangement with a third-party contractor to collect and recycle redundant IT equipment.

All departments are required to use the official disposal service for the removal of redundant IT equipment - under WEEE (Waste electrical and electronic equipment) guidance the University is not able to sell or give away its computers to staff and students.

The service is for IT equipment only: other electrical items, such as kettles, toasters or heaters, should be disposed of via Facilities Management.

Collections of redundant equipment are free to departments. Requests should be submitted using an online request form to supply information about the equipment that needs to be collected.

If you have redundant IT equipment to be collected

1. Complete the online request form
2. If you have large items or a significant volume of items (e.g. when upgrading PC labs) then choose the option Bulk/Multiple Items when completing the form
3. If equipment needs to be taken urgently, we can arrange for Facilities Management to make the collection instead: a charge will be incurred and payable by the department

Equipment will be collected directly from departments.

It is the responsibility of those requesting the collection to identify a safe and secure place for temporary storage whilst awaiting collection. Please do not use corridors, stairwells or block any fire exits or escape routes. Find a storage location as near to ground level as possible for ease of collection. The contractor will collect directly from this location. For bulkier items of equipment, a collection can be made from where the item stands. As equipment is being collected to be recycled, we would ask that items are stored carefully to avoid damage.

It is free to dispose of all IT equipment provided they are not hazardous: they must be free from asbestos and biologically, chemically and radiologically clean. If you think an item is hazardous, please contact Facilities Management to arrange removal.

All departments are required to use the service detailed on these pages for the removal of redundant IT equipment.

In line with the University's IT Regulations, computers should not be tampered with in any way prior to collection. Do NOT remove hard drives: these are securely wiped by the contractor to standards (CESG HMG IS5) set out by Computing Services.

The contractor will record the details of any IT equipment collected and will issue hard drive erasure certificates and collection sheets which Computing Services retains.

Where possible, all redundant equipment from the University is repaired with the aim of maximising re-use. The University also makes charitable donations of IT equipment through our contractor to donate items that could otherwise be sitting in store cupboards gathering dust.

Any items that cannot be refurbished are broken down into their component parts and recycled.

Doing this safely is very important as IT equipment contains many toxic substances such as arsenic, bromine, cadmium, hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), lead and mercury.