Survey Uncovers Reasons E-Waste is Thrown Away 

IT assets are utilized in every business and inevitably need to be replaced. Sometimes, IT hardware can pile up in closets and take up storage space if not disposed of properly. However, a large obstacle for many businesses is not knowing how to dispose of retired IT equipment, and a recent survey revealed several reasons why e-waste accumulates. 

Arlington, Va.- based software marketplace, Capterra recently conducted a survey that showed 20 percent of those surveyed admitted to throwing at least some old electronics in the trash instead of using proper disposal methods. According to the survey, a third of IT professionals at small and medium-sized businesses confessed to trashing some of the used electronics rather than disposing of them responsibly. 

Capterra’s 2023 IT Management Survey polled 500 SMB IT professionals and  asked which methods their company used when decommissioning hardware. The survey found that 80 percent recycle, 65 percent redeploy, 62 percent remarket, 54 percent donate, and 29 percent send to the landfill. 

Those who indicated throwing some electronics in the trash were asked what they struggled with during the ITAD process. Their responses included:

• Difficulty with organizing for disposal.
• Costs of responsible disposal.Concerns over environmental impact.
• Trouble identifying reputable e-waste vendors. 
• Complications with documenting the chain of custody. 

According to Capterra’s senior security analyst Zach Capers, “For quickly growing businesses, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where used IT assets begin to build up and, amid competing priorities, a decision is made to take the easy way out. However, there are serious environmental, legal, and regulatory implications of improper IT asset disposal.” 

There are many ways to properly dispose of retired IT assets, including recycling, redeployment, remarketing, and donations programs. Many ITAD providers like HOBI offer several options for disposal and ensure  no harm comes to the environment. 

HOBI is a premiere IT asset management and disposition enterprise with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. HOBI focuses on maximizing economic return and mitigating environmental liability at every step of the disposition process. In addition to recycling, HOBI offers repair and remarketing, re-imaging and asset redeployment, and data erasure solutions to ensure clients’ data is protected at every  disposition stage. 
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.