Windows 7 PC Refresh Could Create Junk Mountain

As IT departments gear up for a long-delayed refresh of desktop PCs, the charity Computer Aid has urged companies to prevent excess waste by handing their PCs into reuse schemes.

Analyst group Gartner has said Windows-based companies must move to Windows 7 within the next few quarters to avoid losing productivity. The widespread replacement cycle could result in PCs being junked or recycled even though they have useful life ahead of them. Computer Aid is promoting its PC reuse programme – which donates second-hand machines to developing countries – as a more environmentally friendly option than recycling.

The fate of second-hand computers is becoming an issue of growing concern. An investigation by the BBC last month found there are few government checks to stop electronic waste from being dumped in third-world countries. Only about one-third of Europe’s e-waste is recycled, while as much as 80 percent of US e-waste is exported to China via ports such as Hong Kong, according to the report.

Replacement cycle

The upgrade to Windows 7 could unlock a big wave of replacements, representing a successful Windows operating sysatem coming after the unpopular Vista led to many firms proloonging their use of Windows XP. A recent poll of eWEEK readers found 44 percent still use Windows XP, while Windows 7 is behind Linux in popularity. The expiry date on Windows XP has been described as a “green timebomb“.

“Businesses that delay replacing much longer risk alienating employees, burdening themselves with more service requests and support costs, and ultimately facing higher migration costs when they eventually migrate to Windows 7,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “The bottom line is that businesses need to refresh their PCs sooner rather than later. Thus, the full bloom of the long-awaited professional PC refresh can’t be more than a few quarters ahead.”

While the refresh might be good news for PC makers, Computer Aid argued that it could potentially become an environmental nightmare.

“It’s vital that IT departments consider their disposal strategy for unwanted PCs, laptops and monitors,” said Computer Aid International director of communications Anja Ffrench, in a statement. “Many will have unwanted Pentium 4 PCs that have almost certainly not reached the end of their life and could provide a further 6,000 hours of use. Given that as much as 80 percent of the energy used by a PC across its working life is expended during manufacture, it is irresponsible to simply recycle equipment before it’s reached its true end of life.”

Such donations can also help companies comply with e-waste legislation including the WEEE Directive, the Data Protection Act and the Environment Act, Computer Aid said.

Legislation criticised

Last month the charity criticised environmental legislation for promoting recycling over reuse of IT hardware, which it claims is a more sustainable use of second-hand equipment.

In June Computer Aid launched a free collection service in South East England, which takes old IT equipment to be refurbished for use in the developing world.

Earlier this year, Computer Aid started shipping portable, solar-powered cyber cafés to rural communities in Africa, giving people in remote areas the chance to get online. The cyber cafés are housed inside standard 20 foot shipping containers, with built-in solar panels on the roof. The first cyber café was sent to Macha in Zambia on 30 March.