IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) specialist Xperien has been accredited by the Gauteng Waste Information System (GWIS) to remove hazardous waste. As a trusted service provider and eWaste specialist, the company can now help clients discard of redundant hazardous IT equipment in an effective and responsible manner.
Penalties for poor disposal of redundant IT assets could be costly but this could be prevented by appointing a professional hazardous waste generator. Most companies have masses of eWaste waiting to be discarded, this could include servers and storage devices, computers, tablets, phones and fax machines.
Bridgette Vermaak, head of IT asset disposal at Xperien says companies need to ensure that their service providers are licensed and properly accredited. "We are extremely privileged to receive Gauteng Waste Information System accreditation as a hazardous waste generator, especially considering the huge responsibility this carries. Penalties for poor disposal of broken or redundant computers, that are considered hazardous waste, could be costly."
"For the proper disposal of IT assets, awareness of the regulations and environmental concerns for using ITAD services are essential. Many organisations do not assign any special budget for asset disposition and as a result, the asset may get disposed in an improper way, thus affecting the environment," she explains.
In South Africa, there are laws that regulate the disposition of eWaste, these include Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (PoPI 2013), the National Environmental Waste Management Act 2008 (NEMWA 2008) and the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA).
Xperien has also achieved Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO 14001:2004 accreditation for refurbishment and redistribution of redundant IT assets and equipment. ISO 14000 is a global series of EMS standards that were developed for organisations to incorporate environmental aspects into operations and product standards.
It is a set of voluntary environmental management standards, guides and technical reports, which specifically focuses on corporate environmental management systems, operating practices, products, and services.
"Our clients trust us to deliver high quality service whilst still caring for the environment. It helps them comply and it is crucial that customers do business with vendors and suppliers that are accredited. Xperien continues to be the market leader by establishing best practice in our industry sector," she concludes.
