Millions of Britain's PCs going to waste

Millions of serviceable computers in the UK end up in landfill rather than being recycled, a study has claimed.

The research, sponsored by Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC), found that 12.5 million unwanted PCs and laptops have not been re-used or recycled by their owners.

The survey found that one in four machines are taken to tips and more than one million computers have been dumped in household rubbish or the countryside.

Only one in 10 Brits claimed their discarded computer was recycled via a manufacturer's recycling facility and four in 10 said they gave their old computer to a friend or charity.

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A massive 6.2 million people say they have unused computers lying around their home or garden, while 5.1 million took their old computer to their local dump.

Electrical and electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Around 1.8 million tonnes are generated every year, with IT equipment accounting for 39 per cent of it.

More than six months on from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive coming into effect just 26 per cent the 94,600 tonnes of IT WEEE waste is recycled.

FSC said that even for the one in four people who take their rubbish to their local tip, unless their laptop or PC is assessed on the site, there is no guarantee that it will be passed on for re-use or recycled. It said this was a "huge missed opportunity" as with the the right facilities these thrown-away units could easily be reused elsewhere.

The company said assessment facilities need to be at the municipal sites where people drop off their waste.