Bristol Wireless Wiki - Computer Recycling

Bristol Wireless in partnership with

Byteback Computer Recycling

Taking a Byte out of Computer Waste

We are appealing for organisations to dispose of their old computer hardware though our recycling project so that we can reuse the hardware within the Bristol area.

Byteback will take full responsibility for wiping the data securely from any hard drives; they can also dispose responsibly of any hardware that is no longer serviceable.

This means that we are able to offer a complete service, we will take all obsolete computer equipment. You can also be sure that the waste will be dealt with in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. By re-using as much of the hardware as possible in the local area we mininise the CO2 emissions generated by transporting the waste. It also means that waste is not simply dumped in developing world nations who often lack proper recycling facilities

Byteback Computer Recycling have been assisting companies and service providers in achieving their legal obligations for the recycling of redundant IT equipment since 2001.

Byteback are fully WEEE-compliant and operate under guidelines set by Environment Agency policy. Their waste-reducing business methods have resulted in them being granted Waste Management Licence Exemption by their Environment Agency Officer.

Byteback provide the wiped machines to Bristol Wireless; we install Debian Linux on them and use the machines in our grant-funded projects in deprived inner city areas.

We also sell computers for £50. By providing such low-cost machines, we make technology available to those who could not otherwise afford a computer. The machines are often purchased by parents for children who need a computer for school. We can easily install a great range of educational software onto the machines that helps young people with numeracy and literacy.

The computers come with a complete set of software which makes them suitable for most uses.

As the software that we use runs very efficiently on older computers we can make use of machines that may be considered obsolete by most recycling operations.

We also make use of thin client technology, this means that really old machines can be re-used as thin clients and have several more years of use.

Case study 1

Machines that originated in the NHS were disposed of through Byteback, Bristol Wireless installed new harddrives into the machines and have made them freely availible to project participants in the St Pauls area. They have been used to carry out basic skills assessments and training. Several people are enrolled on English courses as part of the project. Some of the project particpants have even been using the machines to check NHS and health related websites!

Case study 2

A local school disposed of their obsolete machines through Byte back's program. The machines were of a very low Pentium 2 specification. Bristol Wireless have used these machines as thin clients in a local sheltered housing scheme. The older people really enjoy using the machines and like the fact that they can communicate with friends and family in different parts of the world.

If your organisation is looking for computer asset disposal that is both environmentally friendly and socially responsible, then contact Byteback.

Byteback are able to collect machines from your premises; please contact them for details.