Net Zeros and Ones

CHAPTER 8Asset Disposition

• 8.1 Contracting and Managing Your ITAD
• 8.2 ITAD Operations
• 8.3 Sustainability and Green Tech
• 8.4 Contribution from R2
  • 8.4.1 Tracking Throughput
  • 8.4.2 Data Security
• 8.5 e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment
• 8.6 i-SIGMA
• 8.7 FACTA
• 8.8 Summary

The PC revolution, born in the late 1980s, gave rise to desktop computing in the enterprise. Every so-called knowledge worker became empowered to create and use data from their own desktop. Over time the only employees not equipped with their own computers were those that did not have desks: line workers on the shop floor, security guards walking their beats, food service people in the kitchen, or serving patrons. Following Moore's law, computers doubled in capacity every 18 months as CPUs became faster, storage became cheaper, and capacity increased. This leads to a refresh cycle of two to three years for corporations. Even government agencies have to invest in upgraded PCs, although not as frequently as commercial enterprises.

The digital era, ushered in by personal computing and fueled by the advent of the Internet, is characterized by continuous growth in computing power and volume of data. In return, the world economy saw increases in productivity and economic growth. One aspect of this growth was a rapid rise in out-of-date computing devices as new models made previous models completely obsolete. This is a pattern that is continuing to this day, and it means that ...