AATF status helps Bell Microsystems offer total WEEE solutions to IT users and IT manufacturers
Bell Microsystems, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of business IT solutions and services, has been approved by the Environment Agency as an AATF (Approved Authorised Treatment Facility). The company has been offering its customers IT disposal services since 1997 and, in 2007, was one of the first suppliers to become an ATF (Authorised Treatment Facility). This latest achievement builds on Bell Microsystems’ ‘cradle to grave’ IT solutions capability, whereby the company takes care of its customers’ entire IT infrastructure requirements – from supply of new systems, through to ongoing support and then WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) compliant disposal and recycling services at the end of a system’s working life.“While all businesses are aware of the need to comply with the latest environmental regulations, the task of having to keep track of new legislation and then manage the entire disposal and recycling process can be very time consuming,” comments Alastair Bell, Managing Director, Bell Microsystems. “With today’s economic challenges, our customers are looking to focus on their core business activities – so it’s far more efficient for them to work with an IT specialist that has all of the approvals and processes in place to ensure that their legal obligations are met. As we’re IT specialists, in up to 80% of cases we can also make the whole disposal process self funding and even return value to our clients as credits against new system purchases.
“Of course there are other AATFs. However, the majority come from a general waste processing background and may not have sufficient understanding of the special security and business requirements of IT disposal. Bell Microsystems brings its detailed understanding of IT issues to addressing the problem. We’ve invested in our own secure transport, secure warehousing and processing facilities and specialist equipment that thoroughly removes data from disc systems. Without this commitment to data security at the end of a system’s working life, businesses run the risk of sensitive data leaking from their company – and that can be very damaging.
“In addition to specific environmental legislation, every business that uses IT equipment has a legal duty of care to ensure that it is disposed of correctly at the end of its working life. Equally, organisations have a duty of care to ensure that personal information and any sensitive data that is held on their systems does not fall into the wrong hands when those systems are decommissioned.”
Bell Microsystems’ Authorised IT Waste Disposal Services are being used by a growing number of UK businesses – from small-medium size organisations, through to some of the largest names in telecommunications and the financial services sector.
For more details on the benefits of Bell Microsystems’ Authorised IT Waste Disposal Services, please visit http://www.bell-group.net/page.php/weee-directive-and-aatf
