Tower and Town, February 2024

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The Green Machine Company

In our tech-centric world, electronic devices have become our faithful companions. From the moment we wake to our smartphone alarms, to the late-night Netflix binge on our smart TVs, technology is ever-present. But there's a dark side to this relentless innovation: a colossal pile of electronic waste, which takes up valuable space and poses a significant environmental threat.

The impact on our environment: manufacturing a single desktop computer requires around 539 pounds of fossil fuels, 48 pounds of chemicals, and at least 1.5 tons of water. That's a staggering quantity of resources for just one piece of technology. But it doesn't stop there. The process generates roughly 150 kgs of greenhouse gases, too, and inside your electronics are rare earth materials such as gold, silver, copper, and cobalt. There are limited supplies of these resources which are often hazardous to extract.

What’s the answer to this growing problem? Recycling and reuse. The number of electrical items that get thrown away is constantly growing, and currently only 17.5% of this waste is recycled. When we recycle our old devices, the precious materials can be extracted and reused.

For 12 years, Green Machine Computers have been on a mission to help businesses dispose of obsolete IT equipment securely. Based at Whittonditch, the company is committed to proper e-waste recycling and disposal. They handle both data and waste materials in a safe and environmentally friendly way. They repair and reuse everything possible (down to screws and office furniture), and work with a number of charities to rehome useful hardware. They break down irreparable IT equipment to their core materials, so that these can be melted down and reused.

Green Machine Computers, with its customers' help, has cut CO2 emissions by 13,500 metric tonnes in the last five years. That's equivalent to powering 1,701 homes for a year. The team tests, repairs and reuses every useable component from the devices collected, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.

But what about your data? Many businesses worry about recycling their devices because of the data they contain. Green Machine takes data security very seriously and wipes all the data from every device and provides certificates to prove this.

Green Machine Computers have been able to refurbish thousands of devices and donate them to schools, charities and non-profit organisations across the UK. Their donations have supported a wide variety of people, from refugees to local youth groups, from women’s shelters to children’s hospices. Their work has ensured that all of that ‘waste’ has not been wasted.

Natalie King-Barnard