E-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. According to a new report launched at Davos 2019, there is so much of it that it would weigh more than 125,000 Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

By 2020, it is estimated that there will be approximately 30 billion internet connected devices worldwide. However, only 20% of these will be appropriately collected and recycled, resulting in the loss of valuable materials and causing a serious environmental impact.

In Scotland, companies such as Re-Tek, an IT Security and Asset Management organisation based in East Kilbride, are looking for solutions to combat this growing worldwide issue.

In December last year, Re-Tek UK Ltd was awarded funding support through Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme (RECAP) to set up “Lease-Tek” – a scheme to enable organisations to lease high specification, refurbished laptops and PCs.

The scheme is supported by Zero Waste Scotland to support a more circular economy by moving away from the traditional linear economy – where we make, use and dispose of items – to one in which we keep precious resources in use for as long as possible.

Lease-Tek procures used computer hardware, extensively tests, refurbishes and uploads Windows 10 Pro Operating System, then lease to organisations looking for a low-cost option that enhances environmental credentials.

Refurbished equipment is not just given a second lease of life, but at the end of each lease period, the lessee is given the option to purchase at a reduced rate to further extend the lifecycle. Any products which cannot be leased again will have functional parts harvested with remaining parts being responsibly recycled.

The move away from owning products has been slowly creeping into mainstream society, with companies such as Airbnb introducing the idea of ‘leasing’ spare space in people’s homes, rather than building new hotels.

Similarly, Uber has transformed not only the way in which we access taxi journeys and transportation but the way we also view car ownership and there are now options for borrowing everything from jeans and hammers to various forms of equipment.

However, the environmental benefits of leasing to Scotland’s IT sector are relatively unknown. Kevin Culligan, director of Re-Tek, believes that the scheme may be of particular interest to smaller and Third Sector organisations where cash flow may be an issue. This scheme could also be applicable to organisations that are keen to improve their environmental or social credentials.

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With a typical lease period of one year, though short-term leases are available, organisations can keep up with new technological trends and can modify their technology as their business needs changing; without tying up working capital.

In addition, secure data destruction is undertaken by Re-Tek at the end of each lease, thus eliminating the worry of disposing of data-bearing devices.