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Reselling unsold or unwanted PCs doesn't just make economic sense, it's also beneficial to the environment. Manufacturing computers is unfortunately not a very eco-friendly process, despite current efforts to clean it up, and the components are often hard to dispose of responsibly when a machine comes to the end of its life.

So it's generally a lot better for the planet to continue using an existing machine than to junk it and make a new one. Failing that, it's vital to recycle as many parts as possible, and dispose safely of any that remain. rather than dumping hardware in landfill.

One company that focuses specifically on this issue is End-O-Line (EOL), which has been in the business for 11 years and has become one of the UK's leading IT recyclers. It's won Business in the Community's Big Tick award for eco-efficiency two years running, and been commended by the Environment Agency as an example of good practice.

EOL uses disposal methods that comply with and exceed all the current legislation on waste disposal, including the European WEEE Directive that's currently being phased in, and operates a 'zero landfill policy', so users can be sure their old kit won't end up blighting the landscape for their grandchildren. The target is to recycle 90% of the thousands of items collected each week, with about 50% being re-used as working products and another 40% being broken down into re-usable components.

Companies can arrange for EOL to pick up their old electronic goods from anywhere in the country, erase hard disks to ensure confidential data is destroyed, and offset the residual value of the products against the cost of recycling, which is then taken care of and fully documented without the client needing to do anything further.

Although EOL's typical customers are corporates and large institutions, special rates are available to smaller businesses and organisations, and EOL can provide advice on complying with the latest regulations on disposal, an area that could otherwise prove a minefield.

Where possible, computers and peripherals are refurbished and resold, and while equipment may be a bit older than typical refurb stock, prices are low. For example, a Dell Optiplex PC with a Pentium 4 3.0GHz processor, 512MB RAM and Windows XP Pro was recently available for £140, and that was one of the more expensive offerings, with many brand-name machines costing well under £100.

This service too is currently aimed at businesses and charities, but EOL are working on an online shopping site where anyone will be able to take advantage. Keep an eye on www.end-o-line.co.uk and you may be able to play your own part in keeping technology out of the trash - while saving some money too.