CUSTOMER STORIES: SMEs take advantage of free and secure IT recycling service
I have recommended Stone to several businesses – they are just so easy to deal with.
Stone’s ethical principles are similar to our own and we wouldn’t work with a company that didn’t share our commitment to sustainability
Sally Wharton - Centre Manager
Background
Oxford Innovation (Oxin) has been at the forefront of providing support for start-ups for over 30 years. The company represent the UK’s largest network of innovation centres, managing 24 innovation centres across the UK that support over 1,000 SMEs in a wide range of sectors.
It offers a range of services for building owners, local authorities and knowledge institutions who want to provide a supportive environment to help growing companies to thrive.
One such centre is the Mansfield I-Centre, which has 35 resident businesses and numerous virtual businesses. The Centre offers receptionists, a café, meeting rooms and numerous business facilities. Sally Wharton is Centre Manager, she said: “Oxford Innovation manage the Centre on behalf of the local council and our team of professional and friendly staff enjoy a great relationship with our businesses.”
Key Information
- 35 resident businesses and numerous virtual businesses
- Recently the Centre had a telecoms upgrade
- Various bits of kit that were redundant
- Disposing of unwanted IT equipment
- Pleased with Stone’s ethical principles
The Situation
Recently the Centre had a telecoms upgrade and as a result, Sally’s team was left with various bits of kit that were redundant.
“We had previously used an IT disposal service that made life quite complicated,” she explains. “We had to make a detailed list of what we had and then had to transport it to a third party for disposal – it was a painful process.”
The Solution
After being introduced to Stone by Jamie Booth, Sally found our approach to disposing of unwanted IT equipment very refreshing. “Stone explained everything very simply,” she said. “We didn’t get bombarded with information we didn’t need or understand. All we had to do was put our equipment in a room in relevant piles, such as routers in one, cables in the other and so on – and Stone came to collect it for free.”
Sally advertised Stone’s collection to all the businesses in the Centre to ask if they wanted to make use of the disposal service. Several SMEs took the opportunity to have a clear out and it was easy and convenient for them to drop off their equipment on site.
Oxford Innovation is committed to green and sustainable business practices and so working with Stone meant it was confident it was working with a similar ethical business. When it comes to recycling, Stone ensures to refurbish as much redundant hardware as possible.
“We did not want our waste equipment to go to landfill and so Stone’s ethics are totally in line with our own,” said Sally. “Stone explained that some of our kit could be donated to charities and that was good to hear.”
Technicians at Stone’s award-winning recycling facility determine if devices are in working order, and if they are, they are cleaned and refurbished, either to be resold or sent to charity.
As the recycling facility is onsite at Stone HQ, and completely manned and managed by Stone, there is no third-party involvement. This adds a further layer of security the Stone recycling service that already boasts MOD level security. No third-party also means customers get 100% of the residual value of their unwanted technology in the form of cash rebates, providing them with funds they can use to upgrade their IT estate, or simply money to put back in to their organisation.
Customers receive certification which enables them to claim rebates on their recycled equipment. If the equipment is end-of-life or beyond saving, it is responsibly and sustainably recycled with absolutely no waste going to landfill, and the customer receives all certificates of disposal and reporting. This ensure complete traceability and transparency of the whole process and ensures customers have a guarantee that their data has been securely erase from their old kit.
“Stone explained everything very simply… We didn’t get bombarded with information we didn’t need or understand. All we had to do was put our equipment in a room in relevant piles, such as routers in one, cables in the other and so on – and Stone came to collect it for free.”
Now
The businesses in the Centre are SMEs and so don’t get through a great deal of equipment, and Sally anticipates the Centre will probably have an IT amnesty annually.
“Now that we have found Stone we can add secure, safe, disposal and recycling of IT as another benefit we offer our clients. It’s reassuring to be able to work with a one-stop-shop like Stone who will now take care of all our end of life technology.”
