IDC expects fresh concern over disposal of PCs

IDC is expecting a new debate over disposal of PCs and expansion of the recycling industry as the installed base of PCs worldwide shot up to 749 million in 2004. The PC industry has been a leading driver of economic growth in the past three decades. The explosion in the use of computers has been driven by the need to modernise work processes and boost productivity, while the Internet, entertainment and other digital applications were among the primary drivers for the booming consumer market.

As businesses and consumers continue to shift to portable PCs and flat-panel displays, a new debate on disposal is likely to intensify, prompting the involvement of lawmakers and government. “Millions of systems will be moving out of homes and offices and will have to be disposed. Some will have their life prolonged through a data-cleansing and refurbishing process. In the case of others, various parts will be reused, and the remaining will be completely destroyed,” said David Daoud, Research Manager for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker and Personal Computing programmes.

Many companies are yet to include asset disposition in their PC ownership cost analysis. For most of them, a good strategy would be the one that would protect them from possible legal problems and generate residual income for their organisation. The preliminary results of a survey currently being conducted by IDC suggest that less than 37 percent of commercial entities of all sizes have a formal PC recycling and end-of-life policy. The recycling and refurbishing industry is likely to expand and create a new market. IDC expects it will happen under the pressure of an expanding body of government regulations concerning disposal.