3D Printer Shows Potential of Recycling Old IT Equipment, Says PHS Maxitech
Cardiff (PRWEB UK) 25 October 2013 -- African inventor Kodjo Afate Gnikou recently designed a 3D printer using old electronic equipment, including rails and belts from old scanners, the case of a discarded desktop computer and bits of a diskette drive. Whilst some elements were bought new, in total the printer cost him just 100 US dollars to build.
His 3D printer has the ability to create actual physical objects by lifting designs off a computer, and Gnikou believes it can be used on a daily basis to print household utensils that are not easy to get hold of.
IT disposal company PHS Maxitech believes that the revolutionary 3D printer shows the enormous potential of recycling e-waste rather than sending it to landfill.
Anthony Pearlgood, Managing Director of PHS Maxitech, said: “Gnikou’s 3D printer, created predominantly out of old electronic equipment, is an inspirational example of how defunct computers can be reused.
“Every year, 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste is generated worldwide, the majority of which is discarded into incinerators or landfills rather than recycled. In the UK alone, businesses are producing 2,000,000 tonnes of waste electronic and electrical equipment every year. But toxic chemicals in electronics products can seep into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment.
“Businesses should use Gnikou’s 3D printer as inspiration for transforming their own IT recycling process, and consider using an expert like PHS Maxitech.”
PHS Maxitech operates a full IT and Computer Equipment reuse, refurbishment and recycling service for corporate businesses and organisations across the UK, encouraging companies to recycle their electronic waste rather than send it to landfill.
Anthony Pearlgood said: “At PHS Maxitech we collect the redundant equipment from your site and take it to our dedicated IT recycling centre. All items that can be refurbished are repaired and tested, ready for safe and secure re-use by charities or other clients. And anything that cannot be reused is broken down and recycled, ensuring that nothing goes to landfill.
“We take security very seriously, and all equipment containing company data is set aside for certified data removal. If a hard drive is faulty and cannot be wiped, it will be shredded to ensure security of your data.
“Gnikou’s 3D printer proves that there is another alternative to sending electronic waste to landfill, and at PHS Maxitech we want to encourage this wherever possible.”
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Notes for editors
About PHS
The PHS Group is a leading workplace services provider, and has traded in the UK since 1963. It has a diverse service portfolio aimed at improving work and leisure spaces, while making life much easier for facilities, building and people managers.
PHS really does ‘do more than you think’, providing products and services for:
• Crate rental and packaging
• Interior and exterior planting
• Laundry equipment and workwear
• Matting and flooring
• Records storage and management
• Shredding and recycling
• Testing and compliance
• Washrooms
• Waste management
• Water machines
• Workplace consumables
PHS provides these direct to UK companies, and also operates as a tier one supplier to the facilities management market, supporting the integrated service propositions of most of the major FMs.
The PHS Group’s annual turnover for the year ending March 2012 was £422 million. It employs around 5,000 personnel, operates from a wide network of 153 regional service branches, and takes care of over 250,000 customers at over 450,000 locations in the UK, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and Spain.
http://www.phs.co.uk/datashred/it-disposal
Chloe Hibbert, PHS Maxitech, http://www.maxitech.co.uk/, +44 2920 809185, [email protected]
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