What really happens to your old tech?

You finally hand in that old laptop – through your company’s e-waste drive, a school initiative, or maybe an ITAD collection bin. But what happens next?

Most imagine it gets dumped or shipped away. At Desco, that device begins a detailed, transparent journey of secure processing, reuse, and responsible recycling.

It all starts with secure intake. Each item is barcoded, assessed, and assigned a path: reuse, repair, or recycling. Next, certified data destruction – both digital and physical – ensures no sensitive information survives. This isn’t just about compliance. It’s about trust.

Devices that still hold value are refurbished and sold into markets like education or low-income enterprise, extending their useful life. Components like RAM or screens are harvested for repair jobs. When reuse isn’t viable, the device is safely dismantled: plastics, metals, batteries, and cables are sorted for specialised downstream processing.

But Desco’s process isn’t just about machines. It’s about people.

_{Giulio Airaga, MD of Desco Electronic Recyclers. Photo supplied.}

We’re not just managing waste, we’re creating dignified, future-focused jobs. Our team includes trained specialists who handle hazardous materials with care and integrity. We’re building careers in a green economy.

Through youth-focused training programmes and inclusion efforts, Desco is helping shape a new workforce that sees recycling not as dirty work – but as smart, meaningful, and impactful.

By the end of the process, clients receive full audit reports supporting ESG metrics and EPR compliance. And the old device? It may become a student’s first computer – or contribute its metals to the next-generation tech device.

Your tech doesn’t have to end in a bin. With the right partners, it becomes part of something bigger – cleaner, safer, smarter.