Virgin Media O2 Avoid 5,262 Tonnes of UK CO2e Emissions by Recycling Network Kit
Broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media and O2 is estimated to have saved 5,262 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions over the last 10 years thanks to its partnership with TXO, which specialises in helping the network operator to recycle their old network equipment so that it can be returned to and sourced through the secondary market.
The data shows that the largest share, 4,575 tonnes of CO₂e, was achieved by refurbishing recovered network assets such as switches, routers, and line cards, and returning them to the telecoms market. The remaining 687 tonnes came from Virgin Media O2 sourcing replacement equipment through the secondary market rather than buying new.
The long-term programme to recover, refurbish, resell and responsibly recycle network equipment (end-of-life kit) meant that 690 tonnes worth was also diverted from landfill through responsible recycling, putting valuable metals back into UK resources. This is said to be equivalent to the weight of around 50 double-decker buses.
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This includes cable, power packs, routers, switches and processor boards, with extracted steel, aluminium and copper accounting for almost 60% of the total recycled weight. By recovering and processing assets in the UK, including at its South Wales facility, TXO said they’re also helping to “keep more material value within the domestic economy“.
Paul Franey, Head of Reverse Logistics at VMO2, said:
“We want to extend the life of our network hardware so it can be reused, given a second life or disposed of sustainably. That’s why Virgin Media O2’s long-standing partnership with TXO plays an important role in our supply chain strategy, helping us maintain network equipment through testing, repair and refurbishment wherever possible.
The results of this programme demonstrate how a more circular approach to technology can benefit both the business and the environment.”
Other UK network operators, such as the BT Group (Openreach), also work with TXO.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Reminds me of when I moved house, only one street away and still on the same cabinet.
The new house was already cabled for Virgin, so I took my hub with me on moving day and it all worked just fine.
Rang VM to update my address and they insisted I had to pay a house move fee, and that they had to send me a new hub. I argued my way out of the fee but they still sent me a new hub anyway, exactly the same version, and I had to return the “old” fully working one.
The return “packaging” was a plastic bag.
It all felt a bit daft.
Old rubbish, no WiFi 7, no modern router . Hub 5 and Hub 5X are obsolete rubbish. Cannot even put your own router unless using Bridge mode. Charge arm and an leg for Broadband but so stingy as not upgrading router for many years now.
Imagine how many emissions ISPs could avoid by offering a modem- or ONT-only service instead of foisting a disposable all-in-one router on every customer, especially those who already have vastly better network equipment.
Avoiding unnecessary hardware in the first place would be greener than manufacturing, shipping, powering, retrieving and eventually recycling it. Unfortunately, “we didn’t create the waste” makes for a rather less impressive ESG press release, doesn’t it?