ISP BT and Cisco to Help UK Businesses Recycle Network Kit

Broadband giant BT has today launched a new service, which is designed to help their UK business customers reduce electronic waste (e-waste) by enabling their replaced or decommissioned network kit to be shipped back to Cisco in order to be “responsibly re-used or recycled” through its ‘take-back and reuse’ scheme.

BT states that they have Cisco-certified environmental specialists in the UK, US, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore to manage the process (further countries will be added by the end of 2022). Assuming all goes to plan, then it’s claimed that up to 99.9% of what is returned by businesses will be re-used or recycled.

The move builds on BT’s existing take-back and reuse services, although this has primarily been applied to Smartphones. The operator also puts a lot of effort into redistributing used Smart Hub broadband routers, which are often returned by customers who switch ISP or upgrade to a new model (many of these are still in good working order and can be reused).

Hriday Ravindranath, Chief Product & Digital Officer at BT Global, said:

“E-waste is a growing concern and according to WEF now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. Our customers and partners have made commitments to report on and improve performance in this critical area.

Creating a more sustainable, circular economy, where we prioritise dematerialisation and avoid equipment going to landfill, is vital. It builds on our leadership in sustainability and will help deliver on our BT Group Manifesto commitments and ambition to connect for good.”

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