Sustainability in the IT world is as important as in other industries and sectors, yet figures indicate that it is a long way from being effective. In 2021, only 20 percent of e-waste was recycled – what this means is that 80 percent of it ended up in landfills – about 54 tonnes of obsolete monitors, hard drives, mice, keyboards, and other paraphernalia.
While it is acknowledged that technology moves fast and that much of the hardware needs to be replaced regularly to keep up with progress, there needs to be joined-up thinking within the main manufacturers about better tackling the reuse of old equipment. In the meantime, individuals and organizations can do more to ensure that they optimize the use of their existing equipment through good maintenance.
Clean it Regularly
Dirt and moisture are the true enemies of your technology equipment. If dust gets into the inner workings it can affect overall performance. Regular cleaning not only creates a hygienic working environment, but it can also protect and maintain performance levels. Be very careful about the cleaning chemicals you use on the equipment. Only use sparingly, spraying it onto a dry cloth and wiping it down with a second soft dry cloth.
Use Protection
There are plenty of protective products that you can purchase that can be clipped onto your equipment to prevent any knocks and damage – particularly if you are in transit. They can guard against scratches and dents, protect it from lasting damage if you drop it, and shield it from the worst of the dust in the atmosphere.
Operate in a Temperate Environment
The environment in which you are running your IT is crucial to its overall performance. The ideal temperature for IT equipment to operate at is between 21 to 24 degrees centigrade, and humidity should be around 40 to 60 percent. Try and keep the room as clear from dust as possible, keeping doors and windows closed, with frequent cleans.
Battery Care
Anyone who has had several smartphones over the last few years will know how quickly the batteries can degrade all of a sudden. Tweaking how you look after lithium batteries will help to slow down the degradation and expand their lifespan. Here are some sensible tips for prolonging battery life:
- Put your device onto eco-use or battery saver mode if it has one.
- If you have other devices plugged into your laptop that you are not using, unplug them. They are an unnecessary drain on your laptop.
- Adjust any lighting settings on your device, turning them down unless you specifically need them.
- If you have multiple apps or programs and windows open, close down any that are no longer actively in use.
- Think about your own working practice and be streamlined in your use of programs. The more you can open, use, and close a single program, rather than having several run at the same time makes a significant difference to the draw on the battery.
- Occasionally allow your battery to drain completely through normal use, then recharge.
- Now and again wipe the battery contacts down with alcohol and wipe dry. This will ensure that the important element which controls the flow of power is kept free of dust.
- Invest in a spare battery, or use a battery backup power pack.
To conclude, there are a lot of customizations you can make to your working practices that can lead to prolonging the life cycle of your IT equipment, giving you significant savings in the long term.
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