Saudi Arabia is keen to set up an entity to address the issue of the safe disposal of used PCs, computer equipment, printers, batteries and other related items that contain hazardous material and pose a risk to the environment. With the ever-growing technology, computer users in Saudi Arabia, as elsewhere in the world, tend to acquire IT devices that have advanced features. In the process, old PCs, printers and similar computer products are either set aside or simply dumped in municipal garbage bins. The unsafe disposal of PCs and computer equipment is a matter of great concern as it exposes the general public to tremendous health risks. Ziad Mortaja, Managing Director and Technology Solutions Group Lead, HP Saudi Arabia Hewlett-Packard Company, said Saudi authorities are discussing with his company the possibilities of setting up an entity for the safe disposal of computer equipment. “The Kingdom imports a large number of PCs and related items including notebooks, printers and batteries. The sale of a large amount of IT equipment on an hourly basis in the Saudi market means used computers are either set aside or dumped unsafely posing a risk to the health of the general public,” he said. Mortaja said that PCs and related items contain a material called silicon, which is a poisonous substance that might pose a risk to the environment if dumped in public places improperly. Efforts are under way to find a mechanism that would encourage people to hand over PCs, printers or batteries and similar items to the proposed entity instead of discarding them, he said. Though the details are still under discussion the proposed entity could sort out the used PCs and related items and try to ensure that those items that are in working condition would either be re-used by allocating them to a section of society in need of them or be sent for recycling, he said. “The basic aim is to save the Kingdom's environment,” he explained. Some of the devices contain batteries which might explode and release toxic fumes into the air, he said. This is the reason why such hazardous material should be disposed of in a safe way, he warned. – SG “Basically, this is an initiative taken in cooperation with the Saudi authorities to save the country's ecosystem. We will announce to the media once such a mechanism is in place in Saudi Arabia when people can donate used PCs in working condition or dispose of them safely,” he said. __
