Why IT Teams Choose Us for Infrastructure Recycling

End-user device recycling is reasonably commoditised. Infrastructure recycling isn’t, and most generalist recyclers aren’t equipped for it. Here’s what changes when the kit is more complex than a laptop:

• Data lives in unexpected places. It’s not just hard drives. Switch and router configurations hold network topology, ACLs, VLANs and credentials. SAN/NAS controllers hold cache. Even some firewalls and load balancers persist data in non-volatile memory. A “data wipe” that only covers HDDs leaves your security posture exposed.
• Decommission timing matters. Hot-swapping a production server is one thing; scheduling a maintenance window to power down a stack of equipment for collection is another. We work to your change-control windows, not the other way round.
• Site access is operational. Comms rooms, data halls and server rooms typically have controlled access — security clearance, escort requirements, sign-in protocols. Our drivers and engineers are vetted, briefed and used to working in these environments.
• Physical handling needs the right kit. A full 42U rack with PDUs in place isn’t going on a sack barrow. Specialist lifting equipment, rack-removal tooling and proper transport matter.
• Residual value is significant. Enterprise networking, recent-generation servers and storage arrays still hold real secondary-market value — often higher than equivalent-age desktop equipment. A proper recycler captures it and rebates it.

Our IT recycling service is built around exactly these realities.

The Equipment We Cover

We handle the full IT estate. For organisation, here’s how it breaks down:

End-User & Office IT

• Laptops and ultrabooks — see Laptop Recycling and Bulk Laptop Disposal
• Desktops, workstations and all-in-ones — see Desktop PCs Recycling
• Monitors, displays, projectors
• Printers, copiers and MFDs
• Mobile phones, tablets and POS devices
• Peripherals — keyboards, mice, docking stations, headsets

Servers & Storage

• Rack-mount servers (1U, 2U, 4U) — Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, IBM, Lenovo, Supermicro
• Blade chassis and blade servers
• Tower servers
• Storage arrays — NetApp, EMC/Dell, HPE, Pure Storage
• SAN and NAS appliances
• Backup appliances and tape libraries

Networking & Comms

• Switches and routers — Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, HPE, Extreme, Fortinet
• Firewalls and security appliances
• Wireless access points and controllers
• Load balancers
• Patch panels and structured cabling
• Desk phones, conferencing units, SBC and PBX kit

Data-Centre & Infrastructure

• Server racks and cabinets
• PDUs and intelligent PDUs
• UPS units (and their batteries — handled under hazardous waste protocols)
• Cooling equipment (in-row, rack-mount)
• KVM consoles and switches
• Structured cabling, fibre and copper
• Rail kits, cable management, blanking panels

If it lives in your IT estate and you need it gone, we almost certainly handle it. Full list on our Items We Collect page.

Data-Centre and Server-Room Decommissioning

Data-centre decommissioning isn’t a collection — it’s a project. We run them as projects, with the planning, sequencing and documentation that implies.

Pre-project planning. Site survey (in person or remote), inventory of equipment to be decommissioned, identification of data-bearing components, access and security review, agreement on maintenance windows, sign-off on the project plan.

Sequenced power-down and disconnection. Coordinated with your change-control process. Networking last, servers in batches, storage controllers with cache flushed and verified.

On-site data sanitisation (where required). For loads where data should not leave the building intact, we bring shredding and erasure equipment on-site. Drives and config-holding components are destroyed before transport.

Rack-level removal. Cables removed and recycled separately. Equipment cleanly de-racked. PDUs and rail kits removed. Empty racks dismantled or relocated as required.

Chain-of-custody transport. GPS-tracked, sealed transport from your site to our Manchester facility. Asset-level manifest reconciled on arrival.

Reporting. Full project-close documentation: inventory by serial number, destruction certificates per data-bearing device, recycling certificates, environmental impact summary, and where applicable a rebate report against resale values recovered.

For volume jobs that also include user devices, the IT Disposal for Business and IT Asset Disposal workflows wrap around the same data-centre decommission so you have one contract and one report.

Data — and Configurations — Destroyed Properly

The IT-team-specific bit that other recyclers miss: data isn’t only on hard drives. On a typical enterprise network stack, sensitive information persists across several component types, all of which need attention before recycling:

• Storage drives (HDD, SSD, NVMe) — wiped to NIST SP 800-88 or physically shredded to DIN 66399
• SAN/NAS cache and controllers — flushed, sanitised or shredded per the manufacturer’s secure-erase procedure
• Network device configurations — factory reset and config files removed from non-volatile memory; for high-sensitivity devices, full firmware re-flash or physical destruction of the config storage
• Firewall and security appliance state — full reset with rule-base and credential removal verified before disposal
• UPS and BMS controllers — many hold network credentials and SNMP community strings; reset before disposal
• Smart PDU and KVM units — credentials wiped from management interfaces

You receive serial-numbered certificates covering each data-bearing or config-holding device, with the destruction method and standard named per item. The full destruction methods are described on our Secure Data Destruction and Data Shredding pages.

Recovering Value From Enterprise Hardware

Recent-generation server, storage and networking equipment holds significant residual value on the secondary market — often substantially more than equivalent-age end-user hardware. Where your equipment has resale value, we wipe it, test it, refurbish where needed and remarket it through vetted B2B channels.

Typical recovery ranges we see in 2026:

• Recent enterprise servers (3–5 years old, good spec) — 15–30% of original purchase price
• Enterprise networking (Cisco, Juniper, Aruba in current support cycles) — 10–25%, with firewalls and security appliances often higher
• Storage arrays and SAN/NAS — variable, 10–30% depending on capacity and condition
• Newer rack hardware and PDUs — modest but consistent recovery

You get a transparent revenue-share rebate based on the actual resale prices achieved — itemised, by serial number, not a percentage estimate. Full detail of our remarketing model on the Resale & Remarketing page.

WEEE-Compliant, GDPR-Defensible, Zero to Landfill

Everything we recycle is processed through Authorised Approved Treatment Facilities under the WEEE Regulations 2013 (and 2025 amendments). The headline standards we operate to:

• WEEE Regulations 2013 — AATF processing, with Waste Transfer Notes and Hazardous Waste Consignment Notes as appropriate
• Environment Agency registered waste carrier, broker and dealer
• Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 34 — your duty of care covered on the transport phase
• UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018 — Article 28 data processor agreement available
• Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 — UPS batteries and other Li-ion handled to licensed treatment
• NIST SP 800-88 / DIN 66399 / BS EN 15713 — destruction standards
• HMG Infosec Standard 5 — available for public-sector and defence-adjacent work
• ISO 27001-aligned information security and ISO 14001-aligned environmental management

The wider compliance and reporting framework is detailed on our Computer Recycling & WEEE Recycling page.

Who We Work With

The IT recycling service is built for the people inside the IT function:

• Corporate IT and infrastructure teams running refreshes, consolidations or lift-and-shift projects
• Data-centre operators and colocation providers managing tenant churn and capacity refreshes
• Managed Service Providers (MSPs) handling client estate refreshes
• NHS IT teams and trust infrastructure leads — patient data + estate scale
• Universities and higher-education IT — research clusters, halls of residence, departmental refreshes
• Government IT and local authority infrastructure
• Cloud-migration projects — on-prem hardware being retired as workloads move
• Mergers, acquisitions and divestments — duplicate or surplus infrastructure

If you’re a CIO, IT director, infrastructure lead or operations manager handling any of the above, you’re who this service is built for.

FAQs

What’s the difference between IT recycling and computer recycling?

Computer recycling typically focuses on end-user devices and the WEEE-compliance framework around recycling them. IT recycling is the broader category — covering the full IT estate including servers, networking, storage and data-centre hardware. The two overlap, but if your refresh includes infrastructure as well as user devices, this is the page that covers both.

Do you handle data-centre decommissioning?

Yes. Data-centre and server-room decommissions are run as projects with planning, on-site sequencing, optional on-site data destruction, rack-level removal and full project-close documentation. We’ve handled jobs from single rack decommissions up to full data-hall clear-downs.

Can you handle networking equipment securely?

Yes — and this is one of the areas where general recyclers fall short. Network devices hold configuration data (topology, ACLs, credentials, VLANs) in non-volatile memory that survives a power-off. We factory-reset and verify, re-flash firmware where required, and physically destroy config storage on high-sensitivity devices. Your CISO will not find a gap.

Do you remove and recycle server racks and cabinets?

Yes. We de-rack equipment, dismantle empty cabinets where appropriate, and recycle them as part of the project. PDUs, rail kits, cable management, blanking panels and structured cabling are all included.

What happens to UPS units and their batteries?

UPS units are recycled as enterprise hardware. The batteries inside (typically VRLA or Li-ion) are removed and routed to licensed battery treatment partners under the Waste Batteries Regulations 2009. Damaged or swollen batteries are handled in fire-safe containers.

Can you provide on-site data destruction for sensitive infrastructure?

Yes. For loads where drives, controllers or config-holding components shouldn’t leave the building intact, we bring shredding and erasure equipment on-site. Your nominated witness can observe destruction, and you get same-day signed certificates.

Can we recover value from our retired infrastructure?

Often, yes — sometimes substantially. Enterprise servers, storage arrays and networking hardware retain meaningful secondary-market value, particularly within 3–5 years of original purchase. We remarket through vetted B2B channels and rebate a transparent share of the actual sale price. See Resale & Remarketing for the full model.

Will you work to our change-control or maintenance windows?

Yes. For production infrastructure we work to your change-management process, not the other way round. Out-of-hours, weekend and overnight working is standard for data-centre decommissions where required.

Do you cover the whole UK?

Yes — mainland UK including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol and surrounding regions. Multi-site projects are coordinated centrally. Highland, island and Northern Ireland projects are arranged on request.

Can we have a framework agreement and named account management for ongoing work?

Yes. For ongoing programmes — quarterly refreshes, scheduled colocation churn, multi-site MSP work — we set up framework agreements, Article 28 data processor contracts, named account managers and standardised reporting formats up front. Speak to us before your first project if you want this in place from day one.

Ready to Recycle Your IT Estate — End to End?

Whether it’s a planned refresh, a data-centre decommission, an office clearance, or a multi-site infrastructure consolidation — we’ll handle the equipment, the data, the documentation and the rebate. One supplier. One audit trail. One report.

Get a Project Quote

Email operations@rootcommunication.co.uk

Call 0800 756 6660

Root Communication Limited — Unit 4, St Elizabeth Industrial Park, Grey St, Denton, Manchester M34 3RU.