Waste and recycling

Our main waste streams are:

• General office waste.
• Redundant office equipment, such as computers.
• Packaging waste from our network maintenance and upgrading of our network.

In 2007 we generated in total of 1,837 tonnes of general waste compared to 1,025 tonnes in 2006.

Recycling initiatives, assisted by our Blue and Green waste separation initiative in offices, mean that we now recycle over half of all our general office waste.

Network equipment

Wherever possible we make sure our network equipment is designated for re-use or upgrade. Therefore, we do not expect a lot of waste from the roll-out of our third generation (3G) networks.

Redundant network equipment is processed for re-use and recycling through our accredited waste management partners.

We do not currently collect data in this area.

Offices

In the UK we have established procedures to separate, collect and recycle paper, plastic bottles and plastic cups in our larger offices.

We have now begun to look more closely at how some of our contractors handle waste.

Distribution warehouses

We do not currently collect data in this area.

IT waste

We work with a partner to handle IT recycling and waste disposal, which includes a complete solution for cathode-ray tubes from computer screens.

As well as recycling, much of our redundant equipment is refurbished and resold. We also support schools and developing countries by donating refurbished computer equipment.

We aim to comply with the European Commission Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. This requires us to provide processes to recover redundant mobile handsets and accessories. We already operate well within its aims.

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