We are replacing all the computers in the back offices of our stores. How can we dispose of the old ones in a safe and secure manner?

The introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive in July 2007 makes business users legally responsible for disposing of their equipment in an environmentally responsible way. Plus, there is always the concern that data from the hard disk could end up in the wrong hands.

One way to overcome this is to donate the equipment to a specialist charity. Computer Aid International has been approved by the Environment Agency and uses government-approved data-wiping software on PCs it receives. It aims to cut poverty through practical IT solutions.

Retailers that work with the international development charity and receive a professional decommissioning service include Sainsbury’s, New Look and Monsoon Accessorize. Sainsbury’s has donated more than 3,000 PCs to Computer Aid. The supermarket’s latest donation of computers has gone to support the training of nurses in Kenya with an e-learning programme. The charity says most PCs being upgraded in the UK have another four to five years of life left in them; and once the charity has made sure all the data has been removed, these PCs can be used to bring education and training to people across the globe.

To date it has provided more than 150,000 fully refurbished PCs to schools, hospitals and not-for-profit organisations in more than 100 developing countries.

The charity says it will collect the items from you, or you can deliver them to its North London workshop.

More information is available on its website at computeraid.org.

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