Gateway Issues Credit to Recover Old PCs

Poway, CA— Businesses can now get something for their mothballed microchips with the launch of the Gateway Asset Recovery Services.

Under the new program, business and institutional customers of Gateway, Inc. benefit by getting Gateway credit for their old PCs, on-site removal and the peace of mind that their machines will be broken down and recycled in an environmentally responsible way.

Gateway's Asset Recovery Services program features two components - End of Life (EOL) Certified Disposal and Used Equipment Remarketing Service. EOL Certified Disposal removes and recycles outdated hardware in compliance with changing local, state, federal and U.S. EPA guidelines, while also cleaning data from hard drives to protect confidential information. Used Equipment Remarketing Service provides cash or credit toward future Gateway hardware purchases depending on the condition of the equipment and whether it can be refurbished and resold.

"We used Gateway Asset Recovery Services to upgrade to Gateway Profile 4 computers in service agencies city-wide - from the mayor's office to our municipal courts to the city zoo," said Neil Wilson, user system consultant II for the City of Topeka. "Gateway collected the old units, scrubbed information from the machines, insuring that the city's confidential data was completely removed, and then gave us credit for the units they were able to refurbish and resell. So far, we've made money on our old computers."

The U.S. EPA estimates that computers and other electronic equipment account for about 220 million tons of waste per year in the United States, and that 75 percent of obsolete electronics are still gathering dust in storerooms. Unlike many asset recovery programs that send discarded equipment to landfills, Gateway ensures that every unit of unusable hardware is recycled, including most items containing toxins, such as CRT monitors, circuit boards and toner cartridges. In addition, the break-down process itself leaves no waste.

Pricing for Gateway Asset Recovery Services is $30 per unit. Used Equipment Remarketing Service credits are applied separately from service fees.

Gateway continues to seek ways to minimize the environmental impact of its products. In 2000, Gateway launched its Gateway Recycling Benefit program, which pays customers $50 when they purchase a new Gateway PC and recycle or donate their old PC and monitor, whatever the brand or condition.

Gateway has also initiated community recycling events through its network of retail stores, where customers can bring old PCs to be recycled and receive rebate-credits to buy a new Gateway PC.