Dell Launches Computer Recycling Services For Small BusinessesDell Launches Computer Recycling Services For Small Businesses

Dell on Wednesday launched a new online product recovery and recycling service targeted specifically at small businesses.

Using the service, businesses with fewer than 10 pieces of computer equipment can manage, return, and track unwanted equipment. The service costs $25 an item and is designed to help businesses safeguard their data, according to Dell.

When a customer returns their unwanted equipment, Dell will issue a detailed report of how a functional system's data was cleansed and how it was recycled.

"When it's time to return or recycle unwanted computer equipment, it's critical that businesses turn to a trusted provider to guarantee a secure, easy-to-use, and environmentally responsible process," said Doug Hillary, director of Dell's business solutions group, in a statement.

Small companies are far less likely to use IT disposal services than medium-size and large companies. About 11% of companies with fewer than 100 employees plan to use an IT disposal service, compared to 65% of companies with 10,000 or more employees, according to a recent survey conducted by research firm IDC and commissioned by Dell.

Dell said it recovered about 78 million pounds of unwanted computer equipment for reuse or recycling from customers in 2006, which is a 93% increase from 2005. Its goal is to recover 275 million pounds of unwanted equipment by 2009.

Also on Wednesday, Dell announced that in October it will open a retail store in Moscow. The store is only the second in Europe to exclusively sell Dell products. In addition to selling the company's notebooks, desktops, printers, and other products for home use, specialists in the store will also demonstrate Dell's Vostro servers and other IT products geared toward small businesses.