How IT t Reclamation and e-Waste Recycling can Save Gorillas in the Congo by Jennifer Burl

At Iron Mountain, we're big on sustainability and social responsibility. Recently, I was surprised to find out one way our e-Waste Recyclingand IT Asset Reclamation services help further these company goals.

Have you heard of coltan (short for columbite-tantalite and also called tantalite)? It's a dull black metallic ore from which the elements tantalum and niobium are extracted, and it's making a huge impact on the African environment.

Coltan is mined by hand almost exclusively (80%) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it's used in game consoles, cameras, laptops, TV, nuclear reactors and mobile phones. In Congo, a coltan miner can earn up to US$200 each month, as compared to the typical salary of US$10 for the Congolese worker. Sounds like a great deal, right?

Maybe for the workers; but for gorillas, coltan mining is essentially a death sentence. Coltan is mined in their natural habitat-most often, in the Kahuzi Biega National Park, where the Mountain Gorilla makes its home.

These gorillas' homes have been destroyed by miners coming in and clearing ground, and the gorillas themselves have been killed and sold for bust meat to the workers and rebel armies. In the past five years, the number of gorillas in Congo's national parks has declined by a whopping 90 percent. Gorilla safe smartphones may indeed become marketed in the same way that Dolphin Safe tuna is being sold today.

So, you may be thinking-where do I fit into this? Simple. You can do your part by making sure your company or organization is recycling its e-waste properly. At Iron Mountain, we're proud to be a part of the e-Stewards Certification Program because we want to know we're acting responsibly with our clients' assets.

As part of our e-Waste Recycling Program, we pick up e-Waste at our customers' sites and securely ship them to be recycled and reused, adding to the coltan pool and reducing the need for additional mining. Within our IT Asset Reclamation Program, we test, grade and refurbish IT assets for re-sale, including computers, monitors, tablets and servers. This further lessens the need for new coltan. Items shown to have little or no value in this program are simply recycled as part of the e-Waste program.

Of course, taking the care of the environment isn't only about businesses; individuals can get involved as well. Here are some tips for recycling your outdated laptop.

So, the next time you or your company are thinking about upgrading to the last tech (the upcoming iPhone 6, for example) think about the impact your buying choices have on the greater global community. Each company and each individual can help make a difference-one smartphone or laptop at a time.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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