A laptop issued to someone working from home does not come back on its own. It sits in a spare room after the leaver has gone, still holding company data, still on the asset register, and still the employer’s responsibility under UK GDPR.

This employer recovered around 80 laptops over a year, individually, from homes across the country. Surplex UK Limited handles IT disposal for remote and hybrid teams, and there is no minimum quantity, so one laptop is booked exactly like a pallet.

The Challenge: The Asset Register Says It Exists

Devices were scattered across the country in ones. The employer could not send a van for a single laptop, could not ask a former employee to visit an office, and could not close the asset register entry without evidence of what happened to the data.

The Surplex Solution: One Device, Booked Like Any Other

Each laptop was collected individually by courier from the employee’s address, on a date arranged with the person holding it. On arrival at the Gloucester processing centre the device was recorded against its serial number and the data destroyed. The employer booked collections as they arose rather than waiting to accumulate a batch.

  • 1. Collected From the Doorstep

    Collections were arranged directly with the person holding the device, so nobody had to travel to an office and no laptop waited months for a van to be justified.

  • 2. Data Destroyed and Certified

    Data was erased with Certus certified software, the Purge method defined by NIST 800-88, or the drive shredded to BS EN 15713:2023 where the hardware had reached the end of its life. Either way a certificate names the serial number.

  • 3. The Register Closed Per Device

    Each collection produced its own certificate, so the employer could close a specific asset register entry rather than reconcile a batch at year end.

  • Sector

    Remote and Hybrid Working

  • Scope

    Individual collections from employees’ homes

  • Assets

    Around 80 laptops over twelve months

  • Key Win

    Single-device collections, no minimum quantity

"One laptop, one certificate, one asset register line closed. No minimum, no waiting to fill a van."

Head of IT, distributed employer

The Results: No Laptop Left in a Spare Room

Around 80 devices came back over twelve months without a single bulk collection. The employer stopped carrying data risk on equipment it could not physically reach, and the asset register matched reality again.

Metric
Outcome
  • Minimum Quantity

    None. Every collection was a single device

  • Scale

    Around 80 laptops recovered over twelve months

  • Evidence

    A certificate per device, named to its serial number

  • Cost

    Free. Recovered value covered the collections

Why Employers With Distributed Teams Trust Surplex

Surplex UK Limited collects from homes and offices across England, Wales and Scotland. There is no minimum quantity, so a single laptop is booked the same way as a full estate. Most customers find their collection is free, because the value recovered from redundant hardware is set against the cost of collection, destruction and recycling. Where it does not cover that cost, a small logistics and processing fee is payable, agreed upfront.

Team Meeting 1

Frequently asked questions

Yes. There is no minimum quantity, and a single laptop is booked the same way as a full estate. Collection is arranged directly with the person holding the device, so nobody has to travel to an office.

Data is erased with Certus certified software, the Purge method defined by NIST 800-88, and the value recovered from the hardware is what makes the collection free. Where a device has reached the end of its life the drive is shredded to BS EN 15713:2023 instead.

Yes. Each collection produces its own certificate of destruction naming that device serial number, so a specific asset register entry can be closed rather than a batch reconciled later.

No. There is no minimum quantity, and a single device is booked the same way as a full estate. Most customers find their collection is free, because the value recovered from redundant hardware is set against the cost of collection, destruction and recycling. Where it does not cover it, a small logistics and processing fee is payable, agreed upfront.

Capabilities Used in This Project

Get in Touch About Your IT Recycling Needs

We provide IT recycling services for organisations of all sizes across England, Wales and Scotland.

Whether you’re recycling a few old laptops, decommissioning a data centre, or need secure data destruction, our team will help you dispose of IT equipment compliantly and responsibly.

Prefer to speak with us directly?

Call: +44 (0)1684 252583
Email: info@surplex.co.uk
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm