This article is more than 1 year old

For sale: bust computer breaker

PC knacker's yard knackered

Update Our attention was drawn today by an ad in today's FT offering three related scrap businesses, all in administration, but only one for sale as a going concern.

Of particular note is NECP (Computers) Ltd, a prominent computer breaker firm, operating at the grubby end of computer recycling. It's "not going forward", unlike the tyre recycling business. Interested? Then call Gary Bell of Begbies Traynor on 0161 839 0900, You better be quick, though: word on the street is that there's a buyer for the tyre assets already lined up. This is Cleanaway, a major European waste management operator.

According to NECP's entry in ICER's (The Industry Council of Electronic Recycling)
directory
, NECP "operates at three sites, each licensed by the Environment Agency to process electronic waste and 'special waste' intrinsic to equipment,". The company does its electronics waste 'granulation' at the main site in Ashton Under Lyne, near Manchester, while the other two sites concentrate on the tyre recycling.

Three/four years ago, NECP was a thriving computer breaking business, according to Begbies Traynor. But
the company got caught in a double whammy with volumes falling since then and metal prices - palladium, gold, lead etc. - dropping.

There's quite a good market for recycled tyre materials, but there's little call for recycled electronics waste - yet. Until the WEEE Directive kicks in, electronic waste treatment prices are too low to sustain many profitable businesses.

Companies and consumers don't like paying directly for waste - they don't mind when it's hidden in taxes, or overall prices. But until WEEE forces companies to change their behaviour over disposal and recycling, they will always take the cheaper, dirtier route. ®

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like