Archive for May, 2008

Recycling - The Secret Life of Batteries. And Your UPS

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Large telephone systems are typically protected by large banks of car-sized back-up batteries. Basically, these are chunkier versions of your dinky UPS that should keep your network afloat and equipment purring should green activists decide to dismantle the national grid.

Can I be honest with you? They are an utter pain, demanding utmost caution if still “live”. They are heavy, and not worth much, despite being packed with lead They demand good old “grunt and heave” manual handling, unlike equipment that can simply be disconnected and wheeled away.

However, having dealt with them since 1999, we have gained a large chunk of experience in handling them and disposing of them, as we have a relationship with the major UK reprocesser. Mainly, we’ve dealt with the lead-acid-gel type, but have also removed and recycled the far more hazardous and demanding wet-cell type. Lots of acid slopping around in clear cases to concentrate the mind…

And their “secret life”? As time goes on, the terminals can develop the most spectacular effects (illustrated) if not looked after. And their sides can begin to distort, changing the dead-straight sides into the curves of a pregnant guinea pig. Plastic cases go very brittle indeed, pieces flying off like shrapnel if damaged. Or adhere to shelves. Or each other.
There is no doubt that they are hazardous waste, and we document every move of them. Oh, and did I mention the need for insulated tools and gloves, special vehicle markings, spill kits, personal protective equipment, etc, etc. And lots of thought and care…Good news! It’s reckoned that over 90% of lead-acid batteries are recycled, so they are something of a recycling success story. Compare and contrast with the tonnes of nickel-cadmium domestic “AA” batteries simply tossed into domestic waste each year. One of the classic paradoxes of recycling; Joe Public can get away with doing naughty things with waste that most of us recycling professionals would be prosecuted over.Oh, and we’ve handled UPS equipment, too. So if you have these for removal and disposal/recycling, we can do it properly.Don’t try and lift them yourselves, by the way.

I’m sure, eventually, we’ll get to like this work…

Posted in Telecoms Recycling, Battery and UPS Collection and Recycling, Battery UPS Recycling | No Comments »

Meridian Option Engineers.

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

What, us? Well, not exactly.

We’ve always fought shy of actually installing equipment, rather than carefully taking it out.

However, we’ve had a close relationship with an experienced Nortel BT Meridian Option engineering specialist company virtually from our first days of trading, over nine years ago. And when we were approached some time back to install a used Nortel Meridian Option 11 as a “back-up/disaster recovery” system, we realised that we had the hardware, basic engineering, cabling, customer liason, and project management skills gained through taking things out, that could easily be converted to put things in. All we needed was someone from our friendly Option 11 engineering company to do the deep and mysterious programming bits. Voila! A team to put something in and make it work. Which we did. To the customer’s (and BT’s) satisfaction.

BT? Yes. Although we can install, modify, configure, and programme Option 11 systems, we have no desire to be a maintainer, the on-call “AA/RAC” of the telecomms world, with people standing by to fix faults to tight time scales. Irresponsible? Not really, just that age and wisdom have taught us what we are good at, and what we shouldn’t take on. And servicing 24/7 maintenance contracts is not what our business is set up to do, although we know companies that do it, and do it well. So, our customer wanted BT to maintain the system we put in. They had to check it over as part of a Maintenance Acceptance Test. Which it passed, with compliments from the inspector.

So, for the customer, this installation, and his subsequent ones, turned into perfect “win-win” situations; we installed used Option 11 equipment at a fraction of the new cost. He then got BT to maintain, ensuring the continuity of service of the system. This is akin to an independent Mercedes dealer supplying a used, depreciated, well-maintained model, then covering it with a comprehensive factory warranty. In short, an utter bargain, with no shortcomings.

We quite like “beating the system” on behalf of customers. We came in at around one quarter of the equivalent price from “the official suppliers”.

So, if we can do the same for your organisation, be that on a Nortel Meridian Option 11, 61, or 81,please let us know. We’re beginning to enjoy putting things in for a change…

Posted in Telecoms Recycling, BT Meridian Option 11 | No Comments »