September 16, 2026
The waste hierarchy comes up in most conversations about sustainable IT, but it only tells half the story. Below, we cover what the hierarchy actually says, how the more detailed 9R framework builds on it, and what both mean for the laptops, desktops and servers your organisation runs.
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The waste hierarchy ranks five ways of dealing with a product, from best to worst for the environment: prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal. For IT hardware, that means asking first whether new equipment is really needed, then whether existing hardware can be reused or refurbished, and only turning to recycling once those options are exhausted. The 9R framework, covered further down, breaks this same idea into ten more specific strategies.
The five-level hierarchy comes from DEFRA’s 2011 “Guidance on Applying the Waste Hierarchy”, still the reference document for UK organisations. It builds on the same EU waste framework directive that underpins similar hierarchies across Europe. A more detailed version, generally known as the 9R framework or R strategies, comes from research by Potting et al. (2017) for the Netherlands’ PBL environmental assessment agency, and is increasingly used in sustainability reporting.
One nuance worth flagging: the ranking reflects a practical prioritisation, not an exact measured environmental score for every rung. Whether reuse genuinely outperforms recycling in a specific case also depends on things like transport distance and the condition of the device. The general rule holds for most IT hardware, but a lifecycle assessment remains useful when in doubt.
Where the waste hierarchy gives five broad levels, the 9R framework, sometimes called R strategies, splits the “preparation for re-use” and “prevention” levels into far more specific actions: refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture and repurpose, before recycling and recovery. That extra detail is what makes it more actionable for IT hardware specifically.
Each rung is a strategy, ranked from most to least circular. The higher the rung, the more raw materials and manufacturing emissions you save.
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1
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Refuse |
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2
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Rethink |
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3
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Reduce |
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4
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Reuse |
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5
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Repair |
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6
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Refurbish |
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7
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Remanufacture |
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8
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Repurpose |
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9
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Recycle |
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10
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Recover |
The highest, most circular rung. Before buying new equipment, ask whether it’s genuinely needed. Shared devices or a longer leasing period can often replace a straight replacement cycle.
Redesigning how you work rather than the product itself, for example switching to Device as a Service, where you consume hardware as a service rather than owning it outright.
Fewer devices and a leaner procurement policy. Good protection and regular maintenance extend a device’s working life, so you replace it less often.
Redeploying working equipment internally, donating it, or selling it on. See what your surplus hardware is worth through IT Asset Recovery.
Fixing a faulty component so the device works fully again, whether through the original manufacturer or an independent maintenance provider.
Testing, cleaning up, sometimes upgrading with extra memory, and securely wiping data before a device goes to a new user.
Combining parts from several retired devices into hardware that meets the same quality and warranty standards as new equipment.
Giving a device a different job than it was originally bought for, such as an old laptop redeployed as a test machine or a standalone display.
Once reuse is no longer possible, equipment is dismantled and processed to WEEELABEX standards, recovering metals, plastics and circuit boards through IT Recycling. Data is removed first through data erasure, or physically destroyed via data destruction where wiping isn’t an option.
When even recycling isn’t possible, energy recovery through incineration remains. The least circular option, but still preferable to landfill.
The higher the rung, the more raw materials and manufacturing emissions you save, because the device stays intact rather than being taken apart.
IT hardware in numbers
UK businesses bought up to 484,000 tonnes of electricals in 2019, and up to 200,000 tonnes of business electricals are thrown away with general waste every year rather than being properly reused or recycled. Source: research by Eunomia Research & Consulting, commissioned by Material Focus (2022).
Equipment that stays in use longer lowers your Total Cost of Ownership and holds resale value. It also helps make ESG commitments concrete: which strategy are you actually applying, and why.
The EU’s CSRD doesn’t apply directly to UK-only companies, but UK subsidiaries of larger EU groups may still need to report under it. Separately, the UK is developing its own Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS), based on the ISSB standards, which are likely to cover resource use and circularity in a similar way to the EU’s ESRS E5.
Worth knowing: the UK’s 2021 right to repair regulations currently exclude laptops and smartphones, covering household appliances such as washing machines and televisions instead. That’s narrower than the EU’s broader right to repair directive. Source: House of Commons Library.
From reuse to recycling, Circular IT group supports nearly every rung. We take working equipment off your hands through IT Asset Recovery or give it a second life as refurbished hardware. Equipment that’s genuinely reached end of life is processed to WEEELABEX standards via IT Recycling.
Data is always removed first through data erasure, or physically destroyed if wiping isn’t possible. We work to ISO 9001, 14001, 27001, 45001, WEEELABEX and ADISA Gold certifications.
See our full ITAD approach or get in touch for a no-obligation conversation.
This isn’t an abstract model, it’s a practical checklist: first ask whether new equipment is needed, then whether existing hardware can be reused or refurbished, and only recycle once those options are exhausted. Want to know where your organisation sits, and which rung would make the biggest difference? Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation.
Each R is a circular strategy: refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle and recover, ranked from most to least circular.
They cover the same idea, but the waste hierarchy groups it into five broad levels while the 9R framework, also called R strategies, splits it into nine or ten more specific steps.
Refurbished equipment is tested, cleaned up and wiped, but remains essentially the same device. Remanufactured hardware is built from parts of several devices, to the same quality and warranty standards as new equipment.
Not currently. The 2021 UK regulations cover household appliances such as washing machines and TVs, but explicitly exclude laptops and smartphones, unlike the EU’s broader right to repair directive.
Start with visibility: what equipment do you have, how old is it, and which rung is realistic for each device? An ITAD partner such as Circular IT group can handle that assessment and the follow-through.
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The waste hierarchy comes up in most conversations about sustainable IT, but it only tells half the story. Below, we cover what the hierarchy actually says, how the more detailed 9R framework builds on it, and what both mean for the laptops, desktops and servers your organisation runs.
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