Discarding hi-tech equipment such as laptops after a couple of years' use is becoming increasingly normal, according to a leading environmental organisation.

Waste Watch states that with falling prices and the speed of technological progress most people choose to get newer models rather than upgrade the technology they have.

Computer company Dell is one of several manufactuerers that is producing reduced size and cheaper laptops aimed at both the developing world and general consumers.

Caroline Laitner, senior consultant at Waste Watch, said: "Technology these days is not really designed to be upgraded."

She added that Waste Watch would rather see people buying models that can be updated and upgraded and that technology be used to the extent of its ability.

Last year saw the launch of ASUS Eee PC's, which is a cheap portable computer. On the day of its release 200 hundred were sold in 20 minutes in a Taiwanese shopping centre which equates to one Eee PC being sold every six seconds.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent)