Holding onto a computer and using it in a slightly different way could be a "much more attractive option" for a number of small businesses in IT than recycling them, it has been claimed.

Rob Lovell, the chief executive officer of ThinkGrid, made his comments regarding environmental issues in the workplace.

He said that many managers are worried about the costs now levied on businesses when they dispose of their machines, adding that some plan on using cloud servers and "hang on for another year or two years with the same equipment and still have the up-to-date services".

Mr Lovell notes that these servers can do all the hard work - such as using a future program like Office 2010 - on behalf of a computer that may struggle otherwise.

PC recycling legislation has become more important recently, falling under waste electrical and electronic equipment - more often known as WEEE. Regulations introduced in 2007 ensure that WEEE is recycled more often as opposed to simply being dumped in a landfill site.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).