AV kit is the forgotten corner of asset disposal
IT refreshes get a process. AV rarely does. Projectors come out of a boardroom during a refit, a PA stack is replaced after a venue upgrade, a wall of displays is stripped from a retail fit-out — and the old kit ends up in a store room for three years because nobody is sure what to do with it.
It is all Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The same duty of care that covers laptops covers a line array and a 98-inch display.
What we take
- Projectors, lenses and mounts
- Flat panel displays, video walls and LED panels
- PA speakers, monitors, subs and amplifier racks
- Mixing desks, DSPs, matrix switchers and rack AV
- Radio mic systems, stage boxes, cabling and flight cases
- Control systems, codecs and video conferencing hardware
Why AV disposal is different from IT disposal
Three practical differences shape a collection:
Weight and access. Amp racks and large displays need two people, trolleys and sometimes a tail lift. Booking "a van" is often the reason a collection fails.
Screens are fragile and hazardous. Cracked LCD panels and older lamps need careful handling and correct treatment routes, not a general waste skip.
There is data in AV too. Control processors, codecs, digital mixers and media servers store configurations, contact directories, call history and sometimes recordings. Any device with storage should be sanitised the same way a laptop would be.
Residual value: the part most people miss
Professional audio and video gear holds value far longer than office IT. A five-year-old digital mixing desk, a working laser projector or a pair of quality PA tops still have a market. That resale value is what pays for free collection, and it is why it is worth listing what you have rather than skipping it.
What you should get back
A written inventory of what left the building, a waste transfer note, and a certificate covering any device that held data. Keep them — they are the evidence side of your disposal process.
Booking an AV collection
Byebyte collects AV, PA and studio equipment across the UK free of charge, with WEEE-compliant recycling and a full paper trail. Tell us roughly what you have and where it sits in the building — ground floor, lift access, loading bay — and we will bring the right vehicle and crew.
