Dell Inc. has launched a new online recycling program for small businesses with fewer than 10 pieces of computer equipment to recycle.

The service allows small U.S. businesses to manage, return and track their equipment, according to Dell. The fee for the service is US$25 per item and covers the period from the product purchase and set-up through the end of its use.

"Small business owners are increasingly concerned about safeguarding their data, yet too few take advantage of simple, affordable and efficient asset recovery services," said Doug Hillary , director, Business Solutions Group, Global Services at Dell, in a statement. "When it's time to return or recycle unwanted computer equipment, it's critical that businesses turn to a trusted provider to guarantee a secure, easy-to-use and environmentally responsible process."

Dell said small business customers can contact their sales representatives to get a personal asset recovery number they can use to manage and track their unwanted equipment online. Dell said it will also provide businesses with a report of how data from operational systems was cleansed as well as how the systems were recycled. Customers can also order packaging and track their equipment throughout the shipping process.

Dell said it recovered about 78 million pounds of unwanted computer equipment for reuse or recycling from its customers in 2006, a 93 percent increase over 2005. Dell said it's ahead of its goal to recover about 275 million pounds of unwanted equipment by 2009.