I’m often asked how to dispose of an old PC or hard drive. Most people are improperly disposing of electronic equipment, and then there are some who think they are doing the right thing and give it to a “PC recycler”, who might do this with it: (long video opens in new window)
If you need help insuring that your old hard drive is destroyed and not harvested by criminals, we can assist with that! We have multiple ways to render the drive 100% unreadable from performing “DoD” writes to it, to physically damaging the media. Should you need an audit trail to show the drive and/or the complete computer has been destroyed, we work with a company who will take the unit, log it, transport it, and shred the entire drive or computer itself and provide you with a certified copy of that destruction, including a video of the destruction. You can even take it to their facility and watch it first hand.
Now, what to do with the rest of the PC, CRT, LCD monitor, etc – You can take small amounts to your local recycling center, however, be warned, there is absolutely no guarantee that it will not end up like you may see in the video above. Those who wish to be the most environmentally responsible may want to find a re-builder of equipment who will attempt to refurbish your old PC, or scavenge an inoperable one for parts to make one good machine.
I will try to post a follow-up with links to responsible and guaranteed PC & Electronic Recyclers.
Questions? Email me or call us at 864-990-4748