Disposing of your computer equipment responsibly is important for the environment, and for your own safety. Whether it’s an old desktop computer, or a laptop you no longer need, recycling them properly will ensure they don’t end up in someone else’s hands. To help you recycle your hard drive with confidence, we have put together a step-by-step guide to recycling your hard drive.
1. What to do with your old computer equipment
If you’re a business owner, chances are you’ve got some old computers and server equipment that you no longer use, but can’t throw away because they still have some life in them. You may be wondering what to do with them and if there is any value you can get out of them.Commonly used in business, data storage and servers are often disposed of when newer and quicker options have been introduced. But what about devices like mobile phones? These devices can get quite old and slowly fail over time, especially if used in an uncompromised way by the user. As such, it is important that if you cannot use the device any longer, you properly dispose of it.
As PC World has discovered, what can become of your old mobile phone is not always as it seems. Often damaged beyond useability, these decommissioned devices can be dangerous if they get into the wrong hands. In this article, we’ll go over some of the options available for you to safely dispose of your mobile phone, the proper recycling schedule, and what to do if you have a device that no longer works.
Taking your mobile phone to a recycling shop is a simple way to avoid it ending up in the wrong hands and potentially being damaged or even destroyed. There are four main types of mobile phone recycling and disposal facilities in the UK.
Mobile phones are prepared for recycling at the moment because of the current war on anything that can remotely flash or be hacked, such as cryptocurrency. If you have a vulnerable mobile phone, you can recycle it at a simple desk unit or Apple store. There are mobile recycling companies specialising in electronics too.
Phones that operate on legacy software are not suited to being recycled. Squeezing them into a bag and carrying them out yourself isn’t simple, and the likelihood of damage is much higher. While it might be possible to salvage software, it is usually not enough to make them usable again.
2. How and where to recycle your old hard drive
When your hard drive dies, it’s tempting to just throw it away, but there are some steps you can take to make sure it doesn’t end up in a landfill. Before trashing your old hard drive, you should erase all of your personal data from it. You can do this by using data erasing software.During the process, you’ll also want to make sure that your operating system and recovery files are completely deleted from your hard drive. Unplugging or pulling your drive out of your PC also frees up space for new data.
Warning: Although it’s tempting to just chuck your hard drive in the bin and call it a day, this practice can never guarantee it won’t end up in the hands of a data breach or a thief. Never intentionally throw anything away or dispose of hardware that you know could contain valuable stolen information.
3. Shredding versus smashing: which is the best way to destroy your hard drive?
When it comes to destroying data on your hard drive, you have two options: You can either shred it or smash it. Shredding is the process of cutting the hard drive into tiny pieces using a special machine that cuts the drive into pieces. Shredding makes it more difficult to put the pieces back together and retrieve the data.If you wish to use a shredding machine, you can read more here about how the data destruction process works.
If you wish to smash the drive instead, you can purchase a PC-side disk shredder that takes the data out of your old hard drive and shreds it on the spot. For this purpose, a consumer-grade shredder is the best option. It should take less than 30 minutes for a 1 terabyte drive to be completely destroyed.
If you have more than one hard drive that you’re planning to recycle, we recommend placing them in a zip lock bag and mailing them separately. You can read about the advantages of hard drive recycling here, to ensure that your data stays safely contained and out of the hands of hackers.
Dumping is another way of recycling your hard drive. If your hard drive can’t be completely discarded, you can use Dumping Software. This online software can still be helpful in the event that you need to restore files from your old drive. However, the software will completely overwrite all the data, which can be frustrating if you need to recover any of it.
If your old hard drive still has data on it, you should keep in mind that after recycling it, you shouldn’t send it back to its previous owner. For this reason, the thief might be able to access your files just as easily if they recycle your old drive in the same way as you destroyed it.
Most hard drive recycling programs let you recycle the drives you don’t need any longer. Before applying the additional information, be sure to check if your favorite recycling program allows you to destroy drives that are no longer under warranty.
4. How do I ship my hard drive for recycling?
If you’re looking to do your part in reducing e-waste and want to recycle your hard drive, the first thing you need to do is find a company that will guarantee data erasure. This means they’ll be able to overwrite the data on your hard drive so it can’t be retrieved.Ideally, this will be a company that offers SSD-removing software for less than the cost of hiring a data recovery company. A good option would be Seagate, who offers SSD-erasing software at £80 ($98 USD) per month. They also offer a full data destruction service at £350 ($484 USD) for long-term hard drive recycling, so if you aren’t confident about paying for the erasure service, consider this as a last resort option.
If you don’t mind giving up a little bit of your hard-earned money, you can also use software like Qiskit to completely wipe your hard drive. Wait, why are Qiskit and shredding your hard drive both on the same package? It’s down to the fact that your computer is likely plugged in somewhere with reading or writing ability. If it has USB ports, plug them in for added protection.
If you don’t mind giving up your personal data, you can use a piece of software called Malwarebytes Anti-theft to secure your operating system. Again, plug your computer into a USB port for added protection.
With your hard drive safely shredded, it’s finally time to bring it to a recycling centre. There are lots of different places to recycle your hard drive, as long as your data is intact. You may even be able to recycle them at your local supermarket after all. Recycling your hard drive is all about preventing as much e-waste as possible, which is why many companies will offer special deals for people who bring their hard drives in. These can vary between 50% to 80% off store-bought products, so it should be sorted easy.
Assuming your hard drive is in order and your e-waste disposal is covered, it’s now time to bring your hard drive home.
5. Can I recycle my hard drive locally?
Hard drives contain a very small amount of mercury, a toxic element. If your hard drive was manufactured before March 2006, it will have a greater chance of containing mercury. Even if your hard drive was manufactured after March 2006, you should still be careful when disposing of it because it could still contain mercury.
If you would like to recycle your hard drive or mobile device, we have guides for iPhones, iPads, and Samsung Galaxy devices. Any device that contains a battery, including traditional notebooks and tablets, should also be considered for recycling if it requires a desktop recycling program or if you can find a mobile recycling center near you.
Before you attempt to recycle your hard drive, you should know your local recycling center accepts hard drive and storage device recycling, as well as cassette tape and microSD card recycling.
To recycle old desktop hard drives, run them through your regular recycling program. To determine where to send them, think about the types of products you recycle regularly and where they might end up. The City of Oakland sends desktop recycling out to Gold`s Gym and Lion Rock Recreation Center in East Oakland. To send your laptop hard drive to a local recycling center, search the drop-off locations on Computer Recycling by Tech, or try using Google’s “Find My Computer” feature.
Afteryourharddrive is received at your local recycling center, you should carefully open the outer plastic casing and determine if it contains still usable parts. To identify and safely extract these parts, you should carefully remove the protective plastic lens and any cable that may be attached to it. If the hard drive contains removable media, take special care to ensure it is properly labeled, damaged, and secured so that it can be reused safely.
While the outer casing should be removed, it’s best to save the inner foam and plastic housing inside to reuse elsewhere.
To recycle an external hard drive, unplug the two USB ports from your old PC and insert the drives you wish to recycle into a new internal drive bay.
Website: https://www.euro-recycling.co.uk/