Before anything goes in the trash, here’s what every business should know about disposing of old electronics.
It is a common question for any business clearing out old equipment: what can actually go in the trash, and what needs to be handled differently? The short answer is that most business electronics should never go in a regular trash or recycling bin, especially anything that has ever held data.
Devices That Always Need Secure Handling
The following items should never be thrown away with regular office trash:
- Desktop and laptop computers
- Hard drives, internal or external
- Servers and server components
- Mobile phones and tablets
- Copiers and printers with internal storage
- USB drives and external storage media
These devices either hold data directly or have components that can be damaged and released into the environment improperly if thrown away.
Why “Just Throw It Away” Is a Problem
Landfill disposal of electronics is restricted in many areas because of the materials involved, and doing so with anything that stored business data adds a second layer of risk. A device sitting in a landfill is not destroyed in any verified sense. It is simply out of sight, which is not the same as being secure.
What to Do Instead
For anything that held data, secure ITAD is the right path. That means physical destruction of the data-bearing components, followed by a certificate of destruction for your records. For general office electronics without stored data, such as certain printers, monitors, and accessories, responsible e-recycling is typically the better fit.
Building a Simple Internal Policy
Businesses do not need a complicated system to get this right. A simple internal rule — anything that has ever connected to the network or stored a file gets scheduled for secure ITAD — removes the guesswork for employees and reduces the chance that something ends up in the wrong bin.
When in Doubt, Ask
If there is ever a question about whether a device needs secure destruction, the safer choice is to assume it does. Richards & Richards can help Nashville and Middle Tennessee businesses sort through retired equipment and route it to the right service.
Not sure how to handle a piece of old equipment? Contact Richards & Richards before it ends up in the trash.
