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Recycle Hardware, Destroy Data
Green Technology Featured Articles
June 27, 2013

Recycle Hardware, Destroy Data

By Peter B. Counter
TMCnet Contributing Writer

When it comes to new technology impacting the environment, it’s easy to see the obvious benefits. Physical documents, spreadsheets, mail, all of these things that took up so many environmental resources like paper are all dramatically reduced in terms of common use. It’s a great development, but now that technology has become as prolific as paper there is a new problem on our hands: responsibly throwing out old machines before getting new ones.


Recycling programs are in abundance for just this purpose. In fact, throwing away your recently blue-screened laptop can net you cash if you choose to dispose of it with the postal service. Tossing machines can save the environment, save you space, and help make sure that resource expensive hardwares get reused instead of underground.

But, what about your precious data? Data loss and theft is still a major concern in business. In the paper proliferated business days of yore the answer was simple: shred the confidential documents before recycling. But you can’t shred a hard drive, and manually scrubbing it clean can be next to impossible or simple too expensive and time consuming.

Thankfully, the new R2: 2013 Global Electronics Recycling Certification is placing data security at the top of the priority list. The idea is to raise the bar when it comes to exporting ready to use refurbished electronics, especially those that once carried sensitive data belonging to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and organizations that deal with large amounts of sensitive community information like those in the medical industry.

This new commitment to security stands to level a big roadblock when it comes to choosing how to dispose of e-waste: fear of compromise. Now that items like smartphones, which have very short generational shelf lives, are becoming necessary for businesses to operate efficiently the fear that recycled phones will lead to leaked data is not something that will encourage responsible environmental practice.

It’s a small point on a long list of assurances R2 Solutions guarantees with its new certification, yet it has the potential to make a big difference large e-waste generators. Considering that the organization was brought together by the US Environmental Protection Agency to encourage responsible electronic recycling practices, it’s safe to say it still has its eye on the prize: a greener tomorrow.




Edited by Jamie Epstein


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