Electronic waste makes up over 80% of landfill waste in the USA.
These days much of our business e-waste can be recycled or even refurbished. If you are looking to get rid of some of your corporate machines and are wondering how to recycle computers, then this article can help.
Read our short guide on what you need to do when disposing of business e-waste and find out how you can turn rubbish into a potential profit.
Recycle Don’t Dump
First things first. You must never throw out old computers. As tempting as it may be, when your business e-waste is cluttering up the office, you need to dispose of them properly.
The company will be liable for any security breaches of customer data or financial information obtained through the incorrect disposal of a computer. So, make sure that you dispose of them correctly and legally.
Contact a reputable asset recovery provider. They need to be formally certified and offer a range of services, including recycling. They will advise you on the steps you need to undertake to dispose of and recycle corporate computers legally.
Backup All the Files You Need
Once a hard drive has been wiped or destroyed, there is no way back to the data that it had stored. So, ensure that you have backed up everything you need on the drive.
The best way to do this is to make a complete copy to an external hard drive or cloud server. That way, if you realize that you need the data, you don’t have to worry about if you missed it in the backup.
Thoroughly Destroy Hard Drive Data
One format of a hard drive is not enough to permanently remove the data. You need a professional computer disposal company to remove the data fully if you want to reuse the hard drive again in another machine.
Or you can destroy the drive with a hammer. If wiping the drive is your only option, make sure you do it repeatedly to ensure that the data is thoroughly corrupted.
Recycle Individual Parts
Just because you are upgrading to newer technology does not mean there is no longer value in the older machines. Recycling business computers is a great way to dispose of e-waste.
One of the benefits of recycling business computers is that parts of the machine are salvageable. An asset recovery company can save and refurbish these parts, resell them and pass the profits of the sale back to you.
They may also be able to refurbish certain parts so that you can reuse them in newer machines, saving the cost of repurchasing the same components. Check with your provider to see what services they can offer and what parts they can resell or refurbish.
Learn How to Recycle Computers
Hopefully, this short guide has shown you that while it may be tempting to dispose of e-waste quickly and cheaply, there are major benefits to your company in learning how to recycle computers.
Recycling is not only beneficial for the environment but can save you money too. Speak to a certified assets recovery provider to see how they can help you save money and the planet at the same time.
If you enjoyed this guide, please look at some of the other articles on our blog.
