Even if you have a consumption reducing program, your company will have electronics that are at the end of their useful life. Moving is a time when companies purge the old and electronics are no exception. Designing a new office is a great time to modernize and check the usefulness of computers and peripherals. Monitors, printers and battery backups are a few of the devices that you should examine closely. Upgrading monitors and printers can give you a real return-on-investment and too often our battery backups are overlooked or neglected.
LAN System has a free recycling program. You can drop off your equipment at our office or we will make arrangements for pickup during your normal on-site support. We also will prepare your equipment for donation to a school or charity of your choice. There is a nominal charge for this service as we will clean up data and make sure that all software is properly licensed. If you have question or want to arrange for this service, please call us at 770 662-0312 or email recycle@lansystems.com.
Recycling electronics
Responsible recycling is essential. Computer equipment and electronics that cannot be reused or donated must be environmentally recycled. This includes printers and print cartridges. Some retailers (like Staples) will give you cash back for your used cartridges. To dispose of any device that has a battery, like uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) or battery backup, take it to a recycle center.
Before you send your computer to a recycler, be sure that confidential data is completely removed. Files that have only been deleted or erased, can be easily recovered. So if you have to comply to HIPPA or any other regulations or have sensitive data, be sure that you use secure delete standards, such as the Department of Defense 5220.22-M.
Donating electronics
Remember you have to clear sensitive and personal data and that simply deleting or reformatting the hard drive is not adequate. If you are including software, you have to make sure that you do not violate the terms of the software license. For more information, see the booklet “Do the PC Thing: Donate Computers” published by the EPA.
LAN Systems would be happy to arrange for recycling or donating to your favorite non-profit through our recycling program. There is a nominal fee for our donation program that includes removing / clearing your data and checking software licenses.
More technical notes at www.lansystems.com/technotes.html
If want to discuss these and other ideas, please email me at mary@lansystems.com.
My journey has taken me many places I never imagined - from a family driving school business, to a dairy farm, to an engineering degree, to parenting two teenage girls. My first position after completing my electrical engineering degree was at Commonwealth Edison in transmission line design. After returning to Atlanta, I accepted a temporary position as a support engineer at Advanced Control Systems. It was a 3-month contract that lasted 10 years and I was promoted to department manager at ACS.. Now at LAN Systems, I still devote myself to providing support without compromise. My goal is to make LAN Systems known to all as the best IT Solutions and Service provider in the metro Atlanta area. Still committed to providing exceptional support that serves the needs of the people that use technology, I work with our engineers to improve their problem solving and interpersonal skills. In addition to my responsibilities with LAN Systems, I volunteer with several non-profits that serve the electric utility industry and introduce engineering as a career to young people.Technology is almost as awesome as people and look forward to exploring many “technology for the people” topics at AtlantaSmall.biz.
Any tips for disposing of old hard drives? I would like to take them somewhere that will destroy and recycle them. Any place like that in Atlanta?
Joe,
There are several places around Atlanta that will destroy data and recycle your hard drive. There are different methods from data removal to complete distruction of the hard drive. If there are specific HIPPA or DoD requirements that you must meet, you can obtain a certificate to show your compliance.
The prices vary from company to company, but in general you can destroy a hard drive for $10-$25 if you take it in yourself. If you want someone to come to your office, the cost can be $200 or more.
This does not include data recovery.
Please let me know if you more details or specifics.
Thanks for the comment!
Mary