Did you know that 1.4 billion tons of electronic waste is generated every year? That's roughly equivalent to the weight of 100 aircraft carriers! The best way to protect the environment and reduce your carbon footprint is by recycling your old hard drives. But how do you go about it? Check out this article for more information.
1. What happens to hard drives after they are recycled?
Once you've got your old computer or hard drive, you need to decide what to do with it. This will depend on whether your drive has any important data on it that you want to keep. If it does, then you need to get the data off the drive before you can dispose of it.If you don’t have any important data on it, I’ll show you a few different options.
The safest and most convenient option is to take your drive to a data recovery facility and have them take all of the data off of it so you can safely dispose of it. Although this is the best option, you should still take time to ensure you don’t lose important data. Most data recovery facilities have vaulted and tamper-proof storage media. Unfortunately, if the hard drive is formatted during its life, it can be very difficult to recover any of the data that was on it.
By paying a quite small fee, some data recovery facilities can securely store your data offsite, and then ship your hard drive back to you at no or very little cost. Depending on the data stored on your drive, this option might be a good option for you or your data could be irreparably damaged if you send the drive to a data recovery facility right away. The safest and most convenient option is to take your drive to a data recovery facility and have them take all of the data off of it so you can safely dispose of it.
As a general rule, if a hard drive or flash drive was formatted during its life, attempting to format it will be very difficult or impossible. Also, if your drive is infected or damaged, it will be more difficult to recover all the data. Hard drives and flash drives that were formatted within the last 10 years will most likely be damaged before being recoverable.
2. How much does it cost to recycle my hard drive?
This is an easy one: it depends. If you’re talking about a hard drive that’s in great shape and can be reused, then it may only cost a few bucks to recycle it.For a modern laptop, though, you’re probably looking at around $70-$100 depending on how much lots of specs you’re wanting to include.
Instead of having to chuck your valuable tech into the dumpster, why not pick it up for a fraction of the cost and take it to a recycling center?
If you’re like me, though, someone who craves that SSD-like experience but has absolutely no desire to pay $75 to $150 per drive just to get rid of it, there’s a middle-ground: That $150 (or whatever the right price is) will get you a brand new, unopened hard drive from a reputable brand that can be easily recycled and can be passed along to another user. You may need to contact the repairperson or laboratory of your choice, but essentially, it’s as easy as going to your local recycling center amidst a world of global environmental crises.
Atop that, you’ll still be saving money — something that isn’t even as enticing as the $50+ price tag of a new one. But that’s not all. For each hard drive you recycle that saves the equivalent of $50 in electricity, you’re directly funding a campus-wide conservation program and kicking off a better understanding of the true cost of not just data, but of the planet’s health as well. While I’m sure tech companies will be all over the research that comes out of this, I’m just glad that you can now get hard drives reliably recycled on your own for a fraction of the cost. And I’m sorry I was so morbid in saying it. If you’re into the more “out there” sort of science, you can read more about that right here. You’ll of course be footing the bill.
3. How do I get rid of my old hard drive?
If you’re looking for the best way to get rid of your old hard drive, you should visit a reputable hard drive erasing service. Professional erasing services will use a uniform, government-approved data destruction method to ensure that your data is completely unrecoverable.
It’s pretty straightforward how a data erasure service works. First, they ask you to supply them with all your hard drive information. The personal data they ask for is automatically stripped of all its identifying information. Anything that you retain on your device, like your social security number or documents, are also preserved. Next, the data is sent to the erasure service’s databank. After many rounds of validated fire and carbon burning, the erasure process is complete. Once your hard drive is erased, it can no longer represent data in any form.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a data erasure service must meet four criteria, in order to be considered a responsible company. The erasure service also has to be able to provide 24/7 customer support. Lastly, the service must be able to guarantee at least six months of data deletion, and they’ll charge you a retainer fee if the job is beyond that timeframe.
While it may seem like a complicated task, it really requires only a few basic tools. Professional data wiping services provide all the information you need, in a format that’s easy to understand. The three main parts of an information plan you want to negotiate with your erasure service are: How many certain kinds of data can you get deleted per month? How long you expect your hard drive to be preserved? And how often, or how much, will your data be updated?
To find a reputable erasure service, first visit a website such as this one, which contains tons of data on the sector and industry. Once you find a service that makes sense for your situation, you can start your negotiation.
4. What should I do with my old computer parts?
There are a lot of creative ways to reuse old computer parts. If you’re interested in learning about ways to reuse computer parts, watch this video .
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