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What to do with Old Computers & Electronic Equipment
By George Bardissi, President Bardissi Enterprises
This topic is a highly growing
concern throughout the United States. Today, over 95% of
people and businesses in Pennsylvania discard their old
computer equipment in the trash or the dumpster. My question
for you is, do you really want to do that? Let’s break this
down in two categories, computer equipment and electronics.
When it comes to computer
equipment you need to ask yourself a few questions. First,
when throwing away my old PC’s am I also throwing away my
old data? Many people and companies who are looking to
dispose of their equipment many times forget to realize that
old data (bank statements, financial records, important
documents) are still on the hard drives of their old
systems. Before you go and decide to donate your old
computer equipment or simply throw it in the trash you must
be careful. The last thing anyone needs is for their
information to fall into the wrong person’s hands. Some
people think, well I don’t really have any important
information on my system. Keep in mind that your system
keeps track of a lot of things you did on the internet. Even
if you are unaware of it, if you typed your credit card
numbers or checked accounts and saved usernames and
passwords that information is still there.
When it comes to electronics,
many people again just throw things on the curb or in the
dumpster. Pennsylvania has not stipulated laws about
mandatory recycling of computers and electronics yet.
However, it is coming down the pipeline. An example of this
is California. According to laws pasted in 2006, if
companies or individuals are found throwing things in the
trash versus recycling, if the piece of equipment can be
traced back to the original purchaser, that person or
company will get fined heavily. California has fees in place
for the discarding of old TVs, monitors, etc.
So what is the whole point about
disposing of your old “IT or electronic junk”? There are a
few! First, if you are about to throw away electronics, as
of now it is still ok to throw things in the trash, however
bad it still is for the environment. PA, NJ, DE and the
surrounding area have not passed laws about this yet but
please don’t think they wont. Second, if you are about to
get rid of computer equipment, take note of the following.
There are many companies out there that will take your old
equipment from you and charge you a small nominal fee to
dispose of the old equipment properly.
Please keep in mind, if you do not have the
ability to make sure your system is free of old data before
throwing it out or donating it, you must contact someone who
can do it for you. Many of the companies that you can go to
for disposal of your old equipment will also offer you data
destruction as a service. This service will take your old
hard drive(s) and make sure your data is totally destroyed
via the US government’s own method of destroying government
computer data. You will even get a certificate stating that
your data was successfully destroyed with a time and a date.
There are also community programs that have recycling dates
in your local towns. Many of these programs give you the
ability to recycle your equipment for free. Please check
your local area’s to see if this is available to you and who
the companies are that provide the service.
One last thing to be aware of is, when you do
decide to give your equipment away or dispose of your old
equipment, get a receipt with the date, serial numbers of
each piece of equipment, and the person or organization that
your handing your things to. Why? Just in case that old
computer ends up in the wrong place and someone comes
knocking at your door you have a paper trail of what you did
with your old item so that you’re not responsible for any
wrongdoing after the fact.
Remember, you and only you are responsible
for the information contained on your old system. So if it
falls in the wrong hands, it will be because you did not
follow the steps as previously outlined. Personal
information thief is a multimillion dollar business that is
not going away and will increase in the days, months and
years to come.
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