How to Dispose Electronic Waste Appropriately (16th May 2023)

Ref# T2023_03 | Date: May 16th 2023

Digital technology has made industries more global, connected, efficient, and productive, and this trend is only going to continue. But our growing reliance on digital technology has several drawbacks. 

Keeping your data secure means more than just protecting the computer systems that are currently in use. The security of outdated technologies is also at stake. Consider all the equipment you have in your office that might contain private data: 

  • Hard drives 

  • External drives 

  • Circuit boards 

  • Memory cards 

E-waste disposal involves more than just setting it out for pickup. The electrical components of these goods, which frequently include heavy metals and other potentially dangerous chemicals, necessitate treatment of these items with greater care than conventional waste. So, you cannot simply dump them in a landfill.  

To best dispose of E-waste here are some eco-friendly waste disposal methods: 

  • Give Your Electronic Waste to a Certified E-Waste Recycler 

  • Sell Off or Donate Your Outdated Technology 

A treasure mine of protected information, including passwords, data, proprietary information, customer account information, images, and documents, can be found in e-waste, which is also crucial. Your data doesn”t immediately vanish just because your device has been unplugged, disconnected, or turned off. As long as that hardware is still functional, your private information is still there. 

Best Practices when disposing E- waste 

1, Before discarding your electronics, make sure to conduct factory resets/wipe them. This will completely delete all of your Information and reset your device to its factory settings. 

2, Unless you thoroughly erase and/or destroy the device, sensitive data you delete can still be retrievable. So, if the device is not reused, it should be destroyed along with storage media. 

The Guyana National CIRT recommends that users and administrators review this tip and implement them where necessary.  

PDF Download: How to Dispose Electronic Waste Appropriately.pdf

References