In our modern world, individuals all too often fall into high-consumption patterns where everything is considered disposable. Although there does come a time when it is truly the right time to dispose of an old computer or smartphone, the manner in which you do this can have a major impact on the world around you.
Specifically, discarding components of computers and electronics incorrectly can have a multitude of negative environmental impacts. Educating the average person about these impacts can help ensure that individuals act more conscientiously regarding hard drive destruction.
Electronics: A Major Source of Waste
Electronic devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. In fact, they are so integrated into our society that they have become virtually essential to participate and function in society. Their prevalence cannot be overestimated.
However, the disposability with which we treat our electronic devices has also become a widespread problem. By some estimates, e-waste has grown by over 500% in the last decade. With the steady proliferation of these products, the importance of practicing careful disposal practices increases, too.
To respond to this growing issue, the practice of recycling and properly disposing of electronics has come together.
Environmental Impacts of Incorrect Hard Drive Disposal
Hard Drives and other computer components contain various materials, from heavy metals to various types of plastics. Batteries contain dangerous acidic compounds that can be very harmful if released into the environment.
Disposing of these materials irresponsibly has the potential to be very damaging to human populations and the environment that we all share. In addition, many of the materials discarded with our electronics, such as copper, lithium, and gold, are actually quite valuable.
The above materials are also extremely energy and labor-intensive to obtain. This means that massive amounts of waste go into both producing and disposing of these electronic devices. In addition, the sociological impacts of this type of waste are highly damaging to both the mining communities that harvest the valuable metals and the recipients of the improperly disposed electronic waste.
Data Breaches and Identity Theft
In addition to the practical environmental impacts of disposing of hard drives, there are additional risks associated with improperly disposing of data through informal recycling plants. This is because many hard drives contain sensitive elements of one’s personal life and information.
In informal recycling plants, there are bandits and identity thieves who crawl through the recycling dumps to find hard drives that are partially intact—or at least intact enough that they could still reliably relay the data within.
This type of activity has been responsible for many individuals’ data compromises worldwide. When situations like these occur, it can be challenging and inconvenient for an individual to recover their data and reverse the damage that is incurred.
How to Dispose of Electronics Properly
One of the most environmentally friendly ways to dispose of electronics is to take them to a recycling center. Many different types of recycling plants exist, roughly divided into two categories: formal and informal.
Formal recycling plants are generally considered the more proper route to take when handling recycling electronics. These facilities disassemble the disowned electronics into their component parts, and some of the valuable materials are preserved and reused. The rest of the materials are shredded and sent to other organizations that utilize other elements of the electronics.
One issue with this type of recycling is that it can be expensive. Unfortunately, the cost means that many countries and corporations will export their e-waste to informal recycling plants. Informal recycling plants have many negative sociological and environmental impacts due to the dangerous nature of these landfills.
Therefore, the only ethical and conscientious choice for disposing of electronics is to bring them to an accredited and formal recycling plant. These facilities have the expertise and equipment to properly dispose of these materials.
The Environmentally-Friendly Choice
Secure Shred is completely dedicated to providing eco-friendly shredding services that benefit both the customer and the environment. If you need assistance disposing of old electronics in an eco-friendly manner, contact our office today so that we can help you and the planet in the most efficient way possible.
