Better Off Shredded

Reducing electronic waste is good for the environment and security

By CSO Contributor

December 20, 2007 — CSO —

The world generates 20 million to 50 million tons of electronic waste—computers, printers, cell phones and fax machines—each year, and only a fraction is recycled. But properly disposing old IT equipment is not only an exercise in good environmental stewardship, it is also critical to the protection of sensitive information.

To help, companies such as Information Systems Resources (ISR), a service provider in Michigan, assume responsibility for unwanted products. “We perform a data overwrite, and then we can either recycle the computer or remarket it,” says Luther Elliott, president and founder. Companies receive 25 percent to 60 percent of the money generated from the resale, after pickup and overwrite services are paid for. When assets are destroyed, they are shredded into pieces the size of quarters, and the customer receives

a certificate of destruction

Dave Doney, director of IT, customer and operations services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, says that the HIPAA-certified data overwrite is the biggest security benefit. “They have been audited and certified by a well-respected Big 8 auditing firm, and the software they use has been widely accepted by Fortune 1000 companies,” he says. But he also appreciates the environmental benefits: ISR secures its customers against liabilities for illegal dumping of hazardous waste

Elliott says 99 percent of the computer parts ISR handles can be recycled. Others

go to an EPA-certified disposal and recycling center, where equipment is assigned a

serial number that is issued to ISR’s customer. “That way, they are assured that

their product did not end up in a landfill,” Elliott says.

Read more about data protection in CSOonline's Data Protection section.

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