My Department is conscious of both its security and environmental responsibilities when organising the disposal of old information technology equipment.
When a PC is no longer fit for purpose in the Department, the hard drive is wiped using software acquired for this purpose. It overwrites the hard drive multiple times with random patterns thereby eliminating any trace of the original hard drive contents.
Following erasure, PCs are sent to Camara, an Irish charity, who provide a recycling certificate for the equipment. Camara use software to wipe the contents of the hard drive a second time. They then install a new operating system and ship the PC for re-use in schools and colleges in Africa.
Peripheral PC equipment such as printers is disposed of through one of the certified recycling companies.