We have heard the “Recycling IT Equipment” word before. Out with the old, in with the new! Or what about the expression, there is nothing more certain than death and taxes? These days, you can even add used and obsolete IT assets and e-waste to the list of certainties.
Whether you are in health care, public service, education, or almost any other industry, you need a clear process or policy for responsible and safe e-waste disposal in Mississauga. But how do you make sure you are taking the right steps to be both secure and responsible when you get rid of old IT equipment and electronics? We are here to help at TechReset. Read on and this blog will provide you with the details you need to get started with Recycling IT Equipment.
Your Duty to Deal with Data
There is more to electronics than the physical components. Most importantly, there is the data stored within them. On top of protecting the intellectual property of your business, your e-waste recycling procedure must also mull over the protection of private information.
In Canada, various acts govern the collection and retention of personal information and privacy protection for both client and employee information, the PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) sets the standards for personal information held by private sector organizations and the ones that operate federally. Hospitals, schools, universities, and municipalities are covered by provincial laws like Ontario’s MFIPPA (Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act). Other public sector organizations are covered by the FIPPA (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act).
One thing such acts have in common is the fact your responsibility for privacy protection does not stop after the device turns out to be out of date and is retired from normal use. Based on the industry, you may be dealing with considerable amounts of information – both from your staff and the ones you work with. Whether it is from patients, clients, or students, the devices need to be cleared of personal information once they are no longer in use. For this, you can always count on professional and specialized services for hard drive shredding in Toronto.
Create a policy to Recycling IT Equipment
Having a process in place will make sure that the right steps are taken at any stage in the equipment lifecycle. We recommend tracking all of the assets with barcodes, both during and after use. It helps to locate equipment in case of replacement or repair and makes sure that each device can be accounted for. This is particularly important at end of life.
- Do old cell phones simply get set in a desk drawer and eventually buried under paperwork?
- Are old servers stacking up in the corners of your IT rooms?
- Are the computer systems just unplugged from the workplace and placed right into storage?
Such devices can be a legal responsibility even with a tracking system. Anything that is used to store or access personal information is required to be wiped clean to lessen the risk to you and the individual it may recognize. In addition, the privacy act sets restrictions on how long you can hold onto this data – not remembering the device exists is no excuse! The plan could be to destroy old devices and equipment, but if they are stored for a long time being, you are still responsible for them.
Your duty to recycle responsibility isn’t limited to proper data management and security. You even need to think about the impact of waste. Partnering with TechReset gives your business access to the safe e-waste disposal and Recycling IT Equipment services you need. But did you know it even helps out the environment?
Our processes help to avert contaminated waste from landfill through commodity recovery. When reuse is not an option and you choose to have your electronic devices shredded and securely destroyed, our services will recover materials like precious metals, plastics, glass, aluminum, steel, and copper. To learn more about our services and what we are doing to promote safe, effective disposal of technology, and ITAD in Mississauga, feel free to give us a call at 905 510 8969 or drop an e-mail at mark@techreset.com!