Abstract

According to the National Safety Council, 63 million computers became obsolete in 2005 alone, and it is estimated that the total number in storage in 2007 numbers upwards of 500 million computers (Earth 911, 2007). This article describes the steps that one should take before disposing of an obsolete computer. First and foremost, all personal information and files should be removed in order to prevent the possibility of identity theft. Department of Defense specification 5220.22 M lists three levels of "wiping" files on the hard drive: (1) Clearing (overwriting data so that information cannot be retrieved through normal operations in a laboratory); (2) Sanitizing/Purging (overwriting or removing data beyond the reach of all ordinary and most laboratory methods; and (3) Destroying (includes incineration, disintegration, pulverization, melting, or shredding). Once your personal information has been removed through one of these processes, there are several options for disposing of the computer, including donating it to a community charity or a national organization, recycling, or trading it in on a newer model.

Citation

Descy, D.E. (2007). Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Good Earth and the Electronics Dilemma. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 51(4), 3-5. Retrieved August 10, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/166378/.

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Keywords

• Access to Information
• Computer Peripherals
• Computer Security
• computers
• Conservation (Environment)