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General Information
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August 28, 2009
• Vol.31 Issue 22
Page(s) 37 in print issue
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Disposal Discipline
Responsible Disposal Methods Are Critical To Avoiding Environmental, Security Hazards
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| Key Points
• Research indicates that millions of PCs could find homes in third-world-country landfills, emphasizing the need for data centers to responsibly recycle their equipment.
• Choosing a reliable, responsible service provider can help ensure that disposed equipment not only is properly handled but also properly valued.
• Data security is paramount when disposing of (or planning to dispose of) equipment to avoid sensitive information ending up in the wrong hands. | | Managers of modern data centers face a somewhat competing set of responsibilities. Today, it’s not only the equipment that enters the data center that concerns organizations but also the equipment that leaves it. A recent Gartner study indicates that by 2012, 69 million PCs will be refurbished and exported annually to emerging markets, where they could end up in landfills or be otherwise improperly handled. However, with some careful research and disciplined policy, organizations can ensure that their disposal of PCs and other used equipment follows a responsible path.
“Enterprises should be very selective when choosing companies that recycle or repurpose their current equipment,” says Cliffie McKay, director of operations for DMD Systems Recovery (877/777-0651; www.dmdsystems.com). “Any computer recycling company should have the capability to track where each asset is shipped, whether it is resold as a complete, refurbished unit or [whether] the individual components are sold to a smelter for recycling. Recyclers should also have an open-door policy for their clients so that the clients can come in at any time and walk through their process.”
As older, unused equipment accumulates, organizations can easily find themselves behind the 8-ball, which in turn can spawn irresponsible disposal decisions. But such decisions can contribute not only to worldwide environmental and safety issues, but also to problems that can lead back to organizations themselves.
 Choose Wisely
Although some equipment recycling places might offer unbeatable prices, shuffling off unused equipment to a largely unknown entity can easily result in security and environmental hazards. Mark Wilkins, CEO of Nextend (www.nextendllc.com), recommends that data centers select recyclers that promote reuse with recycling practices that are compliant with industry certifications.
“For example, any provider that abides by the Basel Action Network’s ‘e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment’ [www.e-stewards.org] commits to ensuring that no electronic waste is sent to landfills or exported either directly or through intermediaries. The best service providers will be committed to e-waste recycling best practices and see if the aftermarket equipment still offers potential. If it does, it will be refurbished and repurposed to continue its useful life,” Wilkins explains.
If equipment no longer holds any reuse value, it is dismantled to accommodate harvesting of valuable parts and then broken down into inert materials. From there, the remaining materials are melted down and used in the manufacturing of new products, Wilkins says. Beyond ensuring that recyclers adhere to industry-recommended guidelines, organizations should also confirm that service providers can handle all asset types (such as PCs and servers) and understand the aftermarket potential for those assets.
“As assets age, their value decreases. The ability to recognize the inherent value at the time of audit and capitalize on it through multiple aftermarket channels provides additional revenue opportunities for the enterprise, while it repurposes the equipment or parts for reuse. If there is little to no aftermarket potential, the service provider should also have full capability to manage responsible recycling processes,” Wilkins says.
Be Sure To Secure
The process of responsible, economically sound computer equipment disposal depends on several factors, including data destruction, environmental impact, return on investment, equipment tracking capabilities, and recycler reputation, McKay says. Data destruction is particularly crucial, as data breaches are now more common than ever.
Sherri Davidoff, senior consultant with Lake Missoula Group (www.lakemissoulagroup.com), agrees, noting that many organizations have insufficient secure storage space at individual locations, resulting in improperly stored equipment that gets lost or stolen before it can be properly disposed.
“Finding secure, temporary storage for equipment destined for retirement can be tricky, but it is extremely important. What we really care about [in security terms] is not the entire PC, but the data that resides on it. Companies can pull the hard drives out of the equipment as soon as possible and ensure that at least the hard drives are securely stored. By isolating the hard drives, we can minimize the amount of storage space needed to ensure a secure disposal process,” Davidoff says.
To ensure that equipment slated for disposal is properly sanitized, Davidoff recommends that data centers either contract the job to a third party or handle it internally, and the chosen option ultimately will depend on financing, regulations, and staff availability. For data centers that choose the internal option, she says that freely available tools can overwrite data on drives before they are disposed, but it’s important to routinely audit the procedures and conduct equipment “spot checks” to ensure that proper sanitization is occurring.
Raising Awareness
Proper disposal intentions can hit a major roadblock if employees aren’t on board with a disposal program. According to McKay, every department—from IT to sales to asset management—should be educated about the environmental dangers caused by improperly disposed equipment. In particular, staff members responsible for purchasing, deploying, and recycling the equipment need to fully understand the issues surrounding disposal or work closely with a service provider that handles the disposal.
“Visual advertisements in public places throughout the facility are great ways to communicate with employees,” Davidoff advises. “You can show employees what happens to old PCs through real photographs. I have also seen companies do routine walkthroughs and pick up equipment that employees improperly left around for disposal. Employees that left equipment around insecurely were cited. This raised awareness very quickly, because employees had individual incentives to use the proper disposal mechanisms.” 
by Christian Perry
Working To Extend Useful Life
Cliffie McKay, director of operations for DMD Systems Recovery (877/777-0651; www.dmdsystems.com), says that although some computer equipment does find its way to third-world countries, not all of it is necessarily dumped into landfills or otherwise improperly handled—at least not right away.
“There are a lot of developing markets that are using the repurposed technology as a springboard to becoming more influential in the world. There are some countries that can’t afford purchasing new equipment each year but can purchase the last generation at incredible discounts. By using the systems the way they were designed to be used, you are extending the life of the systems for an additional three to five years,” McKay says.
Such practices can delay the environmental impact caused by manufacturing new units. Although the inevitable environmental dangers caused by disposal will nonetheless emerge after those three to five years, McKay says that a potential solution is for OEMs to find a way to work within those countries to lessen the footprint. He admits this is a lofty goal, but he says it is one of the few ways the equipment disposal problem can be solved. |
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