Spring Cleaning Your E-Waste [Infographic]

Spring is upon us here in New England and the biggest reminder is when we start cleaning out the closets and replacing our winter clothes with summer ones. I just completed this bi-annual process and always find it annoying as I haul down my now infrequently used sweaters, jackets and coats and haul back lighter loads of shirts and shorts. As I moved my gear, my mind naturally turned to things IT. What about emptying the virtual IT closet?

The Growth of E-Waste Click image to view full infographic

IT is a voracious consumer of new technologies and as the latest laptop, monitor, keyboard mouse, disk array or other device is implemented, we are typically decommissioning older systems and devices. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen boxes of outdated hardware and devices dumped in otherwise pristine data centers. Do you ever wonder what to do with these devices? Unfortunately, too many of them end up in landfills. According to a 2011 report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there were 2.37 million tons of electronic devices that reached the end of their life cycles in 2009 and only 25% of the most common devices are recycled. This is a scary thing because many of these electronics contain chemicals that can be devastating to the environment.

Recycling is a great option for disposing of aging assets. According to the EPA, retired electronic devices contain constituents such as lead, nickel, cadmium and mercury which not only are damaging to humans, but also could be recycled. The recycling process can provide multiple benefits including:

Saving energy

Enabling the cost effective reuse of expensive metals (for example, gold and copper)

Reduced environmental risk

A key strength of recycling is that it not only provides the previously described benefits but it also enhances information security. By using a partner like Iron Mountain for your IT Asset Disposition, you can be sure that not only are your devices disposed of in an environmentally friendly fashion, but also that your information is safe. Remember, any device that includes storage likely contains some of your company's intellectual property and so it is critical that chain of custody is maintained through the destruction process.

My spring cleaning is finished and Iron Mountain recently completed a corporate clean-up day as well. What about you? Since spring is upon us, I encourage you to complete your own spring cleanup not just at home, but also in the data center. Remember, as the infographic above shows, e-waste is growing and so the amount of retired assets is growing too. While spring is a great time to clean up, a more regular cadence can help simplify the process and reduce the cleaning burden. Finally, remember that it is your responsibility to dispose of assets in an environmentally friendly fashion not just in the spring but all year around.

LINK:	http://blog.ironmountain.com/2013/data-backup-and-recovery/spring-clea...
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