E-Waste Recycling: Free is Never Free by John Sharpe

Globally, e-waste volumes are growing, while e-waste recycling programs continue to be threatened with cancellation due to rising costs. Companies everywhere (both consumer-focused and B2B businesses) must make difficult choices when it comes to money and the privacy of their data.

Recently, a major consumer electronics retailer made an interesting choice concerning its e-waste. Though the retailer had previously allowed consumers to recycle their outdated electronics at no cost, the company was recently forced into imposing a new $25 fee for every TV or computer screen customers wish to recycle or repurpose. The company reported losing money on the program as the reason for the new processing fee. Since 2009, it has recycled over 1 billion pounds of e-waste.

The Basel Action Network reported that the electronics corporation had also dropped its commitment to the e-Stewards enterprise recycling program; however, the electronics corporation has since denied that statement. In either case, this move shows that sometimes it's necessary to pay for programs that can make a major environmental impact.

And then there's the security angle. If an individual or company picks up your electronics for free, you can't be confident that your items' data will be destroyed effectively before they're resold for profit. Trusting the man in the van with your IT equipment isn't always the best choice.

At Iron Mountain, we're proud to partner with CloudBlue for e-waste recycling services. With CloudBlue's commitment to ethical, environmentally sound disposal practices and tracking program-along with Iron Mountain's secure transportation services and commitment to safety across the data lifecycle-we're able to offer a secure IT asset disposal program that prioritizes safe destruction and remarketing, while also benefiting the environment.

The secure part is what makes us different. Your company may be helping the environment by calling up your local recycling company, but if you're doing away with or remarketing IT assets, you need to make sure that your data is destroyed effectively. After all, the last thing you need is a security breach caused by your assets being sold on eBay with information still inside. And with our remarketing program, you may even get some of your investment back.

To find out more about secure e-waste recycling that prioritizes the environment and data privacy, contact Iron Mountain today.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2016/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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