Disposing Old ICT Equipment
School computers have a relatively short life. In order to keep step with the evolving ICT technology and enable their pupils an access to the latest equipment, most schools replace their ICT equipment every three years. But besides providing the students with up-to-date ICT equipment, it is also highly important to dispose the old PCs and monitors properly. As non-household users of electronic equipment, schools are obliged to follow the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations but they are also obliged to protect their students’ and teachers’ privacy as directed by the Data Protection Act.
Useful Tips on How to Properly Dispose Old ICT Equipment
Knowing to which laws you have to comply as a school is of course highly important. But since both the WEEE and Data Protection Act can be found at the Department for Business Innovation & Skills website, we will not get into the details of two laws. Instead, we will go trough a few useful tips on how to dispose old ICT equipment safely in terms of both protecting the environment and children’s privacy:
- Delete sensitive data. According to the Data Protection Act, you are obliged to ensure safety of personal information of your students and staff. And since a large portion of old ICT equipment goes into recycling, it is highly important to make sure that no data can be accessed by a third party. Proper disposal of old ICT equipment should therefore be preceded by wiping of all data or destruction of hard drives if data cannot be wiped completely. This can be done by a school technician or supplier of your ICT equipment.
Also an option is to ask the recycling company or charity if you will donate the equipment to destroy data for you. Some will do it free of charge but you should ask them to give you a written certificate that data has been effectively destroyed.
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Contact your ICT supplier or manufacturer of the equipment. The WEEE Regulations oblige the producer or manufacturer to take care of proper disposal of old ICT equipment. But since they are not obliged to take care of proper disposal under certain circumstances, you are recommended to ask them first. Also, if you are buying new equipment, the old one is typically disposed by the supplier of new equipment. Who supplied the equipment that is being replaced is irrelevant.
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Contact recycle service. If for any reason producer or supplier of ICT equipment refuses to take care of proper disposal of old PCs and monitors, contact your local recycling service. They will probably collect and dispose the old equipment free of charge.
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Donate. Also an option is to donate old PCs and monitors to a charity that will distribute them to poor communities. Charity organisations usually also take faulty equipment because most parts can be reused for refurbishing.