How to get rid of old office electronics in the Phoenix area

Old computers, recorders and other electronics pile up in closets because getting rid of them takes a little planning. This checklist works whoever you choose to handle the equipment.

1. Take inventory

List what you have and roughly how many of each: desktops, laptops, monitors, printers, security cameras and recorders, networking gear, chargers and docks. Note which items hold data. That includes computers and laptops, security camera recorders (DVRs and NVRs), cameras with memory cards, and some printers and copiers.

2. Back up anything you still need

Before anything leaves your office, copy the files you need to keep. Check each computer for local documents and email, and export any camera footage you're required or want to keep. Once a drive is wiped, the data is gone.

3. Decide what happens to the data on each drive

Each drive should be either wiped or destroyed. Deleting files or doing a quick format isn't enough, because the data can still be recovered.

• Wiping overwrites or erases the drive so the data can't be recovered, and leaves the drive usable. The NIST SP 800-88 guidelines describe how to do this for different kinds of drives.
• Destroying means physically damaging the drive, for example by drilling or shredding it. Use it for drives that are broken, can't be wiped, or that you'd rather not reuse.

4. Separate items that usually cost money to recycle

Some electronics usually cost money to recycle. The most common are CRT TVs and monitors (the deep, heavy kind) and large copiers. Set these aside and ask about them separately so they don't surprise you on an invoice.

5. Choose a recycler or pickup service

Questions worth asking any recycler or pickup service:

• What do you take, and what do you charge for?
• How do you handle the data on each type of drive: hard drives, SSDs and memory cards?
• Do you log drives by serial number?
• Will I get a data certificate and a recycling certificate?
• When can you pick up, or where do I drop off?

6. Ask for a data certificate and a recycling certificate

A useful data certificate lists every drive by serial number, along with the method used, the tool, the date and who did the work. A recycling certificate shows the rest of the equipment was recycled. Without paperwork, you have no record of what happened to your data.

7. Keep the paperwork

File both certificates with your records, next to your equipment inventory. If anyone later asks what happened to an old computer, you can point to its serial number.

Personal electronics from home

This guide is for business equipment. Tempe residents can drop off personal (not business) electronics at the city's Household Products Collection Center. If you live in another city, check your city's website for its program.