Data Information Protection - Electronics Records Disposals
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WEEE LEGISLATION
 
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Electronic Records Disposal - Data Information Protection

With the adoption of the WEEE directives by the EU, the disposal of redundant IT and computer equipment has become an issue for all businesses in the UK. However when disposing of old computers care has to be taken with consideration to the protection of data information and to the destruction of the data drive in the computer, the Data Protection Act requiring that "Due Care" is taken to ensure that the process of "Electronic Record Disposal" is fully and correctly carried out.

This is to ensure that no personal or sensitive data is ever obtainable from old computers. Studies have shown that at the moment over half of the computers that are recycled have electronic records (data) on their hard drives, records that could be extracted, and this is in contravention of the Data Protection Act and leaves the previous owners of the machine open to prosecution and fines.

The list of equipment (computer disposal / recycling is only one area) that must be properly disposed of is quite extensive and thus, as with many other areas of business, it is best to get an expert agency to assist and ensure compliance with the WEEE directive and the Data Protection Act.

Enviro, benefiting from the experience of Recycleit4U its recycling partner, can arrange for:-
  • Computer Data Information Destruction
  • Electronic Records Disposal destruction certificates always provided
  • and thus Securely Dispose all Electronic Data on your computers
Details of the "Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment" (WEEE) Directive:-

The Commission of the European Communities proposed a Directive (in June 2000) on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) that is designed to protect soil, water and air from pollution caused by management of WEEE, to avoid the generation of waste and to reduce the harmfulness of WEEE. Further objectives are to preserve resources, especially energy and to create harmonisation of national measures across member states.

The main devices which are identified, as potentially dangerous, in electrical and electronic equipment include printed circuit boards, cables, wires, plastics containing flame retardants, mercury switches, displays (eg cathode ray tubes), batteries, data storage media, light generators (eg lamps), capacitors, resistors, relays, sensors and connectors (mobile phones contain many of the above components). The substances within these devices which cause most concern environmentally are the heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium, halogenated substances (eg CFCs), polychlorinated biphenyls ( aka PCBs, not to be confused with printed circuit boards), PVC and brominated flame retardants (which can give rise to extremely toxic dioxins such as PBDDs and furans such as PBDFs when incinerated). Other components which are mentioned are arsenic, asbestos, nickel and even copper (which can act as a catalyst to increase the formation of dioxins during incineration).