E-waste Data Destruction & Recycling – What's the Difference?

The two ways for handling electronic devices that are at their end-of-life stage id e-waste data destruction and recycling. There are electronic recyclers that perform both these tasks depending on their client's requirements. E-waste companies make sure that whatever the task they are assigned to, they perform it well. So, let's take you the difference between the e-waste data destruction and recycling.

E-Waste Data Destruction

E-waste comprises of all the electronic waste whether it comes from the households or the companies. Data destruction – as the name suggests – is the process of destroying the data from a storage device. The data stored on the device is completely erased by the ewaste companies so that it doesn't fall in the wrong hands. This process is usually done to when the client has to sell the storage devices to a third party. The client here chooses the option to make the device available for a reuse and not recycle.

Recycling

E-waste data destruction takes care of the storage devices. However, the recycling process takes care of the devices of all kinds. The focus here is not to save the device for the reuse purpose, but shred it so that the material can be used for recycling purposes. In this process, the devices are not kept for the reuse purpose. Clients who do not want to resell or donate their devices, they go with the recycling option.

Both the options e-waste data destruction and recycling are good for a sustainable environment. They both save tons and tons of metal every year.

Considerations Under National Electronic Recycling Program

California is the first state to pass the e-recycling law. That happened in 2003. After that, 27 other states followed the same path and became part of the national electronic recycling program. The states that did not have opted for electronic recycling laws yet use the takeback program proposed by nonprofit organizations, local bodies, and private companies.

California law was passed by an explicit fee, while the rest of the 23 states required manufacturer cost to cover the expenses involved in the national electronic recycling program for recycling the e-waste. Costs include the collecting the waste from the companies and recycling them to some degree.

ETBC (Electronic TakeBack Coalition) has come up with some important lessons for future lawmakers after studying the outcome of the national electronic recycling program implemented in the various states.

1. You can't collect the assets you don't require legally.

2. You are required to collect the e-waste from urban as well as rural areas. You can't leave the rural areas behind.

3. A complete ban on landfill dumping. States that have implemented the ban on landfill dumping have seen the rise in the recycling volumes.

4. There are laws in the national electronic recycling program that reward more for recycling than reusing. But, they also encourage that if an item can be reused rather than recycle than one should go for reuse instead of recycling.

Other important considerations for electronic recycling:

If you are reusing or recycling your IT assets, you need to protect your data first. In the case of recycling, when all your storage devices are shredded for data destruction, no trace of the previous is left on anything. But, if you are going for a reuse and planning to sell it to the third party, erasing your data becomes crucial.

Protecting your personal data is always in your best interest.

Many electronic recycling service providers even under the national electronic recycling program are not allowed to take bulk orders, many do not have the right equipment to wipe out the data, and many do not separate the harmful assets from the rest such as batteries that can explode while shredding.

If not shredding, than demanufacturing or dismantling is done where the companies manually dismantle the electronic waste to make it recyclable. Following the dismantling process, more components can be taken out of the assets that can be used elsewhere. This is done by highly trained professionals who know which part can be used and which part can't be taken out.

So, always talk to your electronic recycling service provider whether he is legally allowed to provide you with what you need or not.