Electronic Waste Disposal - Things to Consider

upended on 15/04/2023 - 11:38
Last edited 15/04/2023 - 11:41

We have a community electronic waste collection in our suburb next week. The company who runs this service is called Arnies Recon. I have electronics that I need to dispose off securely. Their website states "We erase hard drives using the KillDisk system that erases hard drives to U.S. Department of Defense 5220-22M erasure and 20+ more international sanitising standards."

Although they claim to erase the data, I am not very comfortable just handing over my old laptop and phone. As a precautionary measure from my side, I have removed the hard disk drives from both laptops. Is there anything else I should remove before handing over these laptops?

Also, now I am left with 2 hard disk drives that have data on them. I would have erased these prior to removal but both laptops wouldn't start. Hence I simply removed these. What are your recommendations to securely dispose off these drives?

On a related topic, I also have a couple of phones that won't start but were never factory reset. What is the best way to securely destroy the phones?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all in advance.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 15/04/2023 - 11:44
    +6

    When I worked in helpdesk for a school the protocol for decommissioning old laptops and desktops was either removing the drives and giving them to the students who owned the devices or nuking the drives with a software called DBAN. This is usually an overnight thing since it takes forever to secure erase the drives.

    . What are your recommendations to securely dispose off these drives?

    1. Stop, Hammertime?
    2. Attempt to juggle the hard drives (badly) while standing over hard concrete
    3. Linus Drop Tips.
    • upended on 15/04/2023 - 11:45

      Love these options. I am seriously considering hammering to physically damage the hard drives.

    • Muzeeb on 15/04/2023 - 11:46
      +1

      Make sure you are wearing very baggy pants at the same time for maximum impact.

  • mskeggs on 15/04/2023 - 11:46
    +8

    I have bought stuff from them on ebay, fwiw they were all wiped.
    To kill a drive, drill through it or smash with a hammer.
    Your data is unlikely to be worth $10000 to try and recover some fragments unless you are a subject of nation state surveillance.

    • upended on 15/04/2023 - 12:12

      Time to look for my safety glasses and drill. Thanks! I believe this is better than hammering.

      • afoveht on 15/04/2023 - 13:21
        +3

        A few hits with the sledge - it's over in 15 seconds.

  • deme on 15/04/2023 - 12:05

    Hence I simply removed these. What are your recommendations to securely dispose off these drives?

    Are the glass platter disks?

    Throw them on the concrete a few times if you hear they are all smashed up inside the answer was yes and you'll be mostly fine.

    If the effort to go through recovering what you can from the shards was worth is then you'd be encrypting your data already making the disposal just a formality right?

    • deme on 15/04/2023 - 12:07
      +1

      Metal platters? well depends on the effort you want? Drill a few holes will stop most people even skilled because the effort is just way too much.

      A single hair on a HDD messes it up so consider what a single hole would do.

      If you can not have a single bit of information leak, ever, with infinite time and money then throw it in a volcano.

  • xuqi on 15/04/2023 - 12:08
    +2

    I usually place drives on large drill press and go to town on them.

  • Protractor on 15/04/2023 - 12:18
    -3

    Oh Yes ! because US dept of defence standards are so watertight.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-14/who-is-jack-teixeira-…

    Maybe you could cook the drives in a fire and hoik them out when super hot, and hose them to cool rapidly. Let them rust outside for 6 months.Drop them into the place who wants them now after all that is done. (6 + months later)
    If they can be arsed trying to access 'whatever' remains, they have earned it.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/04/2023 - 12:29
    +2

    Drive a nail through hard drives, halfway between center and the edge. Done.

    • iforgotmysocks on 15/04/2023 - 13:27
      +2

      Same thing with vampires but use a wooden one

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 15/04/2023 - 13:35

        Sounds like @iforgotmysocks has experience in "nailing" vampires.

  • seannami on 15/04/2023 - 13:20
    +1

    Last old laptop I e-wasted I physically dismantled the drive and broke the disc bit. Felt safer, it was all just open cages and such, easy for a rando to just grab stuff

  • aoeueoa on 15/04/2023 - 14:18
    +3

    Take the magnets out they are hella strong and will hold down 5 pallets of A4 paper onto your fridge.
    Also the spindles are these beautiful reflective discs that can be used to reflect sun into other people's eyes when they annoy you, or just as a normal mirror.

    • Sammy2000 on 15/04/2023 - 14:44

      Or use the discs as fancy coasters.

  • jonkvh on 16/04/2023 - 09:17
    +1

    Don't waste time on software wiping. Just get them shredded. Got over 25 hard drives four years ago shredded. Cost about $60.

  • rumblytangara on 16/04/2023 - 09:41
    +1

    Hamer. Or use a screwdriver to rip up the PCBs. Nobody is going to be arsed to find a new PCB of the right model to install unless you're working for a hedge fund or an intelligence service.

  • Loopholio on 16/04/2023 - 11:21
    +1

    Filling the drive with zeros is enough to prevent most data recovery efforts.

    If the drives are worthless (due to size or age) disassemble them, keep the magnets, maybe the drive head if you make metal art then recycle the metal.

    If you want to completely destroy the data on the metal disks slightly warp them. A nail dent will be enough.

  • bamzero on 16/04/2023 - 11:44
    +2

    You can get a cheap USB HDD dock and erase them on another computer

  • upended on 16/04/2023 - 20:33

    Thank you, everyone!

  • ton1 on 16/04/2023 - 21:02
    +1

    Microwave will fix em
    Quick easy permeant

  • lachhelix on 16/04/2023 - 21:05
    +1

    I used to just drill thru them in a few places and then take out of my rage with life with a hammer and smash the shit out of them, plus unless you've got nuclear secrets nobody cares enough to try and piece them back together 😂

  • nige0090 on 17/04/2023 - 09:48
    +1

    The OP also asked

    On a related topic, I also have a couple of phones that won't start but were never factory reset. What is the best way to securely destroy the phones?

    What do people suggest here?
    Remove the lithium battery, and Hammertime?

    • Loopholio on 18/04/2023 - 21:25

      I reckon so. If you can find out where the memory chip is you could remove and destroy that then send the rest to be recycled.

      If you just want to kill it to death:
      Take the SIM, memory card and battery out.
      Place the phone in a bag or wrap it in an old tea towel.
      STOP
      Hammer Time!
      Chuck it all in the bin.

      Take the battery to Woolworths for recycling.

      How to use the Woolworths Battery & Mobile Phone Recycling Unit
      This is a free service and easy to use. Simply drop off your batteries, mobiles phones and accessories into the branded Recycling Unit located at the front of the store. You can place the following items in the Recycling Unit:

      All handheld batteries regardless of type or brand, including button batteries, AAA, AA, A, C, D and 9V.
      All brands of mobile phones, their batteries, chargers and accessories.
      Mobile wireless modems.
      Wearable technology such as smartwatches and fitness trackers.

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