Much has been made of data security. From the end user with pictures, love notes, and exotic videos to the hospital that has every morsel of personal history for thousands, the need to protect information is something we hadn’t considered a scant ten years ago. There is no difference between the need to protect private files and a company’s mandate to safeguard proprietary secrets—the need for data destruction at the end of your hard drive’s usefulness should be held to the same high standard.  No question that data security is important; but are the tales of doom and gloom true? Is it possible that a company’s payroll reports can show up in Nigeria (the same place, and quite possibly the same computer that sends those lovely spam e-mails offering to transfer 75 million dollars into my account)? And if it does, so what? How much of a risk is data security if 20/20 isn’t around to expose it? My name is Randy Lewis, owner, President and CEO of SoCal Computer Recyclers in Harbor City, California, and this is the first blog for Company Blue. The first topic of Company Blue is about the need for data security and the effect of this need on the future of the computer recycling industry. 

Let’s get one thing out of the way quickly. I named this blog Company Blue for our company color.  There’s a not a lot of deep meaning behind it, that’s the color of our shirts. When you come to our warehouse—and anyone reading this blog is invited; we have an open door policy—you’ll see that everyone wears the same blue shirt with the SoCal logo. The effect of seeing all that blue at a computer recycling event is very powerful. But it’s more than that; it makes us look and therefore—more importantly—act like a team. Ensuing blogs, from both myself and others in the firm, will give you a different view from various perspectives. All will have the same theme: why you can trust SoCal Computer Recyclers to provide you with excellent service.

Back to data security and what it means to you.  Is there a chance that your personal checking information might end up in India and how will that affect your customer service when you call for AOL tech support? After all, they may be using your old computer to give you tech support on your new computer. I know what I’ve got on my own computer, and I wouldn’t want anyone to see it. Not in Nigeria, not in India, not on the Greek Island of Lesbos, nor Sodom for that matter. One time I worked with a broker that wanted SoCal to flip, or receive and immediately sell, some computers for him. This company didn’t want us to put in the effort of checking the computers, just flip and collect. John, SoCal’s Chief Technician, took it upon himself to sample a small amount of these computers just after we received them. All twelve booted up to Windows, had identifying in the BIOS and identified the company of origin with asset tags on the outside of the box. We received these computers on December 21—4 days before Christmas—and could have ended out year with a $75 thousand dollar sale. At SoCal Computer Recyclers, that wasn’t an option. It took us 2 weeks to  process 1370 computers, using a program called  “Declassify” to write 1’s and 0’s over every sector  of the hard drive seven times, before we could begin  to market those computers. And the most interesting thing of all was when we reported there were 170 computers more than we had agreed to? Their reaction was that we shouldn’t have put in the time and effort, and we shouldn’t have deducted an administration fee of $10 per computer.

Here’s the “dark side” of data security. We had an event, where we collect all sorts of electronics for businesses and residents of a city, and toward the end of the day, an older gentleman, perhaps in his late sixties, with gloves and very shiny shoes asked if we would return a computer that his son had dropped off several hours earlier. To him, this computer was more special than the other three thousand computers we’d collected that day. We’d already sent a couple of truckloads back to the warehouse for processing. As hard as we tried, and as much as we looked, we never found that computer.  You see, we’re very lucky at SoCal Computer Recyclers; the South Bay Vocational Center is right down the street and we partner with them to provide work for the developmentally challenged. Each worker for the Vocational Center tears down about 300 pounds of computers daily. That guy called every day for 2 weeks to ask if we’d found it. I printed out a picture, which the man had e-mailed me, of the computer and showed it to the staff asking them to keep their eyes out for it.  We never found it, and I never asked him why it was so important. Perhaps it was an emotional attachment to the computer, or he had some first-generation pictures of the Roswell UFO Crash.  But once we get it, it’s recycled. The data is destroyed. We either run it through a degausser,  which de-magnetizes the drive and renders it as  useful as a soda can for storage, or it’s  “declassified” where we’ve overwritten 1’s and 0’s  so many times that the original data’s buried deeper  than Jimmy Hoffa.    

The question becomes: why should I care? What difference will it make? Let me tell you with laws as they are and suit seekers being who they are, you can face fines and penalties from a paltry $1200 per unit per day to $5000 and upwards from $100,000 per day based on waste handling standards. Who knows what the value of the data you presume destroyed is – are you insured for it? Is your recycler? More importantly, can you be sued over your recycler’s inappropriate process? As the saying goes, “the world may never know.” I am not the party however, who will want to be there when the “world” hits the fan.

Back to News Articles

Every business has a “dead room” where you store your old, broken, obsolete computers and electronics.  Now is you chance to clean out that dead room for free!  SoCal Computer Recyclers, the City of Torrance, and Toyota Motor USA are hosting our annual Computers and Electronics Recycling Round-Up at the Toyota Campus on Earth Day, April 21 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Toyota Campus Lot “J”.

I would like to take this opportunity to specifically invite all businesses in the South Bay to recycle your old electronics on Earth Day at this event. 

Today, I am going to share some the questions people always ask me about e-waste recycling, and I am sure, if you’re reading this, that you want answers to these same questions. 

Question #1: What is with this fee on monitors and televisions? Anyone who purchased a new monitor, television or laptop within the last two years has probably seen a fee added to your receipt and wondered what the fee is about.  I would like to explain to you how this fee works and how you, the consumer, benefit.  California has taken the lead in realizing that electronics contain many chemicals and metals that could damage the environment and contaminate our water supply if not handled carefully.  To that end, electronics--including monitors, computers, televisions, and basically anything with a plug—are considered Universal Waste, which, while a form of hazardous waste, is not so toxic that it would kill you for breathing it in.  The two main things that people fear about electronics is the content of lead and mercury.  Monitors, televisions and laptops are video display devices that contain lead, mercury, copper and other potentially toxic chemicals.  The fee that you pay for when you purchase a new video display device goes to the free and convenient recycling of the unit you’re replacing.  That means that the State of California reimburses registered recyclers for the proper collection, handling and processing of CRT’s (CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube, which is a fancy name for monitor).  There are several free and convenient recycling options for consumers—one of the best choices is to bring e-waste to a local city or country sponsored household hazardous waste collection event where paint, chemicals, and other toxic waste can be recycled for free.  But, beware business owners, there is a catch.  Businesses are not permitted to drop off anything at these events; household hazardous waste events are just what they say, for households.  Only.  If you say you’re bringing stuff from a business, you will be turned away.

This is exactly why the City of Torrance’s E-Waste Recycling Round-up has had such a terrific turnout over the last six years!  Businesses are not only permitted to drop off their electronic waste, they are encouraged!  This is a free and convenient opportunity for you to do the right thing, on the right day, for the right reason. 

Question #2: Why are old electronics worthless?  Aren’t they recyclable like cans and bottles?The most common question I get asked is why SoCal Computer Recyclers doesn’t pay for old electronics.  You get money back for bottles and cans, right, why not computers?  Here’s my answer.  There is a perception of value that everyone has about their old electronics, especially since you spent at least six hundred bucks on a new computer just a few short years ago.    To answer this very valid question, you must consider how computers must be recycled.  Each screw must be removed from the computer, each component removed and separated.   As you can imagine, this is a very labor intensive process.  We are very fortunate to work with the South Bay Vocational Center, which provides us with the labor necessary to break down those computers.  However, it still takes between ten and fifteen minutes for each person to take apart one computer.  Once the computers are broken down and the parts are separated, we are paid for the metal value of the different components such as scrap metal, copper, and trace precious metals. By the time all’s said and done, this recycling process barely pays for itself.

If tearing down obsolete computers were all that we do, we wouldn’t be in business very long.  There is still a market for working material that’s not the latest and greatest, but still works for most people, unless you’re a techno-geek or rocket scientist.  We donate working computers to schools and other non-profit organizations, and also resell computers and very affordable prices.  And, to any company that recycles reuse-potential working equipment with market value, we do pay for the material.

Question #3: What about the private information on my hard drive? SoCal Computer Recyclers takes data security very seriously and have been committed to protecting our clients’ proprietary data since the day I founded the company.  When we receive computers in, they are either destined for reuse or for recycling.  In either case, we make sure the information is wiped out before it leaves our place.  For computers that are to remain in use, we use a program called Declassify which writes a series of 1’s and 0’s over every sector of the hard drive seven times then reformats the drive.  This has the effect of burying the data under seven layers of random binary numbers and erasing the entire drive after that.  If the drive is to be recycled instead of reused, we degauss the drive, meaning that we pass it through a conveyer belt with several powerful magnets, melting the heads and platters together.  Once a drive has been degaussed by our system, it no longer functions as a storage device.  The drive is then sent out as aluminum scrap, meaning that its original purpose as a storage device is no longer an option.  We continually test our process to ensure that our methods are effective, and to date, we have never had an instance of data being recovered once it has left our facility. 

By this stage, people understand that old electronics basically have no value and are dangerous to throw in the trash.  Actually, most people instinctively know the answers to these questions.  Which leads us to the fourth question I’m asked:  how can I get rid of my old stuff?

Question #4:  How can I get rid of my old stuff?
Let me start by saying that the Smithsonian doesn’t want your old PC.  There is no magic wand that will make your old VCR disappear.  However, getting rid of e-waste is easy when you work with SoCal Computer Recyclers.  If you can’t make it to our annual Earth Day Round-up, you are always welcome to drop off material at our Harbor City facility for free any time, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.  Also, check our website at www.socalrecyclers.com for updated event information in your area. 

Question #5:  Will you pick up my e-waste?
If you just can’t get to us, or if you have too much material to fit in a car or pickup truck, we would be happy to pickup your e-waste.  For a fee.  Did that sentence just end with “For a fee”!?!  Yes, it did.  That’s the answer to the fifth and final question.  Will SoCal Computer Recyclers pick up computers?  Yes, for a fee, we will pickup your computers.  SoCal Computer Recyclers has made it a practice to encourage free drop-offs at both our warehouse and at city-wide recycling round-ups, like the one for Earth Day.  However, when we go to your office to pick up your old computers, we need to cover the expenses of the truck, labor, insurance, and fuel.

As a business, there are many other things you need to worry about other than how to recycle your old computers.    SoCal Computer Recyclers is here to provide you with excellent service, reliable data destruction, and environmentally safe electronic recycling.  I like to think that the service package we offer businesses provide you with “Space of Mind.”  I would love to see you at the city of Torrance’s E-Waste Roundup on Earth Day or any other time you can come by.  If you have any other questions about e-waste recycling, give me a call at (877) PC-RECYCLE.  Heck, I’d love to get some more questions that I haven’t heard before.

Back to News Articles