How to Recycle Your Old Hard Drives

You might think that throwing an old hard drive in the trash is an environmentally friendly thing to do. It’s not. In fact, it’s a very bad idea. That's why we've come up with this article on "how to recycle your old hard drives". Even if you're convinced that your hard drive is no longer any good, there are still plenty of organizations that will happily accept it free of charge and dispose of it properly.

What types of hard drives can I recycle?

Hard drives are one of the most common e-waste items found in homes, schools and businesses. Even if you’re not using your old hard drive, you may want to consider recycling it instead of throwing it in the trash. By foregoing the need to carefully sort through the rubbish from your old computers, hard drives and DVDs, you can recycle your old items at any time. Disposing of old hard drives is fairly straightforward, but with 5-10 years’ old drives it can be tricky to recycle. Depending on where you live, your local authority will have more details on recycling regulations for older e-waste items.

How do I remove all of my data before recycling it?

If you want to remove all of your data before you recycle your computer, there are two general methods you can use. Both of these methods require a lot of technical know-how, so if you don’t feel comfortable with the idea of removing your data yourself, you should take your computer to a computer repair shop and ask them to remove your data for you. First, let's get some of the basics out of the way: Regaining your data from old hard drives is pretty easy. Please, use these methods when disposing of old hard drives, not when recovering them. Read up on how the different Hard Drive Bays, Software Spare Bays, Power Supply Bays, and Recycle Bin operate before you set your eyes on your data. Otherwise, you'll be putting your hard drive to use for something which, by the way, I wouldn't recommend.
Even if you've agreed that your hard drive is perfectly fine to throw away and it makes sense to recycle it, your data might not be or it may belong to someone else. Let's take a quick peek at the different options you have when it comes to retaining your data.
) Pass it on: Many organizations might happily receive your old hard drive, return it to you, and dispose of it. The other option is to give it to a computer recycling company. Giving your data away to free is definitely an option, but you shouldn't expect them to return it perfectly formatted. Many computer recycling companies are also the kind who can repair broken hard drives so solving your problem may not be too troublesome.
) Burn it to a CD: If you want to destroy your old hard drive and save your valuable files on it for good financial reason, here are a few things you should definitely know before you do it: Burning your old hard drive to CDs can be one of the most environmentally friendly options available. Computer manufacturers specify which CDs can be burnt, so your drive should not be marked “".
Thank you for reading this article. If you want to know more about hard drive recycling