07 May 2009

Recycling your computer and media

Appropriate disposal of old computers is necessary for security and good for the environment.  If you have a computer that is at end of life, Medical Information Technology is now the place to call to arrange for disposal.

We used to send old computers to Property Surplus.  No more?

No more.  Effective June 1, Medical Information Technology is responsible for recycling all computers on the medical campus.  Medical IT will also provide disposal services for digital media - everything from external hard drives to floppies to CDs and DVDs.  If you are disposing of a device that can store data, Medical IT will make sure all sensitive information on the device is rendered inaccessible.

How do I request computer recycling services?

Call the Medical Information Technology Help Desk at 305-243-5999 to schedule pick-ups.   You can also bring devices and media to our offices at Dominion Parking Garage, suite 140 or suite 165, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.  There is no charge for these services.

What about printers?

Printers don’t generally have the ability to store information once unplugged, so they present no security risk.  You can still send printers to Property Surplus.


What happens to computers that go to Medical IT?

If the computer is at the end of its service life, we will remove, degauss and destroy the hard drive.  The hard drive and the rest of the computer will then go to a recycling contractor.

If the computer is new enough to be used in other settings, we will recondition it.  Reconditioning the computer requires a secure erasure of the hard drive (or replacing it), upgrading or replacing parts as needed (such as memory), and then reinstalling the appropriate software.  Reconditioned computers will be offered for re-sale to campus departments at a nominal price.

What happens to digital media that go to Medical IT?

In most cases, digital media is not suitable for re-use so it must be "sanitized" and then sent out for materials recycling.  That includes floppy disks and other magnetic storage media, optical storage like CDs and DVDs, and external hard drives as well.  We will also process retired USB "thumb drives."

More information