Do Secure Hard Drive Destruction and Recycling the Right Way


By Joe Caradonna, owner of PROSHRED Arizona

Securely destroying important documents and electronics is an important security step for any company. Businesses need secure document shredding services on a regular basis and security companies that are experts at their work will dispose of your information in a secure and environmentally friendly way.

As franchisees for secure document shredding company PROSHRED Arizona we wanted to provide services that took privacy and protection of the environment seriously which is why all document shredding companies should recycle documents after they are securely destroyed. Secure destruction and disposal of electronics is also an important service for many security companies. One of the most important electronics disposal services is hard drive destruction. Starting a hard drive destruction service can be beneficial to any document destruction company. However, you want to implement a hard drive destruction service that securely recycles these hard drives the right way. Here are a few things to consider when implementing hard drive destruction that takes privacy and the environment into account.

Partner with businesses licensed by NAID

The only reason companies hire someone to securely destroy hard drives is to protect company data. If you fail to protect the customer’s personal information throughout the destruction and disposal process then you are neglecting your job. This means any recycling company you work with must also care about data protection.

Only recycle hard drives with a company certified by the National Association for Information Destruction. NAID AAA certification is a must to ensure your client’s hard drive is being recycled without putting their personal data at risk. Data security will always be an important issue in the business world and companies want to work with companies that care about preventing data theft.

Recycling hard drives is not like disposing of other materials. Many recycling companies lack the training to protect your electronic information when you send your hard drive to be recycled.

NAID certified recyclers are required to go through independent audits of their data destruction policy to guarantee they are disposing of sensitive materials properly.

Companies who want to start a hard drive destruction service must make sure the processors you work with have as much of a commitment to protecting sensitive data as you do.

Purchase the proper tools

You can’t send your hard drive to the proper recycler without first making it impossible to mine the hard drive for data. You can’t securely destroy a hard drive without the proper equipment.  

The most important piece of equipment is a hard drive shredder. Hard drives that go through a shredder are completely destroyed and cannot be reused. You can also recycle almost all of the metal recovered from the shredder. Hard drives contain aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc and also have a tiny amount of precious metals such as silver or gold.

You must purchase a shredder that can securely destroy hard drives and SSDs. Hard drives are most commonly used by companies but SSDs are becoming a more popular storage device. A shredder that destroys both types of storage devices will make recycling the materials and securely destroying the data on the devices easier.

An upgrade to your electrical panel might be necessary to deal with the extra power of the machine. You can also benefit from purchasing a mobile generator if you are a mobile document destruction company and want to bring your hard drive shredding services to the clients.

Work with recyclers who are critical of their process

Licensed NAID recyclers receive a yearly audit from the association; however, a good recycling firm will audit themselves for quality assurance. You should recycle your hard drives with a recycling company that seriously self-audits.

A recycling company that self-audits is a company that believes critiquing processes helps find successes, find failures, and improve the company’s work.

An ethical recycler wants to account for every piece of electronic material you and their clients give them. A vendor who self-audits is one you want to work with.


Joe Caradonna is the owner of PROSHRED Arizona. PROSHRED Arizona is a secure document shredding service. They help businesses safeguard their private information.

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