Your copier or printer is outdated and ready to be done. Can you recycle it, you’re wondering? It seems like a big deal to just get rid of a large machine.
The short answer is yes – but not without security caution. Your copier or printer includes a hard drive with all of the information that you have been processing through the machine. While this is surprising to many people, pay attention – even if you are reading this and don’t need to get rid of your copier, you should still regularly wipe your hard drive for sensitive data.
That said, if you are taking the machine out of the office, first think about all the personal, client, and possibly patient information stored on the hard drive. It’s a lot of data! Don’t just give that away when you don’t know where it will end up.
How to move forward? Read on.
Security Concerns
Security concerns involve all the information that could be on the device, but think bigger, too. Do you have HIPAA concerns? Is there financial information that has been processed? At this point, you’ll want to really consider the impact of the threat of a hacked hard drive from your device.
And then, let’s figure out how to remove the hard drive so you can recycle the outside structure of your printer or copier.
Copier and Printer Certified Technicians Can Help
This is a good time to reach out to the professionals. You can have the hard drive removed from your machine before you send it to recycling, or you can have it certified that the hard drive and the memory have both been shredded – digitally and physically. Copier and printer certified technicians with a friendly office equipment dealer are a good resource for this extra security step.
Also, you can always engage in a toner and cartridge recycling program on a smaller scale of sustainability measures.
Learn More
If you’re interested in recycling, reusing, or otherwise evaluating your current copier or printer devices, check with the pros. Just get in touch and we’ll help with questions and information.