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In 2023, around 68.3 million tons of old or unwanted gadgets, which include PCs, were thrown out.  The United States generated approximately 11.9 million tons of e-waste in 2022.  This figure places the US as the second-largest global generator of e-waste.  The United Nations estimates that less than 17.4% of these unwanted gadgets are recycled as e-waste.  Unfortunately, a staggering 83% of e-waste ends up in landfills.  In these landfills, discarded gadgets leach toxins into the Earth.  You can help stop this by practicing proper PC disposal.

E-Waste

This improper disposal of e-waste resulted in the leaching of flame retardants, PFAS, and heavy metals into the soil and groundwater.  Some of the most hazardous chemicals found in PCs include:

• Mercury: Exposure can harm the nervous system, kidneys, and brain.  It can also cause developmental issues in children and affect adults’ cognitive abilities.
• Lead: Lead poisoning can result in anemia, kidney damage, and developmental delays in children.  It affects both the nervous system and cardiovascular health.
• Lithium: High levels of lithium can cause nausea, tremors, and kidney damage.
• Barium: Exposure to barium can lead to gastrointestinal issues, muscle weakness, and heart problems.
• PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are also present in PCs (PDF).  Their potential health effects include increased cholesterol levels, suppressed immune response, and risks of kidney and testicular cancer.

Proper PC disposal and your other end-of-life devices is critical to prevent the toxins in e-waste from contaminating the Earth.  Preparing for proper PC decommissioning involves several steps to ensure your personal data is safely removed and the device is prepared for its next phase, whether reuse, recycling, or disposal.  Here are the steps to follow when decommissioning a PC.

Back up your files

Your first step in PC disposal should be to back up all important documents, photos, videos, and other files saved on your computer.  You can use a USB stick, an external hard drive, or a cloud-based file-syncing service like Google Drive or iCloud.  Remember, it’s always better to back up too much information than too little

Transfer Software

You bought the software on your PC.  Ensure you have the install key to transfer any licensed software to the new computer.  Some applications offer a deactivation feature that allows you to transfer the license to a different PC.

If you’re giving your computer away, also make sure that you’ve signed out of iTunes, iCloud, and iMessage—there’s a chance your Apple ID data will remain on the drive after you reset it, and you don’t want anyone to gain access to your account.

Wipe your hard drive

After you back up the necessary files, you want to wipe the drive.  When you wipe your hard drive, it renders a computer completely free of personal information.  This is irreversible and will essentially make your computer a “blank slate,” so make sure you’re done with your computer before doing this.  Some tools to wipe your hard drive:

• Darik’s Boot & Nuke is open-source and free.  It is probably the most popular program of this type.  However, it has not been updated since 2015.
• KillDisk comes in two flavors: Free and Professional.  The free version only has one way to delete the data on a hard drive, but it’s still good enough for a decent hard drive wipe.
• Apple includes Disk Utility in MacOS, which can wipe Apple’s hard drives.

Clean your PC

The last step in PC disposal is to remove any markings, asset tags, sticky notes, etc.  Next, use a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with soap and water or 70% rubbing alcohol or alcohol-based disinfectant spray to wipe down your device.  Avoid aerosol sprays and cleaning solutions that contain bleach or abrasives, and keep liquids and moisture away from any openings on the device.

CD and DVD Destruction

CDs and DVDs containing personal information should be physically destroyed when no longer needed.  More giant paper shredders or specialized CD/DVD destruction hardware can accomplish this.  Document management firms like Shred-it offer optical disk destruction services.

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There’s no “right way” to eliminate an old computer.  PC disposal options include re-purposing it for another use, selling or giving it away, or environmentally safe recycling.  Consider organizations like Computer Aid International, which refurbishes PCs and other digital devices to bridge the digital divide worldwide.  They even use solar power in areas with unreliable electricity, benefiting over 14.5 million people in 115 countries.