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International e-waste day

Saturday, 14th October 2023, is International E-Waste Day, which aims to raise awareness about the growing issue of electronic waste and promote responsible disposal and recycling practices.

In Ireland, over 25 million electronic devices are left in storage cupboards and drawers or thrown in bins, where they end up in the rubbish dump. A study from the United Nations has revealed that last year, Irish businesses and households contributed 11 million kilos of electronic waste. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for proper disposal and recycling methods to prevent further damage to the environment.

What is e-waste?

E-waste refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices, such as hard drives, RAM, computers, mobile phones, USB memory sticks, laptops, and tablets, as well as monitors, digital cameras, photocopiers, and printers. Additionally, e-waste can include several accessories, such as cables, cords, and adapters.

Can’t I just recycle them?

The short answer is “no.”, The disposal of e-waste waste is not as clean-cut as just throwing it into the recycling bin. Careful consideration needs to be taken as to what has been thrown out. Some accessories may contain hazardous materials that require special handling, for example, anything with a built-in battery or items like fridges that contain gases that are bad for the environment.

Another reason for taking care when disposing of e-waste is the risk of data breaches, which can lead to fraud and identity theft. Proper disposal of e-waste helps mitigate these risks and ensures the protection of personal information.

Hard drive and media destruction is the best and safest method of achieving peace of mind that the information is irretrievable & preventing data breaches in your organisation. Our Secure Destruction Processes are fully GDPR compliant.

Did you know…?

Most people are aware that items such as laptops and computers have hard drives, which could potentially have sensitive information stored on them. But, a lot of people don’t realise that other everyday items could also contain sensitive information. For example, smartphones, tablets, and even smart appliances. The following are some more examples of these items:

International e-waste day. Hard Drive & IT Media Distruction

International e-waste day. Hard Drive & IT Media Destruction

How can DGD Shredding help?

DGD Shredding specialises in the secure destruction of hard drives and IT devices that could contain confidential sensitive information. With over 25 years experience we ensure all data is destroyed to the highest industry standard while also providing certificates of destruction for all data shred. With a strong chain of custody our procedures are carried out in accordance with EN15713 secure destruction of confidential data code of practice.

DGD Shredding offers flexible solutions for hard drive & IT Media destruction. Contact our sales team today on 1800 491 333 or sales@dgdshredding.ie to discuss your secure destruction needs. Our fully trained representatives will talk you through the different options we offer to come up with a suitable solution.

Our services include On-Site* and Off-Site Secure Destruction for Hard Drives and IT Media Destruction. These services can be a Regular Scheduled Service, On-Demand, or even a Bulk Clean Out.

We believe we offer the best value on the market and our cost-effective solutions do not compromise on compliance.

 

“We make it our business to make sure no one knows yours!”

 

 

*On-Site offered for Hard Drive Shredding only. All other IT Media destruction will be carried out Off-Site at our Destruction facility in Raheen Business Park, Limerick.

 

 

Confidential Paper shredding word cloud

Companies who deal with confidential and sensitive documents have ethical and legal obligations to keep that information secret. Protecting your customers and your business’ own data and handling it the best possible way will help mitigate liability risks.

But aside from protecting your data, assuring the correct disposal of this sensitive information is also essential to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Irish Businesses have long been reliant on their company’s long-built reputation. Trusting a certified third-party solution for the shredding of physical documents or data hard-drives can protect your organisation against fraud, data loss or theft; save on costs, and guarantee the appropriate destruction of end-of-life confidential data. Furthermore, by correctly disposing of this data, you will also be helping to protect the privacy of your clients, employees or suppliers.

Although you can purchase a shredding machine for your office, it will post some challenges and is far from ideal. Outsourcing your shredding services is a much more comfortable and cost-efficient solution while that provides multiple other benefits for your business, including:

Preserve your business reputation

The reputation and loyalty you build through time with customers and other businesses are one of your company’s most valuable assets. A breach of sensitive information can be devastating for your business, grabbing headlines, causing panic among your clients and bringing some hefty fines. To ensure that this does not happen, find yourself a reputable shredding service to destroy all those documents, you no longer need.

Sourcing a professional and trusted shredding service with proven procedures, an auditable paper trail and security screened employees will assure your data is well handled and won’t fall into the wrong hands. DGD Shredding can provide on-site and off-site shredding, this one with “Same Day Shred” policy, giving the client peace of mind that their classified documents will be shredded on that same day. DGD also issues Certificates of Destruction to ensure your business is fully complying with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Cost-Efficient

Is your document shredding done in house? Even if you are already proceeding correctly with destroying your documents, there are more efficient ways to do it when taking into account not only the costs but also the risks this may present to your organisation.

First, there is the inadequate management of your paid employee’s time that could be better suited at more profitable activities instead of hours of document disposal. Let alone the responsibility that your staff carries, of correctly and securely shredding confidential documentation in line with the legal entities’ regulation.

Second, the actual cost of a quality industrial shredder. An ordinary paper shredder won’t cut it for anything more than a dozen of sheets at once, not to mention that it would choke and clog at the sight of a plastic card not to mention a hard drive. And run a capable shredder will consume higher levels of energy and be a dent on your operating costs. Sourcing a shredding service will get rid of those machines and place a locked console to keep the documents destined for destruction safe until the scheduled pick up. This way, you won’t have to worry about any unauthorised access or misusing the productivity of your specialised staff.

Guaranteed recycling

Sustainability is a key aspect for any modern business and recycling your paper or other materials is vital for an eco-friendly organisation. However, if you are currently shredding your documents in-house, you have probably already faced the issue of being left with too big of a load to place into the recycling bins. And it is in this situation that one of the most common security failures usually happens with documents or data carrying material being disposed to recycle before being shredded.

To avoid this issue that could lead to confidential breaches and ultimately to public and legal business problems, paper shredding services combine recycling with destruction, complying with The European Waste Hierarchy.

The benefits an outsourced professional shredding service can offer to your business are undeniable and will protect the company’s confidentiality at all times. If you’re in Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Cork or any other area in Ireland, for that matter, you should look into destroying your sensitive data with DGD Shredding. We provide a wide range of confidential document shredding services with on- or off-site shredding and many other solutions to protect your data.

Contact us by mail: info@dgdshredding.ie or telephone us at 1850 491 333 and schedule your secure digital or physical data destruction program today!