As electronic devices continue to change and advance at a dizzying pace, disposing of them poses considerable risks to data security. Total Green Recycling, a Perth-based e-waste recycler, has become a leader in recycling e-waste into new products and services since 2017. The small company dismantles a mind-blowing 25 tonnes of e-waste per day. It’s home to the only licensed e-waste recycler in the region. Total Green Recycling co-founders James Coghill (left) and his brother, Michael Coghill. With Illinois’ recently passed ban on e-waste in landfills taking effect in July of 2024, the company has a vital part to play in helping tackle the growing electronic waste stream.
Total Green Recycling is the main collector of e-waste in all of Western Australia. Sorting At its Perth facility, the company begins a comprehensive sorting process. The facility sorts e-waste into five specific waste streams, with the stream for computers being further divided. Collection points where e-waste is kept are picked up every two weeks, which helps keep material flowing steadily for processing and prevents theft or tampering.
The Importance of Data Erasure
As more and more people are turning to recycling and disposition options for their electronics that promote reuse, the data question comes into play. James Coghill, technical consultant at Total Green Recycling, explains why using strong data destruction techniques is key. To that end, he guarantees that the firm uses cryptographic erasure requirements to completely and permanently make all information on devices unrecoverable.
“We completely and permanently render all the data on the device unrecoverable, using cryptographic erasure standards.” – James Coghill
Even with these assurances, experts advise people to be cautious and take protective steps before recycling their devices. Professor Richard Buckland argues that we should take a risk-adjusted approach to data disposal. As to recycling, he suggests going through a deletion-reset cycle on devices before recycling. Even so, Moore cautions that no technique is 100% effective at erasing data forever.
“The onus is on you to secure your data before you hand the device in,” – Professor Richard Buckland
Brett Burgess, co-founder and CEO of Moorup, a Melbourne-based technology driven recommerce company, agrees with the above. In these conversations, he shines a light on the growing movement to go beyond standard deletion methods.
“Computers are very good at holding data, so deleting it in the operating system very rarely results in it being deleted in the real world.” – Brett Burgess
Burgess further argues that requiring factory resets is not a full-proof fix to protect data security. He reminds us that the term is undefined and highly variable in their effectiveness.
“There’s no definition of a factory reset. It can simply mean resetting all the default values like the brightness of the screen, but it can also leave user data completely untouched and sometimes that’s intentional.” – Brett Burgess
Understanding the Risks
The danger of such electronic waste disposal is not hypothetical. Coghill further cautions that Total Green Recycling goes to great lengths to protect data. If they’re dropping devices off at collection points, they can’t ensure that their data will be properly destroyed.
“We cannot guarantee data is destroyed if a device is dropped off at one of the collection points, usually a landfill tip. You don’t have visibility on that.” – James Coghill
He goes on to tell them that people unknowingly leak sensitive data when they don’t securely wipe their devices. If the data on their device is super sensitive, it may be best to not recycle that device after all.
“If your device contains very sensitive data that would be worth someone investing tens of thousands of dollars trying to get back, then I wouldn’t hand the device in,” – Professor Richard Buckland
As Burgess notes, there’s often a way to retrieve sensitive data from poorly discarded equipment. Yet the financial incentive to take those steps is most times absent.
“The economic reality is that for someone to recover data from a device that’s been through a shredder, while possible, it is often more costly than what that data is worth.” – He said
The Growing Market for Used Electronics
The used electronics market has seen significant gains in Australia since 2018, with Burgess reporting a fourfold increase in size. Moorup takes the plunge into this lucrative market, purchasing used electronics and reselling them. When things are considered unrecoverable economically, they responsibly recycle those items. The company provides confirmation of complete data erasure, often within a 48-hour turnaround time. Each device is verified with a digitally signed, tamper-proof certificate to give consumers confidence in the safety of each device.
Coghill and Burgess discuss what worries them most about public reluctance to recycle their old electronics. They think these fears are based on concerns about data security. They fight for responsible recycling and reuse practices, but work to educate consumers about how to protect their data before you recycle.
“We don’t want to see people not recycling their electronics because they’re worried about the data risk,” – James Coghill
“The risk profile is probably similar, if not higher, than if you’re keeping it in your garage where someone can take it.” – James Coghill
