DECS will assist engineering departments with the salvaging of computers and associated hardware. Along with the many potential hazards to the environment from various computer components, our salvaging program is designed to assist with the redeployment of property as a cost savings model across engineering, and later the rest of campus through the MSU Surplus Store. Please bring any items you need to salvage to our office in EB 1325.
Select machines are made available to engineering departments through our computer recycling program.
Examples of items that we can accept:
- Desktop computers
- Laptops
- Monitors
- Printers
- Speakers
- Cables
- Mice and keyboards
- Hard drives, RAM, etc..
- DVD/VHS players
- Batteries
Items that we cannot accept:
- Large items that cannot be easily moved.
- These items can be handled by submitting an MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Service Request
- Kitchen appliances such as microwaves and refrigerators.
- These items will first require an inspection from EHS, prior to disposal through MSU Surplus and Recycling. The process for this is detailed on the EHS waste disposal guidance page, available here.
Batteries
Alkaline batteries are not recyclable through MSU EHS (Environmental Health and Safety), and their current recommendation is to discard them with your normal trash. All other types of batteries should be disposed of properly though. DECS can accept your non-alkaline batteries, or you can drop them off at an official EHS recycling station outside of room 3234 in the Engineering Building. See EHS for additional MSU EHS waste disposal guidance.
Secure Cleaning of Hard Drives
Even after files are deleted or entire hard drives are formatted, some physical characteristics of the data may remain on a disk that could potentially allow the original data to be reconstructed. When most files are deleted on a computer, the content of the file is not really deleted. Instead, the files are simply unlinked from the file directory system, leaving the contents of the file on the disk sectors. Data will remain on the disk until these sectors are overwritten with new data. Without utilizing effective data removal procedures inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information is possible should the storage media be released.
DECS utilizes various methods to safeguard against the disclosure of sensitive information. All disks and other storage media are cleansed thoroughly prior to being given to any outside source.
