Jeff Baker stopped by last Thursdays electronics recycling event in Langley with old hardware he was no longer using.
“I had two computers and an iPhone,” he explained.
But once he meet with the event organizers, the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) and Better Business Bureau (BBB), he realized he would have to make a second trip to their pop-up display at New Trendz on the Langley Bypass.
So in the afternoon, he came by with relics of a bygone age – floppy discs and other outdated memory products that most people assume need to end up in the landfill.
“I think some of those are probably 25 years old,” he said.
The Thursday event was a joint effort by the BBB and recycling association with the purpose of not only destroying old data on electronics and various devices but also to help the public understand that most technology can be recycled.
As people showed up with laptops, computers, and even pressure washers, association team members such as Jaskirat Chahal would dismantle and sort the various components for recycling.
• LEARN MORE about what tech can be recycled
Computer hard drives were put through a crusher in front of the owners so they knew any data still remaining was destroyed.
Then the ground pieces are sent for sorting and recycling because technology contains precious metals.
But as precious to thieves can be the information people leave on technology that they then toss. That’s why the BBB was on hand to explain about identity theft protection related to technology and recycling.
The recycling association and BBB held these events in communities around the Lower Mainland during spring, and specifically March which is Fraud Prevention Month.
• READ MORE: Cybersecurity in the age of connected cars
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Have a story tip? Email: heather.colpitts@langleyadvancetimes.com
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