Wow, thank you for this. I've wondered the same thing that the OP did but had no idea what to do. Thank you!!

I've thought the same thing.

How long does it need to cool before slicing?

Hard drive should be copied that has all your Info on it. I have taken mine to Best Buy. I'm pretty sure Staples does that also.

The OP seem pretty clear to most...

Yes, a simple delete or erase doesn't actually delete the data, it just changes the header for the data so that the file doesn't show up to the OS, and the space on the drive is available for use. If the OS allocates that space and writes data, then the previous data is unrecoverable.

That is why I clear state that you need to do a full wipe which includes overwriting the entire drive with random 1's and 0's.

A normal format does not overwrite the data, a wipe does.

I shoot mine. 😎

I put my old laptop in a tub full of water & let it soak for two days (it wouldn’t turn on afterwards.). I like the hammer idea better, but I’d probably never damage the hard drive, just the casing.

I am a computer guy. There is one way. Hammer then fire.

Electronic equipment should never be tossed in the trash. On Sumter County hazardous waste collection days, they also collect computers and TV’s for safe recycling.

I'm skeptical. Recycle means that they reuse it. How do they recycle worthless computers and televisions. Are you sure that they actually recycle them?

Formatting the drive or erasing the drive normally doesn’t stop the next guy to use a rescue app to grab data off the drive. Unless your formatting software will format/erase your drive 7 times the data can be recovered. Especially from a windows pc.
If it’s a windows pc, I’d even toss a working 1 pc and get an apple or linux pc.

I wouldn't trust any software or computer instructions to wipe a drive. Physical destruction is the safest way to go.

They essentially mine the valuable materials/metals from the waste.

Bulk Electronic recycling occurs primarily in order to recover valuable rare-earth metals and precious metals.

For example, the exact amount of gold in a computer or hard drive can vary around 0.15-0.3 gram worth around $10-$20 for that metal alone.


Computer Recycling | How Computers Are Recycled

Thanks for the information. I understand that electronics have some valuable materials in them. But, I wonder how many of the electronic items disposed of are actually received and processed by a facility like the one featured in the video. The video says nothing about how much funding they receive from the Government. I believe that this industry would not exist without Government funding. The EPA is heavily involved in recycling and provides grants to recycling companies. If you eliminated the grants, the entire industry would probably disappear because there would be no profit in it.