MNN - Mother Nature Network

Reducing your printing, turning off the lights and powering down electronics are three easy ways to green up your office routine.  Cox Enterprises is taking this a bit further and has implemented a new office-recycling program, eCycle.  The eCycling program will recycle electronic waste without compromising corporate and customer data.

“Once fully implemented across all Cox business units, the eCycling program is projected to divert more than 1.8 million pounds of e-waste from landfills each year. According to U.S. EPA Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator computations, the program will conserve enough energy to power 3,500 households a year and achieve greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing nearly 2,500 passenger cars from the road for a year.” Source: Cox Conserves (PDF)

Every few months or so, we hear of a major company that has recycled their electronic waste only to find out that the data wasn’t removed from the equipment.  This even happened to Sen. John McCain after the presidential election when a member of the public purchased a Blackberry from an ex-McCain staff member.  When the owner of the new Blackberry got home, he found it filled with confidential data.

 

The Cox eCycling program will ensure that truckloads of electronic equipment won’t find their way to a local landfill and that once recycled, it won’t contain sensitive data.