At IU, how should my department dispose of old computer equipment?

At Indiana University, departments can dispose of unneeded computers and electronic devices either by redistributing them for reuse, or by recycling them via the university's contracted electronic waste recycling service. However, you must make sure that all data are securely removed from all storage devices before redistributing or recycling used computers and electronic equipment. Procedures for transferring equipment vary by campus. See below, and contact your IT Pro for additional information or assistance.

• All campuses
  • Securely removing data from university equipment
  • Redistributing equipment within the university
• IUB and IUPUI
• Regional campuses
  • Departments
  • IT directors
• Recycling printer toner cartridges

All campuses

Securely removing data from university equipment

All IU personnel are liable for any type of institutional data contained on any storage device, regardless of how your department disposes of it. Per IU Purchasing policy Sale of Computing Equipment (FIN-PUR-14.1), you must securely remove all data from used computers and electronic devices (including PDAs, BlackBerrys, and smartphones) before they leave your department, regardless of whether they contain sensitive data or not. For guidelines for securely removing data from IU computers and electronic devices, see Secure Data Removal on the Protect IU website.

Redistributing equipment within the university

If your department has unneeded computers or electronic devices that are viable for reuse by other departments, schools, or organizations at IU, you can post them on the redistribution-l@indiana.edu mailing list, an IU List managed by the Office of Procurement Services. To post your equipment to the list, fill out and submit the Request for Redistribution of Goods form. To subscribe to the redistribution-l@indiana.edu mailing list, send an email message to redistribution-l-subscribe@indiana.edu. For more, see On IU List, how do I subscribe to a list?

IUB and IUPUI

If you do not redistribute equipment within the university, contact your campus Surplus Store to arrange for transfer of all equipment. Surplus will determine whether the equipment is viable for resale, or should be recycled. See:

• IUB: IU Departments Only page
• IUPUI: IUPUI Surplus

Regional campuses

Departments

If you do not redistribute equipment within the university, contact your campus IT director to arrange for proper disposal.

IT directors

• Equipment viable for resale (IUE, IUK, IUS, and IUPUC only):

  IUB Surplus Stores may be able to pick up unneeded equipment that's viable for resale to the public. Contact Surplus Stores to see whether this is an option. See Surplus's IU Departments Only page.

• Equipment that's not viable for reuse/all equipment at IUN and IUSB:

  If equipment is not viable for reuse, or if pick-up by IUB Surplus is not feasible, IT directors should arrange for recycling. To ensure that all electronic waste generated at IU is managed in a secure, responsible, and cost-effective manner, the university has contracted with Vintage Tech, LLC, an e-Steward certified vendor, to provide electronic waste recycling services to all IU campuses. Campus IT directors or their delegates should contact greenit@iu.edu to learn more about the program or to obtain the company's contact information.

Recycling printer toner cartridges

Many manufacturers of printer toner cartridges have a free mail-in recycling service. Send used cartridges back to the original manufacturer in the same box as the replacement cartridge. If you don't have the return label or shipping materials, you can search for the company's specific return information online.

If your brand doesn't have a free mail-in service, follow the instructions for general electronics recycling for your campus.