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 institutional data are securely removed from all storage devices before redistributing or recycling used computers and electronic equipment. Procedures for transferring equipment vary by campus.

• All campuses
  • Securely removing institutional data from university equipment
  • Redistributing equipment within the university
• IUB and IUPUI
• Regional campuses
  • Departments
  • IT directors

All campuses

Securely removing institutional data from university equipment

All IU personnel are liable for institutional data contained on any storage device, regardless of how your department disposes of it. Therefore, you must securely remove all institutional data from used computers and electronic devices (including PDAs, BlackBerrys, and smartphones) before they leave your department. For guidelines for securely removing data from IU computers and electronic devices, see Securely Removing Data on the Protect IU web site.

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?

Important: Before redistributing university equipment, make sure to read and understand IU's policy regarding Disposal and Redistribution of University Property (FIN-PUR-14.0).

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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

Note: See IU's policy regarding Sale of Computing Equipment (FIN-PUR-14.1).

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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.

Important: Before recycling university equipment or transferring it to Surplus, make sure to read and understand IU's policies regarding Disposal and Redistribution of University Property (FIN-PUR-14.0) and Sale of Computing Equipment (FIN-PUR-14.1), as well as the Guide for Disposing of Failed Devices/Media Containing Data.

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