Great Video on E-Waste Not being Recycled Correctly

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Apr 6th, 2016

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We came across this powerful story as another reminder of why we should care about what happens to our old electronic equipment. Just outside of Ghana’s largest city is a toxic slum located on one of the planet’s most polluted bodies of water. Peter Klein took a group of graduate students to learn more about this place and to meet with Mike Anane, a local journalist who has been following the boys who work in the dump.

“I’m trying to get some ownership labels,” Anane tells reporters. “I’m collecting them because you need them as evidence. You need to tell the world where these things are coming from. You have to prove it. Now, just look,” he says, pointing to an old computer with the label: “School District of Philadelphia.”

Salvageable hard drives are sold on the street, and so Klein and his team purchased several. They found credit card numbers, personal photos, bank account information, and, on a hard drive that formerly belonged to Northrop Grumman, a $22 million government contract.

Even companies and agencies who try to responsibly recycle may unknowingly trust retired computers and phones to somebody who exports. Klein’s students brought some equipment to a facility in the U.S. and were told “What they literally do is dump it into a blast furnace and it burns it all up; and all they get out of it is a bunch of ash and some of the precious metal. Everything else gets consumed, burnt. And that’s an actual fact.”

The students recorded the container numbers and tracked them. Their equipment wasn’t burned but instead sent to Hong Kong where, like in Ghana, people melt the toxic plastic to retrieve the small amounts of precious metal found within circuit boards.

“…the free market will send it to the lowest common denominator, to the worst facilities where people are sitting on the streets just picking through it by hand,” he says. “It’s a myth to think that you can just solve the problem immediately with technology alone.”
(read the full article here)

Each year, hundreds of millions of laptops, mobile phones, hard drives and other electronics are discarded by corporations, government institutions and consumers. A mere 18% of these are likely to be properly disposed of, which means that an alarming amount of them end up in landfills. What can your organization do to ensure that your old IT equipment doesn’t end up in a landfill? For starters, ensure that the organization you’re trusting to recycle your equipment is either R2 or E-Stewards certified.

Securis is R2 certified which means that the IT electronics that we handle are stripped of sensitive data and then processed in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Being R2 certified means that:

We do not export equipment or its components
We’ve undergone a rigorous audit by an independent third party who evaluates more than 50 areas of performance
We’re held accountable to effectively, securely destroy all data on our clients’ storage devices
We send materials only to licensed and permitted R2 facilities

What it boils down to is Securis’ R2 certification ensures that our clients’ equipment doesn’t end up in a landfill. And that’s good for all of us and the planet we live on.

Christopher Madeira
Director of Marketing
ITAD Communications & Strategy Expert
Snapshot / Quick Stats
- 15+ years of experience in marketing strategy, brand development, and communications
- Specialized in IT asset disposition (ITAD) messaging for compliance-driven industries
- Former leadership roles at The Chronicle of Higher Education, CQ Press, and other respected publishers
- Key focus areas: Market Trends, Client Education, ITAD Compliance Messaging, Thought Leadership, SEO-Driven Strategy
Areas of Specialization
- Market Trends & Competitive Analysis – Tracks shifts in ITAD, resale, and sustainability markets to shape strategy and keep Securis ahead of industry developments.
- ITAD Compliance & Security Messaging – Crafts clear narratives that translate regulatory and data security requirements into approachable guidance for IT leaders.
- Client & Stakeholder Education – Builds educational resources and thought leadership content that empower clients to make informed ITAD decisions with confidence.
Professional Narrative (Career Journey)
Christopher Madeira is the Director of Marketing at Securis, where he shapes how the company communicates its mission of Secure, Accurate, and Sustainable IT Asset Disposition to regulated industries, government agencies, and enterprise clients. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing and communications, Christopher brings a unique perspective on how to bridge technical ITAD processes with clear, client-centered storytelling.
Before joining Securis, Christopher served in senior marketing roles across publishing and education organizations, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, CQ Press, and Congressional Quarterly. These positions gave him deep expertise in shaping brand positioning, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering content that informs and engages decision-makers.
At Securis, Christopher drives marketing strategies that not only build awareness but also educate IT leaders on data security, compliance, and sustainability best practices. His work ensures that Securis remains a trusted voice in the ITAD industry, aligning brand authority with the company’s core differentiators: Secure, Accurate, and Sustainable services.
Quote
“Clear communication makes complex ITAD issues approachable for IT leaders.”
Thought Leadership & Recognition
Christopher is the author of numerous Securis blog articles on compliance, sustainability, and ITAD strategy. He has also developed content campaigns that help IT decision-makers understand the evolving landscape of secure data destruction, ESG reporting, and value recovery.
Personal
A strategist at heart, Christopher is passionate about helping organizations cut through the noise and understand the real risks — and opportunities — in ITAD. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys exploring D.C.’s history, traveling, connecting with his community, and aviation photography.
Trust & Transparency
Christopher ensures that every piece of Securis’ external communication is not only accurate but also aligned with the certifications and compliance standards that define the company’s reputation. His commitment to transparency reinforces Securis’ standing as a trusted partner for IT asset disposition.
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