By Mary Lu N.
My laptop died a painful death a few weeks ago. Oh, man! My passwords are on it. My kids’ school info is on it. My tax returns are there too. My friends will slam me on Facebook if they start getting spam because of my careless discard of their contact information. Now what?
Luckily I got into line at a local mall to recycling event hosted by Keep Phoenix Beautiful and could get that hard drive shredded and save myself from guilt for dumping one more piece of junk, and it is junk, into the landfill. Westech Recyclers were there to rescue me from the shame and embarrassment of exposing my friends and myself to hackers and thieves.
Westech Recyclers, a Local Company
Westech Recyclers is a great local company which has partnered with Keep Phoenix Beautiful for 10 years to keep heavy metals and reusable components out of the landfill. But, more importantly, they keep my info out of the hands of those guys that have no compunction to order that new tablet on my credit card. Remember, I said I keep my passwords and banking information on it. I know that’s not the best idea, but there is just too much to remember.
Recently I had a tour of Westech Recyclers at their local company and it was an eye-opening experience. The first thing that happened was I was given a safety vest. With heavy equipment in use and several employees on the floor in the warehouse space, they always want to be sure everyone is aware of what’s going on. Visitors and new trainees are given a different color vest so that the old hats know your status. There is equipment that crushes, equipment that moves things, and materials that have either been stripped or need attention.
Everything is very clean and information of where you are is very clear— floors are well marked, established areas have signage, and you always, always have a guide to explain processes and to keep you safe. Conveyor belts are throughout the area to move incoming items through the process of recycling and preparing materials to ship to companies that can use the raw materials to create new items.
Secure Data Destruction for Businesses
Westech Recyclers is also certified for secure data destruction for businesses that require absolute protection of personal and confidential information. This includes your records from doctors and hospitals, legal information, and government documents. Deleting files is not a guarantee that the information is gone forever, but wiping or shredding a hard drive will prevent your personal information from being compromised.
Reclaiming materials and recycling them may be the largest part of the business, but Westech Recyclers also works toward redistributing and reselling a larger percentage of electronic items they receive that are still useable, but need data cleared from hard drives, or televisions that are taken to events such as KPB’s iRecycle Phoenix events because someone got a new TV for that big game in January. There is a Reuse and Recycle Electronics Store at their South 9th Street location. There you will find cell phones, televisions, laptops, monitors, and any number of other types of electronics. All tested and still very usable for a reasonable price.
Visit Westech Recyclers online or at their facility, 200 South 9th Street in Phoenix. It is well worth the visit.
