What does secure data destruction involve?
Your old IT equipment still holds live data. Our secure data destruction process protects it: vetted staff, tracked vehicles and secure premises.
Free collections when you recycle at least 10 laptops, PCs & servers (any combination). It's also free to recycle almost all waste IT with us.
What is data destruction and why does it matter?
Data destruction permanently erases digital information from storage devices, so it can't be accessed, recovered or misused. Deleting a file or formatting a drive isn't enough, since both leave data recoverable with widely available tools. Your business holds more sensitive data than you might expect, from financial records to personal data and intellectual property, all sitting on devices you'll eventually replace. If any of it resurfaces on a resold or discarded device, that's a data breach, regardless of intention, which is why we treat destruction as importantly as recycling the hardware itself.
Our service promise
Free qualifying collections
Free for 10+ qualifying laptops, PCs or servers. Nationwide service.
Secure data destruction
Erasure, degaussing or physical destruction, matched to the risk. GDPR & WEEE compliant.
Certificates always provided
Waste Transfer Note, Certificate of Destruction and carbon offset certificate.
Book your laptop recycling collection
Takes less than 2 minutes. We'll confirm collection options by email or phone.
Tell us what you need collected and we'll confirm the next available collection slot. We'll collect from your premises, securely process your equipment, destroy sensitive data, and provide the certificates you need.
Should I create a Data Destruction Policy?
If your business handles sensitive or confidential information, and most do, a written data destruction policy is worth having in place before you need it. It sets out when data should be destroyed, who's responsible for making it happen, and what evidence you keep to prove it took place. Without one, these decisions tend to get made ad hoc, by whoever happens to be clearing out a cupboard or a store room, which is exactly how sensitive data ends up leaving a business unaccounted for.
We've covered what a good policy should include in our guide – Data security in IT Recycling.
What levels of secure data destruction do we offer?
Every collection includes data destruction as standard – at no extra cost. We offer two service levels, depending on how much documentation you need:
Standard data destruction
This is free of charge with every collection.
All data-bearing devices are erased, degaussed or destroyed, and you receive a general Certificate of Destruction.
Enhanced data destruction
This service costs £5 (ex. VAT) per asset.
This is an optional additional service, and provides a full end-to-end asset list and an individual wiping report for each asset (if cryptographically erased), giving you a complete audit trail for compliance or client reporting.
- Read more about hard drive destruction certificates and audit trails.
- For the specific methods behind each service level, see Secure Data erasure.
Speed of service
It's important that your data is collected promptly and properly erased as soon as possible thereafter to minimise risk. We're an agile SME, and can usually collect any volume of IT assets from anywhere in the UK within a few days.
How we protect your data during collection and storage?
Data security depends on the people and processes handling your equipment, not just the destruction method itself. Everyone who handles your data-bearing devices, from collection driver to processing technician, is vetted and DBS-checked. Our fleet has full tracking capabilities, so your equipment is accounted for from the moment it's collected, and it's stored at a facility that meets Environment Agency requirements for secure storage. Review a full list of our licenses and accreditations for more detail.
Vetted, DBS-checked staff
Tracked, monitored vehicles
Secure premises
Signed chain of custody
On collection, our driver will ask you to sign a Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note, and we send a copy by email straight away, so you have a documented chain of custody from the outset. Everything we do is GDPR and WEEE compliant, and we're ICO registered for data protection, and every job is carried out to standards approved by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
What data do we delete
We securely destroy data held on:
- Hard drives, SSDs and other internal storage in computers and laptops
- Servers, storage arrays and networking hardware
- Mobile phones, tablets and EPOS devices
- Printers and copiers with internal memory
- USB drives, memory cards, backup tapes and other removable media
- Confidential paper documents, via our secure paper shredding service
See our full list of what we collect for the complete range. For the specific methods behind each service level, see Secure Data erasure, and our accreditations and compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide a certificate of data destruction?
Yes. Every collection includes a Certificate of Destruction as standard, and our enhanced service adds a full asset list and individual wiping reports for a complete audit trail. See examples of our certificates.
How quickly can my IT equipment be collected?
Data left sitting on redundant equipment is a risk, so speed matters. We can usually collect any volume of IT assets from anywhere in the UK within a few days, and typically within 24 to 72 hours of your enquiry. To organise secure data destruction of your devices get in touch.
Where does data destruction actually take place?
Your equipment is transported in tracked vehicles to our secure facility in Reading, where destruction takes place under restricted access. We don't process data on-site during collection.
Is your data destruction service GDPR compliant?
Yes. We're ICO registered for data protection, and every job is carried out to standards approved by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Do you offer data destruction as a standalone service, without a full IT recycling collection?
Yes. If you only need drives or devices destroyed rather than a wider IT clearout, our hard drive and media destruction service covers this.
Do I need an enhanced data destruction certificate?
Not always. A standard Certificate of Destruction is enough for most businesses, and it's included free with every collection. If you're in a regulated sector such as healthcare, finance or legal, or you need to prove destruction of a specific device to a client or auditor, the enhanced service's individual wiping reports give you that level of detail.
Who is responsible for data security after IT equipment is recycled?
Under UK GDPR law your business is responsible until you can prove destruction has taken place. — IT recycling is a legal matter not a logistics one.
Whose responsibility is it to destroy data securely?
Under UK GDPR, your organisation remains responsible for the data on equipment you dispose of, even once it's left your premises. Handing devices to an unaccredited recycler, or assuming deletion happens automatically, doesn't transfer that responsibility. It stays with you until you can prove destruction has taken place.
What are the risks of inadequate data destruction?
Data breaches. Data that hasn't been properly erased can be recovered and used for fraud or further attacks, even from devices that look wiped or physically damaged.
Regulatory non-compliance. UK GDPR sets strict requirements for how personal data is handled and disposed of, with significant penalties for organisations that get it wrong.
Reputational damage. A breach caused by improper disposal can damage client trust and disrupt business operations, often at a cost well beyond the breach itself.
Working with an accredited IT asset disposal (ITAD) partner closes off this exposure. We're ICO registered and NCSC-approved, and every device we process comes with a Certificate of Destruction, so you have evidence the risk has been dealt with, not just an assumption that it has.