Secure hard drive & media data destruction

What does our hard drive and media destruction service cover?

Sensitive data doesn’t disappear when storage media reaches the end of its life. We securely destroy data on hard drives, SSDs, backup tapes and other storage media, whether they’re supplied as part of a wider IT recycling collection or on their own. Our secure data destruction service explains the end-to-end security measures we follow, while our data destruction methods provide more detail on the techniques we use. Here, you’ll find the information that’s specific to hard drive and media destruction, including what we accept, how the process works and what certification you’ll receive.

Which drives and media do we destroy data on?

We destroy data held on:

Every item is treated according to our standard hard drive and media destruction process, whatever the volume, and every data-bearing item falls under WEEE directive, so it must be handled through a registered process rather than general waste.

How to prepare hard drives and media for destruction?

Take an inventory of what you are sending, particularly anything holding confidential or business-critical information. Back up anything you still need, using secure cloud storage or a network-attached drive, and check the backup before it leaves your premises. Keep the media secure while you wait for collection. For a full checklist, see our guide to preparing your IT equipment for recycling.

How do we destroy media that cannot be wiped?

Where wiping is not suitable, we degauss magnetic media to remove the magnetic field, or shred devices into fragments no larger than 6mm using CPNI-approved technology, backed throughout by NCSC-approved standards. For the full detail on when each method applies and why, see our guide to data destruction methods.

How do we keep data destruction secure without compromising sustainability?

Wherever a hard drive, SSD or other storage media can be securely wiped, we do that first. This allows the device to be reused rather than destroyed, supporting our approach of prioritising reuse before recycling, and recycling before disposal.

Manufacturing replacement hardware requires significant energy, water and raw materials, so extending the life of existing equipment is the most sustainable outcome wherever security requirements allow.

Only when secure wiping is not possible, for example, where media is damaged beyond recovery or fails security requirements do we move to physical destruction methods such as degaussing or shredding.

What certification will I receive?

Every job comes with a Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note at collection and a Certificate of Destruction once processing is complete. You can also choose an individual wiping report for each drive for audit purposes.  Read more in our guide to hard drive destruction certificates and audit trails, or see the wider picture in our overview of data destruction certificates.