Not all office IT is computers. Monitors, printers, keyboards, cables and the rest are business e-waste, and some of it, printers especially, can hold data. Disposing of this equipment responsibly means recycling it properly rather than sending it to landfill, and dealing with any data it holds first. This guide covers how to dispose of office printers, monitors and peripherals the right way, without creating waste or a data risk.
Dispose of them as e-waste through a responsible recycler rather than sending them to landfill, and deal with any data first. Monitors, keyboards, mice, cables and similar peripherals hold no data and can be recycled directly, but printers and multifunction devices often contain internal storage that can hold copies of what has been printed, scanned or faxed, so that data must be destroyed before the device is recycled. The reason this needs a moment of thought rather than a skip bin is twofold. Electronic equipment contains materials that should be recovered and processed properly, which responsible recycling does and landfill does not, and some office devices quietly hold data that would otherwise leave with the hardware. Handling office equipment through a proper e-waste recycling process deals with both: the data on any device that holds it is destroyed, and everything is recycled responsibly. The one piece that catches businesses out is the printer, which is covered in detail in our guide on the hidden data in photocopiers and MFPs.
When an office clears out old equipment, the computers get careful attention and everything else tends to get piled up for disposal without much thought. Yet that pile, the monitors, the printers, the tangle of peripherals, is electronic waste that deserves responsible handling, and it occasionally hides a data risk in the least expected item. This guide is about disposing of the non-computer half of office IT properly.
Most office peripherals are simply e-waste to be recycled. A few devices hold data and need that dealt with first. Knowing which is which is the whole task.
The larger category is equipment that holds no data: monitors, keyboards, mice, docking stations, cables, speakers and similar peripherals. These carry no information risk, so the only consideration is disposing of them responsibly as e-waste rather than sending them to landfill. That still matters, because electronic equipment contains materials that should be recovered and processed correctly, and simply binning it wastes those materials and handles the equipment poorly. For this category, responsible recycling is the whole answer: collect it, and route it to a proper e-waste process.
The smaller but more important category is equipment that can hold data, and in an office the classic example is the printer or multifunction device. Modern printers, copiers and MFPs often contain internal storage that retains images of documents they have printed, scanned, copied or faxed, which means a device that looks like harmless office hardware can quietly hold copies of sensitive material. When one of these is disposed of, that data has to be destroyed first, exactly as you would for a computer, rather than assuming a printer is just a printer. This is the trap in office equipment disposal: the data risk hides in the device no one thinks of as holding data. Identifying which devices in the pile have storage, and treating them accordingly, is what turns a routine clear-out into a secure one.
Monitors and peripherals are straightforward e-waste. The item that catches businesses out is the printer or MFP, which can hold copies of everything it has processed. Before any such device is recycled, its internal storage should be dealt with, not overlooked because it does not look like a computer.
Five steps clear out office e-waste responsibly, with any data dealt with along the way.
Collect the monitors, printers, peripherals and other electronic items together, and separate the devices that may hold data, chiefly printers and MFPs, from the plain peripherals that do not.
For printers, copiers and MFPs with internal storage, the data is destroyed to a recognised standard with a certificate before the device is recycled, so nothing sensitive leaves with the hardware.
All the equipment, cleared devices and plain peripherals alike, is recycled through a proper e-waste process so its materials are recovered and it is handled correctly rather than sent to landfill.
Rather than dealing with items piecemeal, a single collection of the whole lot, coordinated with any office move or refresh, keeps it simple and ensures nothing is quietly binned along the way.
Retain the certificate for any data-holding device that was cleared, so if a question is ever raised about a disposed printer or MFP, the evidence that its data was destroyed exists.
The simplest way to clear office equipment is a single responsible collection that sorts the data-holding devices from the rest, destroys any data, and recycles everything properly. Talk to our team about clearing your old office equipment.
Most of it is straightforward e-waste. The data risk hides in one or two items.
A skip bin wastes recoverable materials and can send a data-holding printer out with its contents intact. Responsible recycling avoids both.
The instinct to clear old office equipment into a skip and be done is understandable, but it fails on two counts. Environmentally, electronic equipment contains materials that responsible recycling recovers and that landfill simply loses, so skipping it wastes what could have been reclaimed and handles the equipment poorly. And on data, the office printer or multifunction device is a genuine and frequently overlooked risk: because it can hold images of the documents it has printed, scanned or copied, a machine that looks like ordinary office hardware can carry sensitive material out the door if it is disposed of without that storage being dealt with. Responsible disposal answers both at once. The plain peripherals are recycled so their materials are recovered, and the data-holding devices have their storage destroyed before recycling, guarding against the kind of exposure that carries a maximum penalty of $50M or more. It is a small amount of care that turns an office clear-out from a wasteful, slightly risky habit into a responsible, secure one.
The questions businesses ask most about getting rid of old monitors, printers and peripherals.
It is not the responsible choice. Monitors, keyboards, cables and similar peripherals hold no data, so there is no security concern, but they are electronic waste that contains materials worth recovering, and they should be recycled through a proper e-waste process rather than sent to landfill. There is no data reason to be careful with them, but there is a good environmental reason to recycle them rather than bin them.
Many do. Modern printers, photocopiers and multifunction devices often contain internal storage that retains images of documents they have printed, scanned, copied or faxed. That means a printer can hold copies of sensitive material long after the job is done, and disposing of it without dealing with that storage can send the data out with the hardware. It is the office device most likely to be an overlooked data risk, which is why it is worth handling deliberately.
The internal storage is destroyed to a recognised standard with a certificate before the device is recycled, in the same way data on a computer would be. This ensures that any images of documents the printer retained are removed and cannot leave with the hardware. Once the data is dealt with and certified, the device is recycled responsibly like the rest of the equipment, so it is both secure and properly disposed of.
Not necessarily. While it helps to know that printers and MFPs are the items to flag, a proper disposal service will identify which devices hold data and handle them accordingly as part of the collection. The practical approach is to gather the equipment together and let the process separate the data-holding devices for clearing from the plain peripherals for direct recycling, so nothing that holds data is missed.
Yes, and it often makes sense to. Office moves and equipment refreshes are exactly when a lot of this equipment comes out at once, so coordinating a single responsible collection with the move keeps it simple and ensures the old monitors, printers and peripherals are dealt with properly rather than hurriedly binned in the rush. Handling it as one collection is both easier and more likely to be done correctly.
For the data-holding devices, yes. Any printer or MFP whose storage was destroyed should be covered by a certificate, so there is evidence the data was dealt with if a question is ever raised. The plain peripherals do not carry the same evidence need, since they held no data. Keeping the certificates for the devices that mattered gives you a record of the part of the disposal where it counts.
See how ITC handles office e-waste as one collection: printers and MFPs cleared of their data with a certificate, and monitors, peripherals and the rest recycled responsibly rather than sent to landfill.
Collection by device type
Screens, multifunction printers and handsets each need a different downstream process, and printers and copiers almost always hide a storage drive that has to be dealt with separately. ITC takes all of them in a single booking and separates them correctly at the facility.
Book a screen and printer pickup Commercial e-waste recycling
