Small media are easy to forget and easy to lose. USB & tape destruction from WMG Waste eRecycling covers USB sticks, backup tapes, memory cards and optical discs such as CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray. We destroy them physically by shredding or crushing, track them from collection to final processing, and add them to your certificate of data destruction.
Why isn’t deleting the files enough?
Deleting a file or running a quick format usually removes the index, while the data itself stays on the medium until it is overwritten. Recovery tools are free and widely available. USB sticks and memory cards also use flash memory with wear leveling, so you cannot be sure an overwrite reached every cell.
Tapes carry a different risk. A single backup cartridge can hold years of email, customer records or HR files, and old tapes often sit in a cupboard long after the system that wrote them is gone. Optical discs cannot be erased at all once written, unless they were rewritable. For all of these, physical destruction is the dependable option.
Which media can you hand over?
- USB flash drives of any size or brand, including promotional sticks
- Backup tapes such as LTO cartridges and older tape formats
- Memory cards: SD, microSD, CompactFlash and similar cards from cameras, phones and devices
- Optical media: CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, including archive sets
External hard drives and SSDs are handled under hard drive destruction. If you have a mix of everything, a single data carrier destruction batch is often easier.
How should you store small media before collection?
Because these items are small, the weak point is usually the time between “we should get rid of these” and the pickup. A few habits help:
- collect everything in one lockable container rather than several desk drawers
- keep a simple count per media type, so you can compare it with our itemized receipt
- do not post loose media or leave boxes in a shared corridor
- ask departments to check old laptop bags, cameras and archive boxes
Pickup is free for most standard corporate collections in the Netherlands, usually within 3 to 5 business days. For very small quantities, a small fee may apply, so combining media with other IT equipment often makes sense.
Tell us what you have and roughly how much. Get a free quote and we will reply within 24 hours.