A technician at an electronics recycling centre has photographed a delivery of unwanted devices, shown in Fig. 1. The delivery includes old smartphones, lap...
Question 1 Report
A technician at an electronics recycling centre has photographed a delivery of unwanted devices, shown in Fig. 1. The delivery includes old smartphones, laptop batteries, printers and computer monitors from local businesses. Letta has been asked to advise the businesses about the environmental and security implications of replacing devices every two years. Some devices still contain customer information because their storage has not been checked. The centre can repair equipment, remove components for reuse, or send materials for specialist recycling.
(a) State three materials or components that could be recovered from unwanted digital devices. [3]
(b) Describe two environmental problems that could result if the devices are put into general landfill. [4]
(c) Explain why deleting visible files from a laptop before disposal may not protect the data fully. [5]
(d) Give three actions a business should take before sending used computers and smartphones to a recycling centre. [6]
Answer Details
(a) Recoverable materials or components include copper, gold, and aluminium. Plastic, glass, lithium or cobalt from batteries, and reusable storage components are also valid. [3]
(b) Toxic metals and battery chemicals can leak from landfill into soil and groundwater. Plastics and metals take a long time to break down, increasing landfill waste. Throwing devices away also loses finite valuable materials, causing more mining, and damaged batteries can cause fires. Explain any two problems. [4]
(c) Deleting a visible file often removes only the file's reference, not necessarily the data in its storage sectors. Until those sectors are overwritten, recovery software may locate and restore the data. Copies may also remain in backups, temporary files, or cloud-synchronisation folders. [5]
(d) Before disposal, back up business data that must be retained. Securely erase or overwrite storage media, or physically destroy it where appropriate. Remove SIM cards, memory cards, and removable drives. Also sign out of accounts and remove activation/device-management locks, use a certified recycler and obtain evidence of secure disposal, and keep an inventory of serial numbers and disposal dates. Explain any three actions. [6]
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