Information security, recycling and irony

Christopher Chisholm christopher.chisholm at syamsoftware.com
Thu Feb 2 11:29:01 EST 2006


I'm not sure I trust that site's assessment of recycling.  It's true 
that recycling creates pollution, and that's because it uses energy, 
just like everything else.  When you compare the total lifecycle energy 
cost of different materials, you find varying degrees of recycling 
success.  Some materials, like aluminum, are so energy intensive and 
environmentally destructive to "create" that's it's completely stupid 
NOT to recycle them.  Others, like certain plastics, are a bit harder to 
figure out. 

As far as useful recycling of sensitive documents is concerned, I think 
we're going about it the wrong way.  The only way you can be certain 
confidential data is not released is if YOU destroy it.  You can't 100% 
trust throwing it out, or recycling/reusing it, because those involve 
transportation.  A year or two ago I saw a Discovery channel program on 
a plan for a new high-efficiency office building.  In the basement is a 
huge biodiesel generator which runs on a biodiesel sludge, which uses 
paper and other organic waste generated by the office as fuel.  What 
better way to ensure the total destruction of sensitive data?  You 
produce clean energy, totally destroy data ON-SITE, and offset your 
electricity costs.

Man, I should be a democratic spokesman.  "/There's a better way!/", 
haha.  Although, I don't think my eyebrows arch enough for that.

-chris


Travis Roy wrote:

>
>> Its clear that one never "really" knows how recycled materials are going
>> to be used so confidential materials must always be destroyed rather
>> than recycled. (duh)
>
>
> Very true, most stuff being sent out to be "recycled" tends to end up 
> in the trash anyway:
>
> http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/topics.do?topic=r
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