Electronics Recycling New to BBB “Secure Your ID” Day Event

Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina announces today that electronics recycler GEEP will participate in “Secure Your ID” Day,” Saturday, October 20, 2012. The identity protection and recycling event will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Coastal Federal Credit Union headquarters at 1000 St. Albans Drive in Raleigh.

With identity fraud on the rise according to Javelin Strategy & Research, used smart phones, tablets and computers are providing thieves easy access to personal information. These devices contain a lot of personal data including, usernames, passwords, credit card and account numbers, addresses and even tax records and financial statements. Simply deleting files and browsing history does not completely remove this information.

“Questions about the disposal of used electronics have been at the top of the list at previous Secure Your ID Day events,” says Toby Barfield, president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina. “We are pleased that GEEP has offered to partner with BBB to provide free electronics disposal.”

Certified destruction: Data wiping of hard drives is a major concern of companies, since sensitive data is stored on these drives. GEEP responsibly destroys or data wipes the hard drives meeting stringent industry standards.

GEEP, which stands for global electric electronic processing, serves the needs of government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.P.S and the National Institute of Health. Local companies including Lenovo, a Lowes Companies and Time Warner Cable also trust GEEP for secure electronics recycling. GEEP operates a secure reuse and destruction facility in RTP with an open door policy for inspection of the recycling process. The company will be providing consumers at the BBB event a receipt of electronic devices handed over for destruction.

Disposal of electronic devices also poses an environmental hazard. The GEEP process of recycling exceeds all applicable environmental safety standards to the point the EPA uses GEEP to dispose of its old electronic devices. GEEP even converts the plastics into a fuel used to power some of its facility operations.

“Used electronics contain heavy metals and other pollutants that can be released into the environment and become part of the food and water supply,” says Serge Mouthon, general manager GEEP North Carolina. “Electronics need to be processed through a certified recycling center so the hazardous materials can be properly removed and the rest of the materials can be reduced to their base materials like copper, white metals and plastic.”

The Secure Your ID Day event will also include free document shredding by ProShred and identity protection tips from the BBB and Costal Federal Credit Union. Individuals are encouraged to bring up to three boxes or bags of documents that have been removed from binders and up to five electronic devices, such as computers, cell phones or tablets. WPTF, Pulse 102, Radio 96.1 and Funny 570 are serving as promotional partner for the event. Additional event information is available at www.easternnc.bbb.org/secure-your-id.

About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,000 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.