Where Do Old Devices Go to Die?

If IT equipment were people, many of them would be ghosts stuck in limbo, neither alive nor properly laid to rest. And like any good ghost story, the question is always the same: where did they go, and why does no one talk about it?

In offices across the country, aging laptops and decommissioned servers vanish quietly into storage closets, stacked like forgotten books in a dusty library. Others are sent off with a vague promise of “being recycled,” but whether that means certified ITAD or a trip to a landfill is often anyone’s guess.

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, the world generated 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022 alone, yet less than 20% was documented as properly collected and recycled. That’s not just a sustainability problem, it’s a data security risk and a missed economic opportunity. Every time a device is left unmanaged, organizations risk breaching compliance, losing out on remarketing value, and contributing to growing environmental harm.

At Pulse, we’ve seen the full spectrum, from companies that have entire warehouses full of obsolete hardware, to teams that nail down reverse logistics like a Swiss watch. But no matter the size or industry, what makes the biggest difference is visibility. Knowing where your assets are and what happens to them after they’re unplugged changes everything.

The truth is, end-of-life devices shouldn’t be the end of the story. With the right ITAD partner, they get a second life, reused, remarketed, or recycled responsibly, with data wiped clean and compliance fully documented. That’s how you lay your tech to rest the right way…no ghosts, no risks, just peace of mind.

So… where do your old devices go to die?