Data Destruction
Have Your Data Media Destroyed
Backup tapes, USB sticks, SSDs, phones and hard drives hold data that wiping does not truly remove. We destroy every data medium physically.
For businesses and private individuals. Data media can go along in the same collection as your paper or archive.
Data Media We Destroy
Every data medium has its own way of being destroyed. A magnetic hard drive calls for something different from an SSD full of memory chips or an optical disc. We destroy every medium to the correct DIN 66399 level, registered by serial number.
- Hard drives (HDD)
- SSDs and flash storage
- USB sticks and memory cards
- Backup tapes (LTO and DAT)
- CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays
- Smartphones and tablets
- Servers and single data-centre components
- Debit and access cards with a chip
Is there paper or a whole archive as well? Then we collect it all in one trip. See paper shredding and archive destruction.
From Collection to a Certificate by Serial Number
Tell us about your data media
Let us know how many drives, tapes or USB sticks are involved. We quote a fixed price in advance and schedule the collection.
Collection and registration
We collect the data media and register each item by serial number, so the chain is watertight.
Our own transport
The data media travel without interim storage to destruction. No one can access them on the way.
Destruction and certificate
Physically destroyed to the correct DIN 66399 level. You receive a Certificate of Destruction with all serial numbers on it.
When Wiping Is Not Enough
Software wiping only works when three things hold true. The medium must still be fully functional, the method must suit the technology inside it and you must be able to prove afterwards that it succeeded. In practice at least one of those three fails.
A medium that no longer powers up is out of the running immediately, because you cannot overwrite it. With flash memory there is also wear levelling to contend with. The controller moves blocks around without the operating system seeing it, so an overwrite pass does not reach every cell. And even after a successful wipe you are left with nothing tangible as proof, only a log entry that nobody can verify.
Physical destruction has none of those three problems. The medium is unusable afterwards regardless of whether it still worked and regardless of the technology inside it. The serial number on the certificate is the proof. What that looks like does differ per type of medium. For drives and SSDs see hard drive destruction, and for the evidence side read the data destruction certificate explained.
When Does a Data Medium Go Out the Door?
The GDPR sets no fixed retention period for data media. What counts is the data on them. As soon as you no longer need the data for the purpose you collected it for and no statutory retention period applies, the medium should be cleared out.
In practice data media come free at four moments.
- Hardware replacement. Laptops, servers and phones are replaced and the old media stay behind in a cupboard.
- Migration to the cloud. Local storage and backup tapes become redundant once everything sits elsewhere.
- End of a retention period. The accounts have been kept for seven years and may go, including the backups holding that same data.
- End of the organisation. On closure or a move, everything has to be disposed of accountably in one go.
The trap is almost always in those backups. A file you neatly delete from the system often still sits on a tape or an old drive in a cupboard. Read 7 data media you cannot just throw away and the 7-year tax retention obligation.
The Six Material Categories of DIN 66399
DIN 66399 divides information media into six material categories, each with its own letter. That is not a formality. Destroying a CD calls for something entirely different from an SSD, because the data is recorded in a fundamentally different way. Within each category the scale runs from 1 to 7, where a higher number means smaller particles and makes reconstruction harder.
| Category | Covers | Our approach |
|---|---|---|
| P | Paper and print | P-5, see paper shredding |
| F | Film and microfiche | Physically shredded |
| O | Optical, so CD and DVD and Blu-ray | Optical layer destroyed |
| T | Magnetic tape and cards with a magnetic stripe | Physically shredded |
| H | Hard drives with magnetic platters | H-5, see hard drive destruction |
| E | Electronic, so SSD and USB and memory card | Ground fine enough that the chips are unreadable |
One device can fall into several categories at once. A laptop holds an H or E medium and sometimes a card with a magnetic stripe as well. We determine the level per item, so you do not have to work it out yourself. Read more about the standard in DIN 66399 explained, and about USB sticks specifically in disposing of USB sticks and memory cards.
The Chain Stays Closed, from Collection to Certificate
With data destruction, everything comes down to proof. From the moment we collect your data media until they are destroyed, everything stays under control and registered by serial number.
- Registration by serial number. Every data medium is recorded by serial number at collection.
- Our own transport. No interim storage, no transfers. The media go to destruction in one go.
- Physical destruction. To the correct DIN 66399 level, so reconstruction is impossible.
- Certificate with serial numbers. You receive a Certificate of Destruction with the date, order number and all serial numbers.
This lets you demonstrate at an audit or data breach that the data has genuinely been destroyed. Read also data destruction for businesses.
What Does Data Destruction Cost?
Data media are priced per item, depending on the type and the quantity. Let us know how many drives, tapes or USB sticks are involved and we quote a fixed price in advance. There is no quotation process involved.
Always included
- Registration by serial number
- Our own transport
- Physical destruction to DIN 66399
- Certificate with all serial numbers
- Certified staff (background-checked)
- Inclusion in an existing collection
No hidden costs
- No subscription or contract term
- No minimum quantity
- No administration fees
- No surcharge afterwards
See also the full rates for paper and archive.
Data Destruction Throughout the Netherlands
We collect data carriers throughout the Netherlands. In the Amsterdam region we come at no pickup charge. Elsewhere we combine your pickup with a nearby route, which is why those need at least 2 weeks. In a hurry? A sooner pickup is possible for a per-kilometre fee.
We also collect in Amsterdam and its surroundings, see the full service area →
Local pages. Data destruction Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Zaandam and Diemen.
Frequently Asked Questions about Data Destruction
What is data destruction?
Data destruction is the irreversible act of making data on a data medium unreadable. With physical data destruction the medium itself is destroyed, such as a hard drive that is shredded. Unlike wiping or formatting, recovery is then no longer possible. You receive a data destruction certificate as proof.
Which data media do you destroy?
We destroy hard drives (HDD), SSDs, USB sticks, memory cards, backup tapes (LTO and DAT), CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, smartphones and tablets. Every medium is destroyed to the correct DIN 66399 level.
Do I receive a data destruction certificate?
Yes. Every data medium is registered by serial number and, after destruction, that serial number appears on the Certificate of Destruction, with the date and order number. This proves that the data has genuinely been destroyed and that you comply with the GDPR.
Which DIN level does my data medium need?
DIN 66399 divides media into six material categories. Optical discs fall under O, magnetic tape under T, hard drives under H and SSDs, USB sticks and memory cards under E. We determine the category and level per item, so you do not have to work it out yourself.
When should a data medium be destroyed?
As soon as the data on it is no longer needed for its original purpose and no statutory retention period applies. In practice media come free when hardware is replaced, during a migration to the cloud, at the end of a retention period or when a business closes. Watch out for old backups in particular.
Can data media go along in the same collection as paper?
Yes. Data media can go along in the same collection as your archive or paper. They are registered separately by serial number and destroyed at their own level, with the serial numbers on the certificate.
What does data destruction cost?
Data media are priced per item, depending on the type and the quantity. Let us know how many drives, tapes or USB sticks are involved and we quote a fixed price in advance. Data media can be included free of charge in an existing collection.
Schedule Your Data Destruction Now
Book online right away or call us for a fixed price within 5 minutes.