Why tapes need a shredder, not a skip
Backup tapes are built to last for decades. That is exactly why they are a risk when they are retired. An LTO cartridge that has sat in a cupboard for ten years can still be read on a second-hand drive. It may hold full snapshots of payroll, client files and email archives. Throwing tapes in general waste, or leaving them with a clearance firm that has no data process, leaves that data recoverable.
A backup tape shredding service removes that risk by physically destroying the magnetic media. The ribbon inside the cartridge is cut into fragments small enough that it cannot be reassembled or read.
Step by step: how a tape shredding service works
- Inventory. You give a rough count by format (LTO-4 to LTO-9, DLT, SDLT, DAT, AIT and so on). Exact numbers are not needed to book.
- Sealed collection. Tapes are packed into sealed, tamper-evident containers on your premises and collected by our own team, not a third-party courier.
- Logged on arrival. At our facility each tape is scanned or recorded by barcode or label so it can be listed on your paperwork.
- Shredded. Cartridges go through an industrial shredder that tears through the plastic shell and the tape ribbon together.
- Recycled. The shredded plastic and metal fractions are sent on for recycling under the WEEE Regulations.
- Certified. You receive a Certificate of Data Destruction listing the media destroyed, the method and the date.
Shredding vs degaussing tapes
Degaussing scrambles the magnetic signal with a strong field. It works on older tape formats. But modern high-coercivity LTO media needs a very powerful degausser, and you cannot see whether it worked. Shredding is visible, final and works on every format. That is why most auditors prefer it. For a deeper comparison see shredding, degaussing or wiping.
What it costs
For most business collections there is no charge for collecting or destroying tapes, because the service is funded by recycling the other equipment we collect. Very small tape-only jobs in remote areas may carry a minimum charge. If so, we will tell you before booking. See our backup tape destruction service and the data tape disposal page for details.
Book a free collection
Call 020 3432 4511 (Monday to Friday, 8am – 6pm) or book a collection online. Tell us roughly what you have and where it is, and we will confirm a date.
