Hard Drive Destruction & Data Destruction Services | UK Certified & Compliant

A certified data destruction service ensures that sensitive information is permanently removed from IT assets in full compliance with GDPR and ISO 27001 standards. Astralis provides certificates per item and location, giving you complete traceability and peace of mind.

Yes — a certificate of destruction is essential for proving compliance with GDPR, ISO 27001, and the UK Data Protection Act. Astralis issues an itemised certificate for every device destroyed, providing a full audit trail for your records.

The cost varies depending on the number of devices, collection requirements, whether on-site at your facility or returned to our facility in Essex, and whether additional services such as serial number reporting or certificates are required. At Astralis, all quotes are tailored to your needs, with full transparency and no hidden fees.

Erasure uses certified software to wipe data, allowing the device to be reused or resold. Destruction physically renders the device unreadable – ideal when reuse isn’t an option.

It depends on your organisation’s compliance needs. Certified data erasure allows devices to be securely reused or resold, which supports sustainability and value recovery. Hard drive destruction is permanent and is often required when reuse isn’t possible or when policy demands physical elimination. At Astralis, we provide both options and guide you on which is most appropriate for your assets.

No. In addition to industrial shredding, drives can be crushed and degaussing methods used, where appropriate. Each method ensures irreversible data destruction, with serial number tracking and certification.

We can destroy all types of data-bearing media including standard hard disk drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD), backup tapes, USB sticks, and other removable media. All are processed in line with NIST 800-88 and ISO 27001 standards.

Absolutely. We follow your compliance policies and instructions. You can request physical destruction for all assets, regardless of their condition or reuse potential.

An Exception Certificate is issued, and the item is immediately removed from processing and physically destroyed.

Still have questions? Contact our team directly.

Collection reports are issued within 48 hours. Final processing and certificate reports are provided within 20 working days of asset receipt.

Yes — some organisations request witnessed destruction for added assurance. Astralis can arrange secure, supervised destruction within our UK facility, with the option of video evidence or client attendance where required.

Yes – Astralis operates across the UK, with strong coverage in London and the South East. Collections are carried out using our own tracked fleet, ensuring secure, compliant transport from your site to our facility.

Collection times depend on your location and the scale of your request. For most UK businesses, we can arrange secure collection within a few working days, with certificates issued within 20 working days of processing.

Yes – in some urgent cases, we can arrange priority collections and fast-track destruction. This is often used when businesses are decommissioning sites, responding to compliance deadlines, or managing sensitive incidents.

At Astralis, we always prioritise reuse and secure erasure wherever possible, as this is the most sustainable option. However, we recognise that some organisations have strict policies requiring physical destruction. In addition, any drives that fail certified erasure are immediately destroyed to ensure data security. Where destruction is necessary, we minimise the environmental impact by working with carefully vetted downstream partners who recycle shredded materials responsibly, recovering metals and components in line with ISO 14001 standards.

Yes – whether you need a handful of drives destroyed or thousands, Astralis has the secure facility, trained team, and certified processes to manage projects of any scale.

Yes. While GDPR does not mandate specific erasure technologies, Astralis’ certified data erasure processes are designed to meet GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018 requirements by ensuring data is rendered irretrievable. Our approach is aligned with NIST 800-88 and supported by full audit reporting and certification for every asset.

Yes. Astralis regularly works with regulated sectors such as finance, legal, healthcare, and the public sector. Our processes are designed to meet strict compliance requirements, ensuring complete traceability, certification, and secure handling of highly sensitive data.

It’s a US National Institute of Standards and Technology guideline defining methods to sanitise data from storage media so it can’t be recovered. It’s widely adopted as best practice across government and enterprise environments.

IEEE 2883:2022 expands on NIST 800-88 to cover newer media types such as SSDs and NVMe drives, ensuring consistent, verifiable data sanitisation for modern hardware.

Yes – Astralis issues an individual certificate for each asset, detailing the serial number, site location, and method used for erasure or destruction. This provides full traceability and GDPR-compliant audit evidence for your organisation.

Yes – our services are fully certified to ISO 27001, 9001 and 14001 standards, and aligned with NIST 800-88 and IEEE 2883 guidelines to guarantee secure data sanitisation nationwide.