Some former staff members had been waiting several months to return the devices before the recent policy change was communicated. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump halted foreign aid funding and shut down nearly all USAID initiatives. Most of USAID’s 10,000 employees work overseas. Workers who were laid off while abroad were promised shipping labels to return their equipment but reportedly never received them, as noted by The Verge last month.

One US-based employee recounted a disorganized procedure for returning their laptop to the office in late February, where computers were placed haphazardly in large rolling bins. E-waste often contains harmful substances like lead or mercury, which can seep into landfills, making it illegal to dispose of certain electronics in the trash in many states and Washington, DC.

The delay in collecting those devices posed security concerns for the Trump administration, former federal workers, and partner organizations. Some workers were still able to access work accounts and email on those devices, even after being terminated. Devices might also contain personnel records, sensitive contact information, and even bank details used to facilitate payments. Abandoning those devices with former workers placed the responsibility on them to keep all that information safe and secure.

Wiping those devices remotely should alleviate the risk. It’s an action federal agencies can typically take to safeguard data on any lost or stolen devices, according to a former government official The Verge spoke to in March who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

But once the gadgets have been wiped, former employees say the devices would need a new operating system to be able to function. And terminated employees would no longer be able to use the personal identification verification (PIV) cards that allow someone to log into a USAID computer. The discarded devices are basically now trash. “Isn’t that just such waste [sic]. They will all be unusable,” a former USAID employee who was also granted anonymity because of the risk of reprisal, messaged The Verge.

Federal employees typically return equipment after leaving a post, and those devices are often reallocated to other staff, other federal agencies, or partner organizations. It might also get donated to state and local agencies, sent for public auction, or sent to a secure disposal facility. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, however, equipment worth less than $10,000 can also be “retained, sold, or otherwise disposed of [by recipients] with no further responsibility to the Federal agency.”

The State Department, which absorbed any remaining USAID programs, declined to comment. The email obtained by The Verge says the decision to no longer require former employees to physically return their equipment was made “to simplify processes and to reduce burden.”

Mia Sato contributed to reporting.