A digital dumping ground lies inside most computers, a wasteland where old, rarely used, and unneeded files pile up. Such data can deplete precious storage space, bog down the system's efficiency, and sap its energy. Conventional rubbish trucks can't clear this invisible byte blight. But two researchers say real-world trash management tactics point the way to a new era of computer cleansing.

In a recent paper published on the scholarly website arXiv (pronounced “archive”), Johns Hopkins University computer scientists Ragib Hasan and Randal Burns have suggested familiar green solutions to the digital waste data problems: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, and dispose.

“In everyday life, ‘waste’ is something we don’t need or don’t want or can't use anymore, so we look for ways to reuse it, recycle it, or get rid of it,” says Hasan, an adjunct assistant professor of computer science. "We decided to apply the same concepts to the waste data that builds up inside of our computers and storage devices."

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