And chances are there are some security researchers who wouldn't mind diverting those devices from the trash...
(My curiosity honestly probably stems from the fact that I'm always on the lookout for unorthodox ways to upgrade my own _very_ old tech)
While not throwaway hardware, the company I work for destroys hard drives and other persistent memory devices before discarding computers. If the persistent memory device cannot be easily and reliably destroyed, the whole device is.
I bet journalists with sensitive information are far more thorough.
destruction is rather fun actually, after wiping, memory/disk is removed and taken apart manually. lots of magnets to play with.