What should Small Businesses in New Jersey know about Computer Recycling

“E-cycling” or “e-waste” is an initiative by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which refers to donations, reuse, shredding and a common assortment of previously used business and household electronics. Generically, this terminology refers to the methods of gathering, brokering, disassembling, repairing, and recycling the parts or metals contained in used or discarded systems, otherwise referred to as electronic waste (e-waste). “E-cyclable” objects aren’t restricted to TVs, computer systems, microwaves, vacuums, telephones and mobile phones, stereos, players, etc.

Funding for e-cycling services has been growing recently as a result of said items’ fast depreciation, concern over improper strategies, and alternatives for electronics manufacturers to affect the secondary market (used and reused merchandise). The rising cost of metals is also a major contributing factor. The controversy around strategies is a result of disagreements over the best outcomes.

Federal Laws of Computer Recycling

The United States Congress considers a number of electronic waste bills. Currently, the main federal law governing solid waste is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 that covers solely CRTs. Some state laws could differ. There are additionally separate legal guidelines regarding battery disposal. On March 25, 2009, the House Science and Technology Committee authorized funding for research and analysis on lowering and mitigating the environmental impact of digital waste. This bill is considered to be the first federal bill that addresses e-waste directly.

Corporate Computer Recycling

Companies in search of an inexpensive option to recycle large quantities of e-waste items responsibly face extra difficulties. Companies even have the options of sale or contacting the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and arranging recycling choices.

Some corporations collect undesirable equipment from organizations, wipe the data off the devices, providing the product’s remaining worth. For undesirable devices that still have some value, some corporations may purchase the surplus technology and provide refurbished merchandise for sale to individuals or organizations in search of cheaper options for hardware.

Corporations specializing in data security and protection and environmentally-friendly disposal processes destroy both information and devices, adhering to strict regulations and following procedures to ensure environmentally-friendly disposal. Skilled IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) corporations focus on company devices disposal and recycling manufacturers in compliance with local legal guidelines and laws while providing safe data destruction service in compliance with Data Remanence requirements, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Companies face risks for incompletely disposed of destroyed data destroyed and for improperly disposed computer systems. In the United States, corporations are responsible for compliance with laws even when the recycling process is outsourced under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Corporations can mitigate these issues by requiring waivers of legal responsibility, audit trails, certificates of data destruction, signed confidentiality agreements, and random security audits. The National Association of Information Destruction is a global commerce association for data destruction services.

If you do not have a corporate e-waste strategy, ask your local computer service company for guidance.

Data Security of Computer Recycling

E-waste presents a possible security risk to consumers and exporting international locations. Hard drives that aren’t correctly wiped clean before the system is destroyed may be re-accessed, exposing sensitive data. Bank accounts and card numbers, financial information, details of on-line transactions might be accessed by anyone. Organized criminals generally search the drives for data for information to misuse in scams.

Reasons to destroy and recycle e-waste securely

There are various reasons to make sure that not both hardware and data on the hard drive are destroyed properly.

• Having consumer information stolen, misplaced, or lost contributes to the ever-rising variety of people affected by ID theft.
• The public image and the reputation of an organization that holds secured data, such as financial institutions, credit score providers, or healthcare organizations can also be at risk.
• If an organization’s reputation is damaged, it might lead to a loss of business.
• Under HIPAA’s HITECH regulations of 2009, the cost of information breaches varies from $90 to $50,000 per consumer record, depending on whether or not the breach is “low-profile” or “high-profile” and the corporate is in a non-regulated or extremely regulated industry.
• Breached companies may face serious backlash from the consumers if there’s an information breach in an organization that’s is trusted to protect their private data.
• If a commercial corporation has any shopper information on file, they need to by law (Pink Flags Clarification act of 2010) have written information protection policies and procedures in place, that serve to fight, mitigate, and detect vulnerabilities.

The United States Department of Defense has provided a standard to which recycling organizations and individuals could meet HIPAA regulations.

Safe and Secure Recycling

A number of countries have developed requirements, aimed toward companies for guaranteeing the safety of confidential information contained in electronic devices. National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is the worldwide commerce affiliation for corporations offering data destruction services. Suppliers of merchandise, tools, and services to destruction corporations are additionally eligible for membership. NAID’s mission is to promote awareness of data destruction industry and the standards and ethics of its member corporations.” There are organizations that observe the NAID rules and also meet all Federal EPA and local DEP laws.

The standard process for computing device recycling strives to securely destroy hard drives and effectively recycling the byproduct waste. A typical e-waste recycling process includes:

• Obtaining devices eligible for destruction in locked and securely transported vehicles.
• Shred and destroy hard drives.
• Separate all aluminum from the waste metals with an electromagnet.
• Acquire and securely transport the shredded remnants to an aluminum recycling plant.
• Form the remaining hard drive “leftovers” into aluminum ingots.

The Asset Disposal and Information Security Alliance (ADISA) publishes an ADISA IT Asset Disposal Security Standard that covers all phases of the e-waste disposal course from assortment to transportation, storage, and sanitation are at the recycle and disposal facility. It additionally conducts periodic audits of disposal providers.