The Benefits and Risks of Electronics and Computer Recycling

What Dallas businesses need to know about electronics and computer recycling

Many of our clients encounter the inevitable predicament of having an ever-growing graveyard of old computers and devices overflowing in the corner office nobody wants or old storage room employees didn’t even know exists.  The worst is when we see a company stack the old equipment in the server room, turning it into a human-sized rat maze.  Since you can’t simply throw it all away in the back of some random restaurant’s dumpster, you’re faced with the question, “what do I do with it all?”.  We tell our clients they have two options, but before we dive into that, let's discuss the reality of computer recycling companies.

Plenty of electronics recycling companies will come pick up all your old equipment for free, given you have enough of a stockpile to make it worth their while.  They “guarantee” to respect your privacy by destroying the data, and responsibly dispose of the hardware to minimize the negative impact on our environment.   The reality is, responsible recycling and thorough data wiping aren't cheap.  Using free recycling companies can potentially be a huge risk to your business if they use a noncertified recycler, or resell your equipment to the highest bidder.  Either scenario can be harmful to your business if the equipment ends up in the wrong hands, leading to possible data breaches and damage to your reputation.

You may still have a monetary value on your gear, and the recycling company should be paying you instead. Your IT vendor or staff should do their due-diligence and research any potential market value for what you need to recycle.  Any revenue stream, regardless of how little it may be, should be appreciated and taken seriously.  Since the use of technology isn’t go away, you’re likely to face this situation on a reoccurring basis.  So why not make a few extra dollars every time that old storage room gets too full?

To conclude, the two options we tell our clients they have are:

• Assign someone within your company or have us assess the equipment’s potential market value. Then have the data on any applicable device thoroughly wiped prior-to selling or calling a recycling company to avoid possible data breaches, and make sure you engage a company who is R2 Standard or e-Stewards certified.

OR

• Take the easy way and incur the risks mentioned above by calling any random “we’ll pick it up for free” recycling company.

R2 Standard certified company in Dallas, TX

‍FMI Recycling

‍2929 Glenfield AveDallas, TX 75223

www.fmirecycling.com