This website was created to help serve the environment as a guide to find a reliable and secure electronics and computer recycler. Our goal is to serve the environment by find you a reliable and secure computer and electronics recycler in your area.

Let me start by defining the issue, ewaste. Ewaste is a term used to describe any electronics and computer equipment nearing its useful life. If they are not recycled properly they can be harmful to the environment as they contain lead, mercury and other harmful material.

Due to the ever changing computer/electronics technology; ewaste has become a major issue facing environmental difficulties not only in the US but around the world as a lot of the ewaste is not recycle by wealthy nations like the western world that created the computer and electronics technology but are recycled in poor village in the far east and Africa. This is what happens to most items that you think you are recycling:

1. You drop off the electronics and computer waste to a recycler or the electronics recycler pickes up your equipment.

2. The recycler may or may not remove any identification tags from your electronics and computer equipment that is to be recycled.

3. You items are then separate into “good electronics” and “bad electronics”. “Bad means” it dose not have any value and it is to be sold at very minimal price. “Good electronics” mean they have demand and can be sold at good price either abroad or in North America. Either are sold to so called “Down line” most of them are in China.

4. The items are now sold to a electronics scrap merchant in China and the electronics scrap merchant then separate just like the above “Good electronics” and “bad electronics” This case the bad electronics are either dumped in rivers, incinerated, or refined using very primitive process by the local villagers without any protection. And the “good electronics” are sold to poor people so that they can use it but they also don’t have much of a long usable life and will end up the same place as “bad electronics” in just a year or two.

Also, if you ever visit such a electronics and computer recycling site described in step 4, you will find asset tags and data form public and private institution from all over the world. This in itself is another issue of privacy.

How to find a electronic and computer recycler in your area?
Well that is a difficult task, start by searching the internet for government run sites that my have links to local/national electronics and computer recycler. You may a also find some of the advertisers on this website as a potential recycler. Go to the website of the electronics and computer recycler, read pages like FAQ and Resources. You may also call the electronics and computer recycling company and ask how they recycle computer and electronics equipment. You may also get in touch with your local municipal DPW (Department of Public Works) or County Waste Management Department. If you are an individual that will probably be your best solution as county and municipalities usually do all the investigation before awarding a computer and electronics recycling contract.

I found an electronics and computer recycler that said they are EPA Certified Electronics Recycler. Isn’t that great?

A Big NO!!!! This is a common misconception. There is on such thing as an EPA Certified eWaste or Electronics Recycler. EPA dose not have any formal rules for recycling ewaste. State government usually does have such rules. Call your state DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) and see if they have a list of certified de-manufactures of electronics and computer equipment. You may also visit your sate DEP website for a list.

I finally found some electronics and computer recycler that meets all of the above, what to do next?
You may want to visit the computer recycler. Check for the process they use. See their data destruction station, check and see if they really remove tags and data. Also if they recycler performs hard drive shredding see if they have any equipment.

How do I select a Hard Driver Destroyer?
Well, as stated above that is an issue in itself but try to look for “NAID Certified” As they audit destroyers on annual bases. Onsite destruction is well and great. As some so called “destroyers” will not destroy your hard drive, you they will be stored in their warehouse for ever.