FAQ


 

Why should I use an IT Asset Disposition company?
There are many complexities in proper asset disposition. Working with a partner that is dedicated to understanding these complexities and protecting your company from any liabilities is a must. True ITAD providers have also proven that in addition to providing a secure, environmentally sound solution, they obtain the maximum residual value for your retired assets.

What type of assets do you process?
We provide disposition services for ALL your IT and telephony assets: PCs, laptops, monitors, servers, storage, phones, networking, etc. We work hard to make this process as easy and accurate for your organization as possible.

What services do you provide?
We are a full-service ITAD partner and provide services that include but are not limited to:

On-site hard drive sanitization
Hard drive/tape shredding
Equipment shredding
Logistics and transportation
Asset delabeling and auditing
Remarketing
Electronics recycling
Reporting
Equipment donation

What factors determine residual value of an IT asset?
Residual value is based on many factors, including:

Age of system
Condition of system
Manufacturer’s brand name
Type of system – desktop, laptop, or server
Model type
System configuration
System completeness
Options
Disk capacity
Geographic location
Global supply and demand

What disposal alternative will provide my firm with the greatest financial return?
It is usually more economical to remarket an entire system. If this is not possible or feasible, a system can be broken down into components to recover residual value from the components that still may hold value.

SECURE will take all the complexity and guesswork out of determining the most desirable alternative.

What differentiates SECURE from other providers of similar services?
Our ability to optimize residual value and ensure the highest level of data security and environmental compliance with zero landfill.

How do I get an estimate of the residual value of my IT assets?
SECURE can quickly provide you with an estimated residual value for your retiring IT assets and provide a risk consulting of your current IT disposal practices. Just contact us.

Will SECURE guarantee its service fees and asset value evaluation?
SECURE prides itself on its ability to accurately evaluate the fair market value of a system. Assuming that the assets being evaluated have been properly described, we will always honor our evaluation.

Does SECURE indemnify its customers for all potential liabilities associated with asset disposal?
SECURE carries extensive liability business insurance and can provide additional custom-tailored protection on an as-needed basis.

What specific asset types does SECURE support?
SECURE supports a wide range of technology and electronic components. Whether you need to retire a computer asset such as a desktop, notebook, server, or networking equipment…peripherals such as monitors, printers, modems, keyboards, and storage devices…components and subassemblies such as motherboards, VGA cards, and PC cards…or telecom equipment such as wired and cell phones, PDAs, switches, and routers…SECURE can handle it all!

As a business, how do I choose between sending my used electronic equipment for reuse or recycling?
Define clear objectives of what you want to be done with the equipment and the ultimate disposition of the equipment and/or component parts. Consider asking yourself the following questions:

Reuse and Donation
Do you want to provide a community service by donating equipment?
Do you want a tax deduction for your contribution (ensure that the organization is a not-for-profit corporation as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (501(c) tax exempt status)?
What are your data security needs?

Demanufacture/Recycle
What are your data security needs?
Do you want your equipment back out in the resale market place?
Do you want the equipment demanufactured into raw materials (i.e. metals, plastics, glass) to be marketed as recyclables?
Do you want the equipment destroyed?

How can Secure protect my company from potential security and environment risks associated with asset disposal?
We offer a wide range of standard and custom security services to fulfill a customer’s specific requirements. Whether you require a simple data erasure, multipass DoD erasure, or total disk destruction, you can be assured that the job will be done without ever jeopardizing your company’s data security. Assets that cannot be remarketed or resold are recycled in accordance with all EPA regulations.

What are the substances of potential concern in electronics?
Lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants are among the substances of concern in electronics. These substances are included in the products for important performance characteristics, but can cause problems if the products are not properly managed at end of life.

Lead is used in glass in TV and PC cathode ray tubes as well as solder and interconnects; older CRTs typically contain on average 4 lbs of lead (sometimes as much as 7 lbs in older CRTs), while newer CRTs contain closer to 2 lbs of lead.

Mercury is used in small amount in bulbs to light flat panel computer monitors and notebooks.
Brominated flame retardants are widely used in plastic cases and cables for fire retardancy; the more problematic ones have been phased out of newer products but remain in older products.

Cadmium was widely used in ni-cad rechargeable batteries for laptops and other portables. Newer batteries (nickel-metal hydride and lithium ion) do not contain cadmium.
What products can be made from the materials recovered by recycling electronics?

Almost all of the materials used to manufacture electronics can be recovered to make new products. Metals, plastics, batteries and the packaging materials can be recycled and turned into new products.

Electronics contain a number of different metals - gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, copper, tin, lead, brass and zinc - that can be extracted and recovered in the recycling process. The recovered metals can be used by a number of different industries such as jewelry, plating, electronics, plumbing, automotive, and art foundries. Products that can be manufactured from the recovered materials include automotive catalytic converters, plumbing faucets and piping, and gold or silver jewelry.

Plastics are also recycled. They can be recycled into new products such as garden furniture, license plate frames, non-food containers and replacement automotive parts. Due to its high thermal value, some plastics could alternatively be used as a fuel.

When the rechargeable battery can no longer be reused, the battery can be recycled into other rechargeable battery products.

What should I consider when donating my computer for reuse?
There are many options for donating computers today. Here are a few questions to ask before donating your used equipment. First, is the computer fairly new? If it is too old, (five years or older) it may not be able to run the same software that other computers do. Second, will the recipient be able to use it, or refurbish it for use? If the equipment is too old, or requires repairs, it may not be economical to fix it for reuse. Third, does the computer have any sensitive personal or business information on it that needs to be cleansed?

Which wireless devices can be reused or recycled?
Most wireless devices and their accessories have material that can either be reused or recycled:

  • Wireless phone handsets
  • Personal digital assistants (PDAs) that operate on wireless networks
  • Blackberries
  • Wireless computer cards

Accessories such as

  • spare batteries
  • phone chargers
  • cables
  • headsets
  • earpieces
  • cases
  • clips
  • cradles.

The ability to reuse the equipment is dependent on how old the equipment is and the current demand for the specific models on the cellular marketplace. If the material can not be reused, it will be recycled for material recovery.

What are the environmental benefits of reusing and recycling e-waste?
Electronic products are made from valuable resources, such as precious and other metals, plastics, and glass, all of which require energy to mine and manufacture them. Reusing and recycling these materials from end-of-life electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing new products.


How can I choose a recycler with sound recycling practices?

Look for recyclers such as SECURE that adhere to the following EPA guidelines:

  • Maximize reuse, refurbishment, and recycling over disposal and incineration
  • Take precautions to reduce emissions and exposures to workers and the environment
  • Provide special handling of components which may contain substances of concern
  • Ensure that exported electronic products are being sent for legitimate reuse, recycling or refurbishment
  • Ensure that downstream recycling, refurbishing and disposal facilities follow management practices that are consistent with the guidelines

Protecting you from IT



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