Selecting a Certified Electronics Recycler

How to Choose a Certified Electronics Recycler

Selecting an electronics recycler for your business is an important decision with implications for your exposure to liability. We address the top concerns and questions on how to choose an electronic recycler to make sure your organization’s recyling needs are met. 

Electronics Recycling Certifications

Choose a recycler that has been certified for electronics. There are a number of environmental, quality, safety, and security measures built into these certifications to hold recyclers accountable for how they handle their clients’ assets. Ask your recycler which certifications they hold, how often they are audited, and what they are doing to stay current with industry standards.

Chain of Custody Reporting

When your equipment has personal employee or customer information, sensitive financial data, and/or intellectual property on it, our Chain of Custody reporting documents exactly where every asset is in the recycling process. This reporting supports the transfer of liability of those assets and their data from your company to your recycler. Ask your recycler if they are protecting you from these risks with full Chain of Custody reporting, including make, model, serial number, and/or asset tags. 

Data Destruction Practices

There is more than one way to properly prepare electronics for resale or recycling. You want to know what method or methods your recycler makes available, and how they guarantee that your data security is protected. You also want to know just where your electronics are destined to end up: will they be refurbished and resold, or destroyed for scrap? Both ways are legitimate, but the last thing you want is a surprise.

Cobalt will provide data destruction for all fixed storage devices. Read our Data Security Policy

Quality of Service

Managing end-of-life electronics is painless when you work with a partner that values convenient, comprehensive service. Our range of services allows for customizable solutions and peace of mind that all the details are being covered to maintain compliance. Cobalt’s services ensure that your assets are handled in a safe, secure manner from collection to final disposition. 

Collection

We’re ready to do everything it takes to get your material to our state-of-the-art processing facility, even preparing and packaging it for you. This is our White Glove service.

Secure Transportation

Your hardware is in safe hands with our qualified and background-checked employees, and protected from damage while in transit.

Assessment and Triage

Equipment that our experts deem reusable will undergo auditing, data sanitization, and refurbishment. Hardware that fails our tests, and end-of-life units with no resale value, are sent through our innovative shredding system to be recycled.

Value Recovery

Revenue sharing and rebate programs are in place to make sure you recover the most out of every marketable asset. Divesting retired equipment and delivering the proceeds back to your company is what we do best.

Transparent Reporting

Cobalt clients have 24/7 access to their audit reports, certificates of destruction and sanitization, and other important documentation, through our unique customer portal, Lynx.

Liability Insurance

Insurance works together with certifications and auditing to reinforce 360-degree protection against worst case scenarios. An uninsured or inadequately insured recycler could leave your organization and brand exposed without you ever knowing, unless you ask.

Cobalt carries a $1 million cyber liability guarantee to protect your company from losses should your assets be compromised at any point in the process, as well as $5 million pollution liability insurance. We’re proud that our process is already so thorough that we’ve never needed to fall back on this safety net, but that doesn’t mean we’d ever let you go without.

Physical Security

Any qualified electronics recycler will emphasize data security in cyberspace, but what about the real world risks once your assets have left your custody? This is an important detail that is often overlooked.

  • What levels of security and access do their employees have?
  • Is there entry and exit security?
  • Is the facility fenced in?
  • What type of security and camera system do they have?

Cobalt eliminates your risks, provides convenient solutions, and ensures that reuse and recycling is done right, every time. That’s why companies choose Cobalt.

Let us build an electronics recycling plan for your business.

Fill out the form below or call us at 513-433-2530 to get started.

Data Security Policy

Cobalt will provide data destruction for all fixed storage devices. In such cases, Cobalt will perform either software destruction that meets National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Publication 800-88 standards for data sanitization or physical destruction through pulverizing, shredding, or other common destruction methods. Electronic equipment will be transported and recycled or refurbished in full compliance with all applicable federal and state regulations and guidelines. All equipment will be handled in accordance with the Cohen Environmental Health and Safety Policy. Data liability is transferred at the point of secure pickup by Cobalt or when dropped off at a certified Cobalt facility.