ECOvanta - Understanding Ewaste

Q. Is it illegal to dispose of electronics in the trash?

A. Nearly half of all states in the U.S. have laws regulating the disposal of electronic waste in landfills for either consumers or from non-residential sources such as businesses, institutions or government. Proper disposal requires these items to be either sent to a hazardous waste facility or to be recycled.

Q. Which is a better way to dispose of unwanted electronic items: reuse, resale or recycling?

A. If your equipment is still working, reuse or resale is certainly an option. But often technology will outpace that same piece of equipment making it obsolete in a couple of years. Many groups that are willing to accept donations, are very particular about what they will or won’t accept because of this. There is also concern that unless the information stored on computers or laptops has been completely removed before it is given for reuse or resale, the potential for someone accessing that information becomes very easy to obtain. At ECOvanta, we have no interest in the resale or reuse of equipment. Our goal is to recycle everything that comes through the door and break it down into reusable resources to make new items or products.

Q. Will I have to pay to recycle my electronic waste?

A. Some states have manufacturer take-back programs, which will cover the costs of recycling for certain consumer products. Fees are generally necessary to cover labor and proper recycling of items such as leaded glass, fluorescent lamps, batteries, etc.

Q. How will I know if the data on my computer or hard drive is completely destroyed?

A. ECOvanta will provide two different methods of destruction for your sensitive information depending upon what is right for you. Using sophisticated software, we will completely erase all information that meets Department of Defense standards and provide a written report for each drive sanitized (fees will apply). A second and simpler method is, we can shred your hard drives without the wiping if you so choose. Either method is performed for each and every drive coming into our facility to prevent any type of recovery of information while separating the drives down into resalable commodities.

Q. Where does it all go?

A. ECOvanta has invested in equipment to separate the most difficult electronic components and has the expertise and knowledge to make sure everything that can be recycled, will be recycled. Our audited downstream processors have been carefully selected to make sure everything we send to them is handled properly as raw materials and will be turned back into feedstock for new products. We are serious about our recycling efforts being environmentally sound and will not broker our materials to a third party or ship them overseas.