Why You Should Beware of Free Electronics Recycling

Everyone the world over loves the word “free.” Free parking, free refreshments, free pizza, and even free electronics recycling. Don’t you know though that often the word free comes with a catch? Someone is either trying to make money somehow or at the very least not providing the best solution. Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction has seen it time and time again from our competitors. Learn why you should beware of free electronics recycling right here.

Avoid Free Electronics Recycling Companies

It’s not the tools or the technology that allows free electronics recycling companies to operate. It’s actually what they don’t have that you need to look out for. Here’s a list:

• Certifications—At Sadoff, we are proud of our certifications, and that’s for good reason. Those certifications ensure that we are utilizing audited processes that ensure business and consumer protection.
• Accountability—You want to work with a company that is both accountable and transparent throughout the recycling process.
• Liability—What happens if something goes wrong? Who is on the hook? With many e-recycling companies, especially the ones that offer free services, you are the one that maintains liability. With Sadoff, we contractually own liability.
• Insurance—How can we own liability? Quite simply, we pay for insurance that protects against concerns such as pollution and data breaches.
• Certificates of Destruction—At Sadoff, we offer certificates of destruction that will prove that liability stays with us.
• Reporting—We offer reporting on account activity along with environmental, social, and governance reporting. This goes hand in hand with our accountability and transparency.

Lacking even one of these things exposes you to risk, and most companies that offer free electronics recycling lack all of these and may not even be following the law. Free is often too good to be true.

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Does Safe Electronics Recycling Have to Cost Money?

We get it. Everyone knows you can make money recycling some items, such as aluminum cans, it only stands to reason that the crates full of metal and circuitry we call the modern computer should be worth money too. However, that is not always the case.

An aluminum can is a simple thing. Built to be recycled. So easy to recycle, in fact, that you can make money from it at most recycling facilities. The recycling process for electronics is far more complex and involves sorting, disassembly, and processing. On top of that, when you follow the proper practices and the law to ensure that you are not exposing data to a potential breach or the environment to potential pollution, the margins get really thin.

So thin, that for many electronics it does cost a small amount to recycle. Depending on the electronic device and the current market, it’s possible to make a little money too. This is why we encourage you to reach out to Sadoff for a quote.

How Much Risk Are You Willing to Take to Recycle Your Electronics?

Ultimately, the decision is yours. You have to weigh the risks against the potential cost. However, before entertaining a “free” electronics recycling solution, you should reach out to a certified e-recycler such as Sadoff. We can discuss the economics of our qualified and certified services, so you can determine what the best option is for your business.

Categorized in: Electronics Recycling