FAQ | Technology Conservation Group Inc.

Why does it matter who I send my retired assets to?

There are many things to think about when considering asset disposition. Working with a partner that understands your needs and the many options available for your material, but is committed to protecting your company from any liabilities is a necessity. Full-service ITAD vendors provide secure, environmentally sound solutions and obtain the maximum residual value for your off-network, surplus, and end-of-life electronics.

What services do you provide?

What type of electronic equipment do you process?

We provide disposition services for ALL your IT and other electronic equipment assets:

Corporate retired and/or unused assets (desktops, laptops, monitors, peripherals, etc.)
Consumer electronics (set-top-boxes, gaming systems, etc.)
Enterprise infrastructure technology (servers, storage, etc.)
Healthcare (medical & life science electronic devices)
Manufacturing (control panels, excess/obsolete components, floor returns, etc.)
Telecommunications (modems, telephones, cell phones, smart phones, etc.)
Managed home devices (alarm panels, sound systems, remote controls, etc.)

How do you determine the residual value of my material?

How do I know which recycling method will give me the highest return?

What sets TCG apart from other e-cyclers?

As a business, how do I choose between sending my used electronic equipment for reuse or recycling?

Sending your material to TCG means you don’t have to choose because we offer reuse, recycling and more. It’s important that you define clear objectives for what you want to be done with the equipment and the definitive disposition of the equipment and/or component parts. Assets that cannot be remarketed or resold are recycled in accordance with all EPA regulations. Considerations:

Reuse

What is the age of the equipment? If it’s too old it may not be compatible with more current equipment or, if it’s a computer, may not be able to run current software. What is the condition of the equipment? If it requires repairs it may cost more to fix it than the value you would gain from it.

Demanufacture/Destroy and Recycle

If the equipment or any of its components are proprietary, do you want it back out in the resale market place? Do you want the equipment demanufactured or destroyed and separated into base commodities (i.e. metals, plastics, glass) to be marketed as recyclables?

Regardless of the choice, you will need to consider the data security needs. Is there any sensitive personal or business information that should be wiped? How can TCG protect my company from potential security and environment risks associated with asset disposal? We offer a wide range of security services to meet a customer’s specific requirements. Whether you need data erasure to NIST 800:88 standards or total physical hard drive destruction – onsite or at one of our facilities – you can be assured it will be done without ever putting your company’s data security in jeopardy.

How can TCG protect my company from potential security and environment risks associated with asset disposal?

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 can contain anywhere from 4 to 7 lbs of lead while newer CRTs contain closer to 2 lbs of lead. Lead is also found on printed circuit boards.
Mercury is used in small amounts the fluorescent lamps that provide backlighting in LCDs as well as in some alkaline batteries and mercury-wetted switches
Brominated flame retardants are found in most plastic cases and cables although the more problematic ones have been phased out of newer products
Cadmium was widely used in NiCd rechargeable batteries for laptops and other portables. Newer batteries (nickel-metal hydride and lithium ion) do not contain cadmium. Cadmium can also be found in the fluorescent layer of CRT screens.

What are the environmental benefits of reusing and recycling e-waste?

Electronic products are made from valuable resources such as precious metals, and highly-engineered materials such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and glass, all of which require energy to mine or manufacture. By reusing and recycling the materials from end-of-life electronics we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced from manufacturing new products, decrease air and water pollution, and conserve our natural resources.

What products can be made from the materials recovered by recycling electronics?

Many of the materials used in the manufacture electronics can be recovered to make 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. After the recovered metals have been processed by a refiner, they can be used in a number of different industries such as jewelry making, plating, electronics, plumbing, and automotive.

When a rechargeable battery can no longer hold a charge, the battery can be recycled into other rechargeable battery products.

The recovered plastics are also recycled into new products such as carpets, flooring, garden furniture, license plate frames, non-food containers and replacement automotive parts.