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Where Does Your E-Waste End Up?

October 8, 2015

e-waste

50 million tons of e-waste is dumped into landfills worldwide every year.

That’s a huge number, but it only represents two percent of what is dumped each year. That two percent of e-waste, however, makes up 70 percent of the toxic waste in landfills. According to Popular Science, when electronics start to break down, they release the metals and chemicals inside them, including lead, which has been linked to a myriad of health issues.

E-Waste: What You Can Do About It

It’s obvious that more and more organizations are in need of a technology asset disposal company that responsibly recycles their technology. Maxxum is an industry leader in technology asset disposal because we won’t let our clients be compromised.

In fact, Maxxum has a zero landfill policy. We’re committed to responsible, domestic recycling of technology assets — in the best interest of the environment and your business.

At Maxxum, we believe that retiring technology assets shouldn’t mean risking an environmental breach. We’re committed to smart, strategic partnerships with our clients. We stay up-to-date on laws and regulations regarding environmental responsibility. We develop and support industry best practices in compliance, recycling and reporting.

In order to track what happens to your recycled technology from start to finish, Maxxum executes the following for every client:

  • Provides a Certificate of Electronic Equipment Destruction (CEED) that includes serial number, type, date, and our downstream recycle partner
  • Thoroughly vets our downstream recycling partners for compliance with our strict standards
  • Provides current copies of EPA licenses for all recycling partners
  • Reduces end-of-life assets to their smallest component parts and material types
  • Engages domestic recycling partners who utilize the most eco-friendly processes

It’s this attention to detail and accountability that makes Maxxum a leader in the field.

5 Best Practices for Technology Asset Disposal

October 1, 2015

asset disposal

If you’re a little wary about the best way to manage technology asset disposal these days, you’re not alone. While security breaches have been featured in some of the biggest headlines over the last few years, the number of companies that have been hit with criminal and civil penalties, as well as executive fines and even incarceration, is alarming.

As technology continues to advance at a high rate, organizations are now experiencing a more involved process when disposing of their technology equipment. Moreover, smart organizations are finding qualified, trusted, Technology Asset Disposal companies to manage this complicated process.

Technology Asset Disposal – the Right Way

Here are five best practices any Technology Asset Disposal company should provide for their clients:

1. Data Destruction

You might be finished with your storage drive, but that doesn’t mean that the data is gone. You may be vulnerable to legal ramifications if you don’t dispose of your data and drive assets properly. If you’re sensitive data leaks, you’ll have to answer to the law and your customers. Demand certified drive sanitation or destruction.

2. Equipment Remarketing

Technology assets (such as PCs, laptops, and servers) that are less than three to four years old have resale value. A disposal company should work to recoup that value on your behalf through a variety of remarketing channels. Re-selling, selling to employees or donating to schools or foundations are all ways to get value back from your old technology.

3. Equipment Recycling

A Certificate of Electronic Equipment Destruction (CEED) should be provided for all recycled technology assets. Having documentation that demonstrates or certifies that your company took the proper steps can save you from penalties down the line.

4. Compliance Reporting

Detailed documentation makes it easy to prove compliance with all laws and regulations. With so many government agencies tasked with oversights (HIPPA, PCI, SOX, FCC, FDA, etc.), an asset disposal company needs to provide a detailed audit trail to prove compliance.

5. Policy and Program Development

If your company is not sure how to start developing a compliant technology asset disposal program, you are not alone. A strong and reliable technology asset disposal company should be your guide through the process.

6 Reasons to Properly Dispose of Technology

September 23, 2015

dispose of technology

We’ve said this before, and we’ll keep saying it: just because used technology gets unplugged and leaves your building, that doesn’t mean the data on it dies. While ensuring that your data doesn’t end up in the wrong hands is reason enough to make sure you dispose of technology properly, it’s far from the only reason.

Look around your office. If it’s like most, it probably looks a lot different than it did five years ago. Computers, phones, copiers and just about everything else associated with office work has changed dramatically. And, they’re going to keep changing.

Technology is advancing faster than just about anybody can manage. With everyone constantly upgrading to the latest, “next best thing,” it begs the question, “what’s happening to all of the old stuff?”

There are Several Good Reasons to Dispose of Technology

Here are six reasons to do so, and all of them can affect your company’s bottom line and reputation.

  1. Criminal Penalties

As the world around us continues to demand faster and more complete access to information (better technology), there is now a more robust policing of used technology disposal.

Depending on your industry, the laws that govern how you dispose of technology can fall under one or more of the following: HIPPA (healthcare), EPA (environmental), FDA (pharmaceuticals and medical devices), FCC (broadcast and phone providers), PCI regulations (credit card data), Sarbanes-Oxley (financial services), Gramm-Leach-Bliley (banking) , PII (personally identifiable information) and FACTA (credit reports).

The repercussions of criminal penalties go without saying and can impact each of the remaining reasons we list.

  1. Executive Fines and Incarceration

With information being such a high value commodity in this technological age, punishments are now catching up to the heft of the crime. Companies are now tasked with responsibly disposing of their used technology. Cavalier behavior with information can now lead to huge fines and even jail time depending on the case.

  1. Civil Penalties

Civil penalties are fines imposed by government agencies as restitution for wrongdoing. Check any business page or television news broadcast and it won’t take you long to realize that both State and Federal agencies are recognizing the growing exposure related to information security. Fines can add up quickly and not only damage your company’s bottom line, but your reputation as well. 

  1. Litigation Costs

One of the misconceptions with technology disposal is that all liability for data is transferred once technology exits. Too often that’s not the reality, and it’s the reason many companies are blindsided by cases even when they believed that things had been done correctly. Nobody wants litigation because that can get expensive very quickly.

  1. Diminished Stock Prices

Perception is almost as powerful as reality when it comes to the value of stocks. Any of the above can lead to a negative perception of your company, whether it’s founded or not. If the perception of your company is diminished, your company’s stock will be as well.

  1. Public Relations Fallout

The old adage that any publicity is good publicity doesn’t hold true here. Your company’s reputation is damaged if any of the above events occur. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into our daily business and private lives, data security is more important than it’s ever been. Understand your responsibility and ensure that old technology is disposed of properly. Your reputation depends on it.

Avoid Data Privacy Breaches with End-to-End Disposal Services

March 4, 2014

Experience the difference of end-to-end asset disposal services.

Nearly 90 percent of companies do not have a data destruction plan in place or understand how to destroy their data securely, according to a new study released by AERC Recycling Solutions. Here are examples of companies and organizations that failed to select the proper IT Asset Disposal vendor and or elected to dispose of important assets using their own employees without following the proper practices and procedures.

For anyone who doubts the extensiveness of how often data privacy breaches occur, or the dangerous exposure such breaches create, there are several up-to-date resources available to research organizations that have exposed their clientele and/or employee base as a result of unnecessary data privacy breaches.
Maxxum recommends:

National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) News Room – This resource lists recent data breaches, as well as webinars and other resources available for staying current with regulatory news and changes. More.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse – An extremely comprehensive site that includes not only a chronological timeline of data privacy breaches, but also links to other sites with breach information.
More.

Department of Health and Human Services – The DHHS publishes a list of all organizations that have experienced a HIPAA breach. More

At Maxxum, we’re committed to smart, strategic partnership with our clients. We stay up-to-date on laws and regulations regarding data privacy and environmental responsibility. We develop and support industry best practices in compliance, remarketing, recycling and reporting.