In the U.S., the government does not “certify” any company for data erasure or destruction. The government sets a standard: NIST 800-88. A third-party certification body can ensure that the data erasure vendor you choose has processes in place that in compliance with the NIST 800-88 standard, as well as all industry best practices.

Simply stated, no device received from any client is connected to any network, internal, or external. Thus, no device is ever exposed to any network that could present a cyber security risk. Plus, all hard drives are removed from devices and destroyed prior to the auditing process.

Recyclers may say they are “EPA permitted,” “EPA approved,” or “EPA certified,” however, the EPA has no permit, approval, or certification process verifying environmentally sound practices by electronics recyclers. An EPA hazardous waste ID number is not a federal permit to recycle electronics. Only through third party auditing and verification by a generally accepted certification standard (such as R2 or e-stewards) can one be sure the material is handled properly.

Simple, ask for references and visit our facility, come whenever you wish, announced, or unannounced. This ought to be common practice for any End of Life IT Equipment Policy.