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Below are answers to
some of the most frequently asked questions which we receive.
Click on the question below to find the answers.
What is unique about
Natural Evolution, Inc?
Is there a cost to
dispose of my electronic equipment?
What is your process
for hard-drive cleaning?
What happens to the
equipment?
What is your monitor policy?
Why can’t I donate my
equipment?
What is unique about
Natural Evolution, Inc?
Lots. But it
all boils down to the long-term and holistic approach we take in our
business. The processes we have developed and implemented not only protect
the environment from unnecessary exposure to harmful toxins, but are
performed in a way that ensures the most minimal energy use possible.
And that applies to the transportation choices we make as well
—all
designed to minimize energy consumption.
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Is there a cost to
dispose of my electronic equipment?
Until February 1st, 2009, Natural
Evolution operated as a non-fee based for profit electronics recycling company. However, due to dramatic drops in commodity pricing, it has become necessary to put some fees into effect so we could continue to provide responsible recycling services. There is a $5.00 fee for all CRT monitors. All other equipment is recycled at no charge.
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 What is your process
for hard-drive cleaning?
All hard drives
are evaluated for reallocation purposes. Currently IDE hard drives 1.5 GB and less are
by default sent to our dismantling department. All other drives determined
to have reallocation potential are wiped and tested.
We currently
utilize software applications and hardware methods that conform to US
Department of Defense cleaning and sanitizing standard DOD-5220-22M. The
software application that is currently used accesses the drive’s data on the
physical level via the BIOS bypassing the operating system’s logical drive
structure organization. The hardware based method thoroughly erases a disk
to government specifications. This process involves several writes to the
disk from various directions with random data.
When a drive is
determined to be one not suitable for reallocation or is determined to be
non-working it is then physically dismantled and the disk platters are
destroyed. All components/metals of the
drives are separated into the appropriate metal categories and sent to a
metals recycler or smelter, whichever is appropriate for that metal type
once a certain volume amount has been reached.
•
For a small
fee, we can send an Erasure Report to our clients upon request for proof of
Erasure completion.
• If a client has a security
requirement for a drive or drives not to be reallocated,
outright
dismantling is available
upon request.
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 What happens to the
equipment?
The
equipment is either reallocated or demanufactured and in all cases our
program ensures protection and destruction of all data, and a strict
adherence to environmental compliance in electronics disposal. Here,
hazardous elements such as batteries, PCB bearing capacitors, mercury lamps
and switches, if applicable, are removed and recycled. All hazardous
waste is sent to an approved DRMO facility.
Reallocation:
Materials suitable for resale will be sent to our reallocation Department.
Any owner identification tags are removed and all working drives are
wiped clean using special DOD approved software. Equipment will then be
resold either in its entirety or by
parts, or donated to
responsible non-profit groups.
Demanufacturing:
Equipment determined to be non-functioning or of little or no value, enters
the demanufacturing area to be dismantled. Hazardous elements such as
batteries are removed and recycled. The equipment is subsequently sorted
and separated into the different types of metals and materials before being
sold to a scrap metal company or sent to the smelter company we work with.
(Our smelter company has a zero emissions policy and standard as well as
100% recovery of all metals.)
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What is your monitor policy?
Monitors and Televisions are currently sent to our 14001-certified downstream vendor, whereby they are dismantled in the US, and all materials are tracked and accounted for. International Dumping is not tolerated.
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Why can’t I donate my
equipment?
Donation programs
work well if all parties understand the limits and liabilities associated
with the transfer of equipment. Some important issues that need to be
addressed early in the discussions include which party is responsible for
ensuring that proprietary data is eliminated before the donation. Data and
files that are released in any way can lead to corporate liability. This
usually means hard drives must be properly wiped clean so the data is
unrecoverable by conventional means.
Also, a donation
needs to ensure the equipment meets the performance levels required by the
donee. Organizations donating equipment do not want to be accused of
“dumping” to schools or charities. If the equipment does not meet the needs
of the donee, or when it becomes obsolete, then who will assume
responsibility for its recycling? Often, schools and charities do not have
the budgets to sustain costly recycling programs.
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Still have questions?
Please see our Contacts page.
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