Certification

CompuCycle earns ISO 14001:2004 Certification!

Premier Electronic Recycling Company Earns Environmental Management Certification

CompuCycle Ensures Responsible, Safe, and Secure Recycling with ISO 14001:2004 Certification

HOUSTON (February 28, 2012) - CompuCycle, the first Houston-based company to be awarded R2-Certification for responsible electronic recycling practices in January 2011, recently became the first electronic recycling company in Houston to earn an ISO 14001:2004 Certification. 
 

ISO 14000:2004 is the standard for environmental management to help organizations minimize their processes that could potentially have a negative impact on the environment, while complying with applicable laws, regulations, and environmental requirements. CompuCycle has earned ISO 14001:2004 specifically as a provider of electronic recycling services, focused on refurbishing products for re-use and environmentally compliant disposal.  ISO 14001:2004 is part of a family of standards established by the International Organization for Standardization. This voluntary certification requires annual audits by a third-party organization; CompuCycle was audited and approved by Perry Johnson Registrars in February 2012.
 

“Certification is the safeguard for companies interested in recycling their electronic equipment responsibly and destroying their internal data permanently; certification guarantees that products are not irresponsibly exported or landfilled,” said Clive Hess, president of CompuCycle. “We are acquiring all necessary certifications in order to continuously provide sustainable and secure services.”

CompuCycle has provided responsible, safe and secure recycling services to Houston corporations for over 14 years. CompuCycle is the approved electronic recycling vendor for the Houston-Galveston Area Council and is a permanent City of Houston recycling center, accepting electronics from the public six days a week. 

Are you currently working with an electronic recycling company and want to make sure they are R2 Certified?  Click here for a full list of R2 Certified Companies!

Creation of R2

In October of 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency recognized the need for an electronic recycling certification to monitor and uphold standards within the recycling industry. A multi-stakeholder group developed the Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices that require strict environmental compliance for the health, safety, and security of all involved in disposing of retired electronics.

How R2 Certified Companies Address Top Corporate Concerns - According to R2 Solutions:

Data security

• All R2 certified recyclers are required to sanitize, purge, or destroy data on all hard drives and data storage devices.
• Data destruction processes are reviewed and validated by an independent party periodically.
• R2 recyclers are required to have a security program in place that is appropriate for the equipment they handle and the customers they serve.

Environmental practices

• R2 defines focus materials, or materials that can pose environmental concern, and outlines how these materials should be managed to ensure environmental and worker safety.
• Requires downstream due diligence on all vendors handling focus materials to ensure materials are handled properly throughout the chain of custody.
• Prohibits the export of equipment and components containing focus materials to developing countries unless the transaction is legal under both the export and import countries’ laws and the receiving facility is state-of-the-art.

Proper electronics disposal

• All R2 certified electronics recyclers maintain necessary permits, licenses, and insurance as required by state and federal regulations.
• R2 requires that all recyclers send materials to licensed and permitted facilities.
• Rigorous shipping and material tracking systems are employed by all R2 certified recyclers.

Remarketing and reuse

• Recognizing the importance that reuse has, both environmentally and socially, R2 Practices establishes a “reuse, recover, dispose” hierarchy all along the chain of custody for material handling.
• R2 certified recyclers that test equipment diverted for reuse, and confirm key functions of the unit are working, may export this equipment . Without such testing and confirmation, such equipment must be treated as though it is going to recycling and may not be exported unless the R2 exporting provisions for recycling are satisfied.
• Also recognizing that some clients would not want their equipment remarketed or reused, R2 Practices require recyclers to have systems in place to ensure that all equipment can be recycled, rather than recovered for reuse, if the client wishes.