Recycling industry, What is new?
The recent inflation and Covid-19 pandemic have caused difficulties for many recycling companies, leading to downsizing and business closures. This has resulted in an increase in the cost of recycling. SBC Recycle has also been impacted, and we must inform our B2B customers that we will now charge for some previously free to recycle items. However, we are pleased to assure you that 90% of our customers will not be affected as the value of their recycled items will cover the cost of recycling (please see the recycling cost information below for more details).
Recycling Cost (You pay us or we pay you?)
Short Answer: There is a cost for recycling but the items you recycle might have value. If they do have value you will typically not pay to recycle, in fact, you might even get a check (we pay you). If the items you recycle do not have value we will charge you for recycling. Please see below for items we buy.
There are two charges associated with recycling.
- The first would be the pickup fee (which would range between $0 and $60)
- Most customers don’t pay the pickup fee because the recycled items have enough value to cover this cost.
- If you drop off the items at our warehouse in Beaverton, then the pickup fee is obviously waived
- The second would be for items being recycled (Most e-waste items are free to drop off). Please see the items we charge for below.
Items We Charge For
We also give credit for valuable items to offset the cost of recycling, 90% of our customers don’t pay for recycling, instead, they get a check in the mail because they give us valuable items.
- Toner and Ink Cartridges
- Printers
- Fluorescent Tubes and Light Bulbs
- Alkaline Batteries
- TVs and Monitors
- Freon Bearing Appliances
- Office Furniture
- Items containing lots of plastic (due to the current market)
- Any hard-to-recycle items where there is a cost to us from our downstream vendor
Items We Buy (prices change based on the market)
To minimize the cost to you, we give credit or purchase the following equipment.
- Hard drives – $0.10 to $50+ (Price varies based on age and/or working condition)
- Laptops Complete – $2 to $300+ (Price varies based on age and operational status *note 2, 3, 4)
- Desktops Complete – $1 to $300+ (Price varies based on age and operational status *note 2, 3, 4)
- Network Gear – $1 to $300+ (Price varies based on age, license, and operational status)
- Servers Complete – $3 to $600+ (Price varies based on age and operational status)
Notes:
- Items need to be newer and have some market value.
- For the best prices, the items should be complete with all parts and components.
- We still purchase older items but at a lower price
Hard Drive Wiping (DIY Onsite – Your Location)
This is the best option, here is how it works, we supply you with bootable USB thumb drives (no quantity limit per project). Start the PC or Laptop and boot from USB, follow an easy-to-use interface that will allow you to sanitize SSD, HDD, or USB drives with 20+ international data sanitizing standards. Contains applications for Windows, Linux, Console, and WinPE & Linux-based Boot Disks.
- This is the best option for newer PC’s where the SSD’s are soldered into the motherboard.
- You are in control of what leaves your facility
- Print your own certificate of recycling
- There is no limit on how many drives you wipe
- The best option for retaining asset value (Get paid for your assets, see what we buy below)
- Free recycling
Hard Drive Wiping (Offsite – At SBC Recycle)
The cost per hard drive varies between $4 to $8, to learn more, please visit our website or contact us. We also provide occasional promotions, as well as a 10% discount on bulk orders of hard drives.
The service includes:
- Equipment Mass Report
- Certificates of disposal
- Certificates of destruction with serial numbers
SBC will perform an itemized inventory of all equipment received and issue you a report with the following asset attributes:
- Manufacturer;
- Model;
- Material Classification (PC, Monitor, Printer, etc.);
- Serial Number; and company Asset Tag (if present).
Hard Drive Shredding (Onsite – Your Location)
The cost of hard drive shredding services varies between $4 to $8. To learn more, please visit our website or contact us. We also provide occasional promotions, as well as a 10% discount on bulk orders of hard drives.
On-site service setup fee
Onsite Your Location – $120 On-Site Setup Fee
The service includes:
- Equipment Mass Report
- Certificates of disposal
- Certificates of destruction with serial numbers
- Charge per hard drive
Notes:
- All hard drives need to be removed from older systems
- Hard drives not removed might incur an additional fee (no need for laptops of newer computers)
- Hard drives that are soldered in will be wiped and not shredded (Note 1 below)
Hard Drive Shredding (Offsite – At SBC Recycle)
The cost per hard drive varies between $4 to $8. To learn more, please visit our website or contact us. We also provide occasional promotions, as well as a 10% discount on bulk orders of hard drives.
Off-site service
Offsite Our Location at SBC – No additional fees
The service includes:
- Equipment Mass Report
- Certificates of disposal
- Certificates of destruction with serial numbers
- Charge per hard drive $5
SBC will perform an itemized inventory of all equipment received and issue you a report with the following asset attributes:
- Manufacturer;
- Model;
- Material Classification (PC, Monitor, Printer, etc.);
- Serial Number; and company Asset Tag (if present).
Recycling FAQ
Q – Should I remove the batteries from Laptops?
A – No, it is better to leave the batteries attached to the Laptop.
Q – Should I remove the hard drive from the Laptops?
A – No, it is better to leave the hard drives in the laptops
Q – Do you offer a certificate of recycling?
A – Yes, we do offer a certificate of recycling. It is important that you keep this certificate on file as it acts as evidence that your recyclable materials were processed in an environmentally responsible way, in full compliance with all state and federal regulations governing the handling and disposal of such materials.
*Note 1: Shredding Phones and Laptops releases toxic materials. When electronic devices are shredded, they release harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium into the environment, which can contaminate soil and water and pose a risk to wildlife and human health. Additionally, shredded electronic devices can also contribute to the depletion of finite resources such as rare minerals used in electronics. It’s important to properly recycle electronics in order to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste.
**Note 2: All products that are gifted or disposed of through recycling become the rightful property of SBC Recycle.
***Note 3: It is important to disconnect a device from its online or cloud accounts and remove any bios passwords before donation or recycling to protect the privacy of the previous owner and to ensure that the device can be effectively wiped and reset for re-use.
****Note 4: If the device is still connected to an online account, the recipient may need to request that the original owner remove it from all online accounts, which can result in additional steps and potentially higher costs in the recycling process.
