How do you know if scrap yards are doing what they say? How do you know that scrap yards will destroy the materials that you need to be taken care of? Well, it’s important to talk to your scrap yard about the process, paperwork, and assurance your information is secure.
Whatever types of scrap that need to be recycled and documented has to go through to the right person at the right scrap yard. Below are a few different scenarios and there are different approach methods for each item that can help answer your questions.
Scrapping Electronics or E-Scrap
There are scrap yards and companies that pride themselves in their electronic recycling, but not all of these companies are capable to properly destroy Hard Drives, x-ray film, or other data sensitive scrap that you are looking to destroy. Believe it or not, it is not always some companies priority to cash in for metals, but to make sure that their information is completely gone for their own peace of mind.
This is where things have gotten really tough over the last few years with more rules, regulations, shredding requirements, and even recycling restrictions really coming into play. There has been a new programmed designed and being implemented through many electronic recyclers called R2 and this has become the gold standard for the electronic recycling industry.
From hard drives to laptops there have been new requirements for the recycling industry and figuring out what the downstream methods are have not been the easiest thing…with very few scrap yards going through the entire R2 process because of the steps, the difficulties, and the implementation of the methods so difficult, not many have undertaken the entire steps yet.
Homeowners Should Get One Too
If you are a homeowner scrapping your electronics like computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and more than may hold personal information. You should ask you scrap yard if they can provide you a certificate of destruction. This will give you peace of mind for information like address, names, credit card information, and contacts are destroyed.
Old Inventory
We have talked to individuals that have done cleanouts for companies that are getting rid of all type of old inventories. They have seen and scrapped inventory for old lawn furniture, tripods for cameras, statues, stainless water bottles, jewelry, consumer cooking items like pots and pans; and all of these items had to be destroyed. Some people have seen some pictures that we have posted on Instagram, Facebook, or other social services and asked us why some of this stuff gets scrapped and not resold…and sometimes the answer is easy and sometimes it is difficult.
Bulk Objects & Items Getting Scrapping
- Brand New Cars – Believe it or not there have been thousands of brand new cars that have scrapped since the 1990’s…why you may ask? No, not because the cars went out of style, but because storms have happened. Back in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy hit the NJ/NY area there were thousands of brand new cars in Port Newark that had been delivered and were still waiting to be picked up and delivered to customers or car dealers. When the water washed through the car lots all of these brand new cars were flooded and eventually brought to scrap yards. There were reports that not even the emblems would be salvaged. The fluids were drained and the batteries removed and they were sent off to yards in the region. The piles of brand new cars were stacked up and put through multiple shredder facilities.
- Kitchen Ware – Whether or not styles change, coatings were made differently, or there was a product recall we have heard so many stories about kitchen items being scrapped from silverware or pots and pans.
Actual Destruction Certificates
These pieces of paper are very important and vital for insurance purposes when scrapping certain items. These can vary slightly in wording, but all pretty much can be summed up easily….”Your material will be destroyed and recycled for reclamation of metals only.” This is a basic sentence, but it is what so many companies want to see and some jobs that you may get, work at, or be given will want to have this as a requirement to be able to get the scrap into the door.
Many scrap yards are registered scrap yards, but many are still very old school in the sense of reselling things that come in scrap and that may prove to be a problem if you are looking to do things correct longterm.
Ask your local yard if they have a preview of their certificate, or how they can assure that your material is destroyed. Some yards may provide pictures, videos, or other media on top of the certificate. In the world that we live in with computers and technology being so widespread and easy to move information, you have to be alert and be able to cover your assets quickly and responsibly.
