Under the arrangement, ERI will aggregate and pre-process magnet-bearing materials from its eight US processing facilities and deliver feedstock to ReElement’s Indiana operations. ReElement currently operates a commercial validation facility in Noblesville and is remodeling a 400,000-square-foot complex in Marion that is expected to start up in early 2026.

“ERI is a trusted partner to leading US technology companies and hyperscalers and their ability to efficiently source and process recycled magnet material is unmatched,” said Mark Jensen, chairman and CEO of ReElement Technologies.

ERI Chairman and CEO John Shegerian said the partnership would create “new US-based capabilities in rare earth processing with domestic and global implications.”

ReElement, a portfolio company of American Resources Corporation, says it has begun pilot shipments of rare earth oxides from its Noblesville facility, reporting purity levels exceeding 99.99%. The company reports it is taking orders from commercial and defense customers, though sustained production at volume awaits completion of the Marion facility.

Neither company disclosed tonnage commitments, processing capacity targets or capital investment figures for the expansion. ReElement has not released processing costs or pricing comparisons with imported rare earth oxides. But the partnership comes as demand grows for domestic alternatives to Chinese rare earth processing, which controls an estimated 70-90% of global refining capacity and as OEMs such as Apple explore routing end-of-life device magnets into domestic refining streams. Rare earth elements including neodymium, dysprosium and praseodymium are critical for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense systems. 

ReElement has referenced federal support including collaborations with the US defense agency and equipment financing, citing a $1.4 billion partnership, a figure that may represent projected contract value over multiple years or include development funding rather than actual procurement commitments. Federal agencies have recently expanded funding for critical minerals and magnet recycling projects, signaling stronger policy support for domestic refining capacity.

Creating a domestic market for recovered magnet waste

For ERI, which processes more than a billion pounds of electronics annually, the deal provides a domestic outlet for magnet-bearing materials as electric vehicles and e-mobility devices approach end of life. The company uses AI-driven identification systems to locate rare earth-containing components in its material streams.

Rare earth recycling represents an emerging sector for domestic supply chain development. Currently, less than 1% of rare earths globally are recycled, creating significant opportunity as companies work to scale operations and optimize processing economics to compete with established import channels. 

ReElement has begun pilot shipments from its Noblesville facility, reporting purity levels exceeding 99.99%. The company plans to scale production at its Marion facility, which is expected to feature modular refining technology. As with most emerging operations in this sector, commercial-scale validation will come as the company ramps up throughput and publicly reports operational metrics. Other projects are testing bolt-on systems inside e-scrap plants to capture rare earths from shredded device streams.

Broadly, market fundamentals support the growth of magnet recycling, with multiple companies scaling capacity to handle end-of-life magnets from electronics streams. Feedstock availability is expanding with EV adoption and wind turbine retirements, policy support is strengthening for critical materials and ERI’s established infrastructure provides the material aggregation capabilities that are essential for consistent supply.

The partnership’s success will be measured by ReElement’s ability to achieve sustained commercial production at the Marion facility over the next 18-24 months, transitioning from pilot operations to full-scale throughput. Contact ERI today to learn more.

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ERI’s partnership with ReElement Technologies to recover rare earth elements from discarded electronics also holds relevance for crypto and blockchain audiences, as the availability of these minerals directly influences the production of high-performance chips and hardware that power decentralized networks. The collaboration itself is focused squarely on recycling, but its impact reaches into the broader tech infrastructure that underpins digital assets.

ERI, one of the nation’s largest electronics recyclers, is taking a major step into the rare earth supply chain through a new partnership with ReElement Technologies. The two companies are joining forces to address a growing but often overlooked problem: the vast majority of rare earth elements inside everyday electronics still end up in landfills. As demand for these materials increases across industries such as technology, automotive, energy, and defense, both companies see an urgent need to capture and reuse what is currently being thrown away.

The collaboration brings together ERI’s national scale and expertise in handling end-of-life devices with ReElement’s advanced refining capabilities. With major facilities across California, Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington, ERI has access to a broad stream of retired consumer electronics. Devices like smartwatches, wireless earbuds, portable speakers, chargers, magnetic charging cases, and small hard drives will now be funneled from ERI’s plants to ReElement’s refining operations.

ReElement, based in Indiana, is already operating a qualifying refinery in Noblesville while constructing a much larger complex in Marion that is slated to open in early 2026. The new 400,000-square-foot facility is expected to become the largest producer of purified rare earth oxides in the United States. At full capacity, it could refine up to 9,000 metric tons of magnet-grade rare earth oxides each year, using both recycled feedstock and material sourced from mined ore.

Mark Jensen, CEO of ReElement’s parent company American Resources Corp. (Nasdaq: AREC), says the partnership has been designed from the ground up to be both innovative and commercially sustainable.

“We have spent the last year working together on a completely innovative and collaborative model between ReElement and ERI that combines best in class technologies and capabilities to take commercial products that have come to end of life and economically return the separated purified rare earth oxides back into the domestic supply chain for commercial and defense applications. Culturally we couldn’t be more excited to build on this framework with the team to expand this partnership both domestically and internationally to ensure that these valuable elements do not go to waste and end up back in the hands of our consumers and war fighters.”

Scaling a Domestic Rare Earth Supply Chain

The companies are also evaluating which stages of material preparation make the most sense to perform at ERI’s sites and which should be handled at ReElement’s facilities, balancing efficiency and cost. Jensen has frequently noted that any viable rare earth recycling model must scale economically if it is going to compete with foreign suppliers and create a sustainable domestic pipeline.

ReElement’s refining process itself is a major differentiator. Instead of using the large volumes of solvents common in traditional rare earth separation, the company relies on an aqueous-based system and chromatography. This method moves dissolved material through resin-packed columns, allowing individual rare earth elements—or mixed combinations—to be separated with a high level of purity. It is designed to be cleaner, more precise, and more adaptable than many legacy approaches.

For ERI, the partnership represents a shift from simply preventing waste to actively rebuilding a domestic supply chain that has eroded over decades. Rare earth magnets are central to technologies ranging from electric vehicles and wind turbines to smartphones, robotics, data-center hardware, and military systems. As the U.S. and other countries look to reduce their dependency on Chinese refining, domestic partnerships like this one are becoming increasingly strategic.

ERI’s Impact on Circular Economy and National Security

John Shegerian, ERI’s Chairman and CEO, sees it as part of a broader mission. “This unique and innovative partnership with ReElement directly supports our goal to advance a circular economy by recovering valuable rare earth elements (REEs) — especially Neodymium — from electronic waste. Thanks to this collaboration, and what each of us brings to the table, we can now ensure that these critical materials taken from common devices – such as wearables like smartwatches and earbuds, magnetic charging cases and chargers, various speakers and hard drives – are responsibly reintroduced into US domestic manufacturing, reducing reliance on foreign sources. This partnership will continue to add to and compliment the current administration’s goals of shoring up our independence on domestic critical mineral solutions to further protect the National Security of the US. It is truly an honor to partner with ReElement and its team of tireless entrepreneurs who are relentless innovators.”

What begins with a discarded pair of earbuds or an outdated smartwatch could soon play a key role in strengthening the nation’s industrial and defense capabilities. Through their joint effort, ERI and ReElement aim to make sure those tiny but vital materials don’t disappear into landfills—but instead return to the technologies that shape everyday life and national security.

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Fresno, California-based ERI is a leading information technology asset disposition and electronics recycling firm with additional processing operations in Goodyear, Arizona; Plainfield, Indiana; Holliston, Massachusetts; Lincoln Park, New Jersey; Flower Mound, Texas; and Kent, Washington.

Chairman and CEO John Shegerian says the company’s Fresno and Plainfield locations are its first sites to aggregate and ship material to ReElement. “We are starting small with smart watches, earbuds, speakers and smaller hard drives,” he says. “We will increase [our shipments] as our volumes increase and their volumes increase.”

ERI is sorting material by product type and preparing it according to the specifications established by ReElement,  which is constructing a second facility, measuring 400,000 square feet, in Marion, Indiana, that will be operational in early 2026.

ReElement, headquartered in Fishers, Indiana, operates a commercial qualification facility in Noblesville, Indiana, that measures 700 square meters, or more than 7,500 square feet, that produces rare earth oxides and critical battery elements.

Mark Jensen, chairman and CEO of ReElement Technologies, says the company’s Marion site will be the largest rare earth oxide producer in the country once it’s operational, with the ability to produce 9,000 metric tons of purified rare earth oxides from recycled inputs as well as virgin ores.

“We can take everything [ERI] can produce,” he says, adding that the company’s strengths lie in aggregating and breaking down material. Jensen adds that the companies are working together to establish how far ERI will need to break down material versus when it might make more sense for ReElement to do so. “The economics will dictate that,” he says, adding that the partners also are looking at how to extend their relationship beyond the U.S., with Shegerian noting that ERI plans to add locations in Japan, the Emirates, India and Canada in the near future.

“We can win additional business together to make sure these products get back in the supply chain,” Jansen continues, noting that 95-98 percent of REEs currently end up in landfills. “I’m highly confident we can expand this partnership together.”

Like-minded partners

Shegerian says ERI has been in contact over the years with various companies that planned to something akin to what ReElement does. However, he says they either had no funding or scalable technology, “and the people weren’t the right people.”

Over a year of meetings and negotiations, Shegerian says, it was clear that ReElement was using technology that accomplished what the company said it was going to do. Additionally, he says, “They aligned with us from a DNA and chemistry perspective,” noting that both companies recognize the value of long-term partnerships. (ERI has partnerships with South Korea-based LS-Nikko Copper, Alcoa and Redwood Materials, while ReElement has partnered with South Korea-based Posco International and Vulcan Elements, an American rare earth magnet manufacturer.)

Shegerian describes the team at ReElement as “tireless entrepreneurs, relentless innovators and kind and nice people.”

Jensen describes ERI as a world-class leader in the ITAD and electronics recycling sector, adding that ReElement wanted to partner with the best company that could provide aggregation services.

“ERI is a trusted partner to leading U.S. technology companies and hyperscalers, and their ability to efficiently source and process recycled magnet material is unmatched,” he says in the news release announcing the partnership. “Pairing their feedstock capabilities with ReElement’s advanced refining platform positions us to accelerate true circularity for critical minerals in the United States and deliver high-purity rare earth elements for our current and expanding customer base.”

ReElement’s technology

The end-of-life magnets ReElement sources through ERI are processed into an aqueous-based solution to be separated and purified back to magnet-grade material to be reused in manufacturing. Its use of chromatography, a separation technique that is widely used in chemical laboratories, replaces the need for hydrometallurgical or solvent extraction in the separation and purification step. ReElement’s patented process can purify targeted materials on an isolated or mixed basis, according to the company.

Chromatography was developed over decades and is used sugar refinement and pharmaceutical production, including of insulin.

“The difference in what we do versus legacy technology is use densely packed columns with resins that are predicated on what we want to separate,” Jensen says.  

Collaboration required

Jensen says collaboration is extremely important to the budding REE recycling industry to help drive down cost structure. “I’ve operated in the commodity industry for 25 years. If you don’t care about cost in that industry, you’re not going to be around for long. We are focusing on working with partners that are best in class—we don’t want to compete against them but work collectively to make one another’s business better.”

Building mineral independence

The agreement between ERI and ReElement strengthens the U.S.’ ability to establish a circular and secure supply chain for REEs at a time of growing strategic demand, according to the partners. By integrating ERI’s scale in responsible electronics recycling with ReElement’s advanced, modular refining platform, the partnership provides a consistent pathway to generate high-value, domestically sourced mineral output.

ReElement recently benefited from a joint partnership of $1.4 billion with the U.S Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) that was announced earlier this month. The funding supports the expansion of ReElement’s partnership with Vulcan Elements to scale a vertically integrated, domestic rare earth magnet supply chain.

The OSC commitment, funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, includes two separate loans, matched by private capital—$620 million to Vulcan Elements and $80 million to ReElement Technologies—with the U.S. Department of War receiving warrants in ReElement.

Shegerian says the Trump administration is very focused on growing domestic independence for REEs and other critical minerals that are essential to the growth of AI and data centers and electric vehicles. Japan and Canada are as well. “They all want to do the same thing … derisk from being dependent on [China].”

He says the timing of ERI’s partnership with ReElement couldn’t be better. “Partnerships are always exciting, but this is so relevant to everything going on today.”

Shegerian continues, “ReElement’s groundbreaking technology and solutions make it the leading refiner of high-performance critical battery and rare earth elements required in energy, transportation, defense and other technologies. This new relationship will open the door for a whole new wave of U.S.-based capabilities in the rare earth realm that will have both domestic and global implications.”

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Table of Contents

1. Compliance
2. Discrimination & Harassment
3. Child Labor
4. Human Trafficking & Forced Labor
5. Sustainability & Environmental Impact
6. Supplier Diversity
7. Conflicts of Interest
8. Working Conditions
9. Managing ERI and ERI Customer Information
10. Web Content Accessibility
11. Media

ERI procures products and services in a way that supports achieving our corporate objectives. This extends to our suppliers, and we strive to consider their policies and behavior to ensure we are good stewards on behalf of our constituencies – employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment.

The Supplier Code of Conduct formalizes the key principles under which suppliers to ERI are required to operate. Please note that specific products, services and/or suppliers may have additional requirements to those set forth below.

We define “Suppliers” as contractors, consultants, agencies, vendors, and any third parties that are held to the same expectations.

ERI actively and intentionally aims to build relationships with suppliers that share our values and commitment to make worthwhile and meaningful contributions to people, communities, and the planet. As a result, we prioritize the implementation of strong social, environmental, and ethical business standards. Suppliers who do not consistently demonstrate alignment to these expectations may jeopardize their future relationship with ERI.

This Policy may change over time, so please be sure to reread it from time to time. Amendments, modifications or changes to this Policy will be posted at this URL and will be effective when posted. Your continued business relationship with ERI following the posting of any amendment, modifications or change to this Policy shall constitute your acceptance thereof. Any questions regarding the Supplier Code of Conduct should be directed to ERI’s Compliance and Sustainability Team at audits@ERIdirect.com.

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FeedSpot analyzes what it considers to be the top recycling blogs and online tools from thousands of sites on the web and ranks them based on relevancy, authority, social media followers and freshness.

On the overall “Top 80 Recycling Blogs and Websites” list, RecycleNation appears at #2, and is the highest ranked consumer search tool on the web.

Powered by ERI, the nation’s largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, RecycleNation helps people find a close location to responsibly recycle items they no longer want. ERI’s own informational blog is also ranked at #12 on the list.

“Our mission with RecycleNation is to democratize, simplify and encourage the recycling process by providing a free, interactive, easy-to-use tool that empowers users to type in their zip codes and the items they want to recycle, so that nearby recycling opportunities can be discovered,” said John Shegerian, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of ERI and cofounder of RecycleNation. “It’s an honor to experience this kind of success for a labor of love that promotes across-the-board environmental sustainability and circular economy initiatives. RecycleNation is the ultimate system to bring recyclers and consumers together, and the numbers show that it’s making a huge difference!”

RecycleNation houses the world’s largest recycling database, with more than 100,000 unique data points for over 50 different items, all offered to the public free of charge. The site has helped over 10 million customers find locations to recycle various types of items, helping make the planet a greener, more sustainable place. Today, RecycleNation now helps over 300,000 unique visitors per month with their specific recycling needs.

Learn more at recyclenation.com.

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Helpsy partners with municipalities and organizations across 10 states to collect unwanted clothing. Helpsy operates 1,200 clothing collection points and provides free curbside service to millions of Americans. The company funds numerous charities and thrift stores to give consumers convenient and compelling alternatives to garbage.

The collaboration makes Helpsy’s collection points available via RecycleNation’s searchable database. News of the collaborative effort to expand the RecycleNation database to include Helpsy’s clothing drop off sites comes on the heels of RecycleNation’s recent site refresh, providing a straightforward and intuitive layout, designed to make the recycling process fast and easy.

RecycleNation is a free online search engine tool and informational site designed to help anyone, anywhere in the United States find the nearest location to responsibly recycle anything, and is powered by ERI, the nation’s largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company. RecycleNation was created to help people find a close location to responsibly recycle any items they no longer want and help Americans declutter.

“Our mission with RecycleNation is to democratize, simplify and encourage the recycling process by providing a free, interactive, easy-to-use tool that empowers users to type in their zip codes and the items they want to recycle, so that nearby recycling opportunities can be discovered,” said John Shegerian, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of ERI and cofounder of RecycleNation. “By partnering with our likeminded friends at Helpsy, we are collaboratively offering consumers a one-stop online shop for locating convenient, nearby places to recycle used and unwanted clothing. This is another example of how RecycleNation serves as the ultimate system to bring recyclers and consumers together and recycle anything and everything responsibly!”

“Helpsy, the Certified B Corp keeping clothes out of the trash, is excited to partner with RecycleNation to make it easier to keep peoples’ clothes out of the trash,” said Dan Green, Co-Founder of Helpsy. “Please use RecycleNation to find your nearest Helpsy bin, and drop off your extra clothes and shoes. Your contributions create American jobs and protect our environment.”

RecycleNation houses the world’s largest recycling database, with more than 100,000 unique data points for over 50 different items, all offered to the public free of charge. The site has now helped more than 10 million customers find locations to recycle various types of items, helping make the planet a greener, more sustainable place. Today, RecycleNation helps over five million unique visitors per year with their specific recycling needs.

Learn more at recyclenation.com.

About Helpsy

Helpsy is a certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation with a mission to keep clothes out of the trash and to create honorable work. 95% of what we collect can be reused or recycled. The clothing Helpsy gathers is sold primarily for reuse where higher grades are resold to thrift stores in North America and other secondhand markets around the world. For more information about Helpsy, visit helpsy.com.

About ERI

ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the first and only company in its industry to achieve carbon neutrality at all its facilities nationwide, and the first to achieve SOC 2 Type I and II certifications for security and data protection. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240918416190/en/

Contacts

Media contact: Paul Williams, 310/569-0023, paul.williams@eridirect.com

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The collaboration makes Call2Recycle’s thousands of locations for battery recycling available via RecycleNation’s searchable database. More than 5000 existing locations have been updated and more than 3000 new locations have been added. Products such as e-bike batteries and high energy batteries have also been added as searchable items.

News of the collaborative effort to expand the RecycleNation database to include Call2Recycle’s robust directory of safe and responsible battery recycling locations comes on the heels of RecycleNation’s recent site refresh, providing a straightforward and intuitive layout, designed to make the recycling process fast and easy.

RecycleNation is a free online search engine tool and informational site designed to help anyone, anywhere in the United States find the nearest location to responsibly recycle anything, the #1 recycling tool on the internet is powered by ERI, the nation’s largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company. RecycleNation was created to help people find a close location to responsibly recycle any items they no longer want and help Americans declutter.

“Our mission with RecycleNation is to democratize, simplify and encourage the recycling process by providing a free, interactive, easy-to-use tool that empowers users to type in their zip codes and the items they want to recycle, so that nearby recycling opportunities can be discovered,” said John Shegerian, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of ERI and cofounder of RecycleNation. “By partnering with our longtime friends and colleagues at Call2Recycle, we are collaboratively offering consumers a one-stop-shop for finding convenient, nearby places to recycle used and unwanted batteries. It’s rewarding to be able to offer enhancements to a tool that promotes across-the-board environmental sustainability and circular economy initiatives. RecycleNation is the ultimate system to bring recyclers and consumers together and recycle anything and everything responsibly!”

“New battery recycling requirements will impact tens of millions of Americans in the coming years, making it essential to provide consumers with easily accessible, up-to-date information,” said Leo Raudys, President & CEO, Call2Recycle. “Call2Recycle is thrilled to partner with ERI to promote participating battery collection sites. This partnership will expand the number of battery drop-off locations and provide information that makes recycling easier and more convenient across the U.S.”

RecycleNation houses the world’s largest recycling database, with more than 100,000 unique data points for over 50 different items, all offered to the public free of charge. The site has now helped more than 10 million customers find locations to recycle various types of items, helping make the planet a greener, more sustainable place. Today, RecycleNation helps over five million unique visitors per year with their specific recycling needs.

Learn more at recyclenation.com.

About Call2Recycle, Inc.

Operating with a commitment to safety and environmental excellence, Call2Recycle is the country’s premier battery collection, logistics and recycling program. Founded in 1994, the not-for-profit organization has safely and responsibly collected and recycled over 140 million pounds of batteries across the U.S. For more information about Call2Recycle, visit call2recycle.org.

About ERI

ERIis the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the first and only company in its industry to achieve carbon neutrality at all its facilities nationwide, and the first to achieve SOC 2 Type I and II certifications for security and data protection. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.

The post RecycleNation Teams with Call2Recycle to Further Expand and Enhance Nation’s #1 Recycling Search Tool and Database appeared first on ERI.

• 70% moved to another building in the same city or town.
• 29% purchased neighboring land or buildings for expansion or built onto the existing building.
• 28% moved to a new state.
• 10% purchased land and built a new building.
• 4% moved to a different part of the state.
• 3% moved to a new country.

If you’re planning a business move, make sure sustainability is part of your relocation. From choosing an environmentally-friendly moving company to making sure you recycle unneeded electronics, Put thought into the move. You should plan every step of your relocation with thought for the impact you’ll have on the area you’re leaving and the one you’re moving to.

Consider the Location and Building Features

When you’re planning to move to a new location, consider how you could boost your environmental impact. Location matters, but so does how you get there, and the steps you take getting ready to move.

When you’re looking for a new location, consider the impact your workers will have on the community. They may not want to move, which can increase commute times. Instead of having all of your employees drive to work, could they use public transportation? If you provided free monthly ride passes, they’d be encouraged to use buses or commuter trains. Or, you could offer perks like monthly gas cards for employees who carpool.

Is the area good for alternative energy sources like wind power, geothermal energy, or solar? That’s a good option, but try to make your new offices eco-friendly, too. LED lighting is better than fluorescent light. Bamboo flooring is better as bamboo grows quickly, which avoids deforestation. Low-E windows help with heat transfer. With plenty of windows, employees don’t have to run office lights all day.

A new building should meet LEED specifications as much as possible. Instead of the cheapest toilets and plumbing fixtures you can find, aim for low-flow items. Consider investing in rain barrels that can be used for lawn care. Even better, skip the grass and aim for low-growing plants that require minimal maintenance and help provide bees and other insects with nectar.

If your company has a cafeteria, on-site gardens are helpful. Compostable food scrap can be turned into rich compost for growing some of the food your kitchen serves employees each day. Use the rain barrel water to keep plants watered.

Consider the Move Itself

The goal of green relocation is to move locations with as little impact on the environment as possible. You want to bolster local economies, keep unnecessary costs down, and be sustainable. 

Because a business may produce a lot of waste during a move, you want to reuse as much as you can. Instead of buying moving boxes, save up boxes that office supplies come in. After the move, donate them to someone else. That keeps the cardboard out of the waste and recycling stream. 

If you’re feeding your moving crews, it can be more sustainable to have individual meals over a catered event where there are a lot of leftovers. If you do go with catering, aim for a company that sources local products and donates as much leftover food as possible to the local food shelf. The use of eco-friendly plates and cutlery is important.

Look for a mover that uses sustainable practices. They may not have EVs yet, but biodegradable or compostable packing materials are far better choices than Styrofoam peanuts. Planning routes and loading trucks to limit time on the road is another good option.

Finally, you need to look at what you’re taking. Reuse as much of your current office furniture as possible. It might be nice to have brand-new items, but what happens to the old items? If you can’t resell them, see if you can donate them. Don’t let them end up in the trash. The same is true of any electronic items, reuse as much as possible, donate what still has value, and responsibly recycle the rest.

Properly Dispose of E-Waste

The move from one location to the next often generates a lot of e-waste. Computers, printers, fax machines, monitors, copiers, and many other items end up in storerooms when they break down or are no longer needed. As you pack up to move to a new location, all of those items don’t need to move with you. You can’t just leave them behind.

E-waste is recycled by breaking down the components. If an item has any value, it can have the data destroyed before it’s refurbished for resale or donation to a worthy cause. If it’s broken beyond repair, the glass, metal, and plastic are sorted and recycled for reuse in new products. Equipment goes through giant shredders that break the materials into small pieces where they can be used as materials to melt down for reuse. 

Recycled plastic can be used to make the buttons for a new keyboard or laptop case. Recycled glass is often used with asphalt to make new roads or repair existing ones. You can reuse copper and other metals found in electronics, too.

Tips for Choosing an ITAD Provider

IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) involves reusing and recycling your unnecessary or broken electronics in a secure, responsible manner. When you’re a business, you have to consider the information you handle each day. Your employees’ SSNs, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth are things you have to keep away from the wrong hands. Customer’s credit card information, contact information, and purchase history are other examples. Choose your provider carefully.

Providers are not always the same as the competition. Look for an ITAD and e-waste provider who ensures eco-friendly practices. Ideally, look for e-Stewards and R2 certifications. Also, see if the company is CO2 neutral. That helps you with an eco-friendly relocation.

When you’re relocating, the security of this information during recycling or moving is critical. You might not even be getting rid of electronics, but you have to decommission your current data center and set up a new one in the new location. That decommissioning must be taken care of with the utmost care. Information needs to be secure during the move. If you are consolidating equipment, you need to assess what to keep and what to go. ERI can help with data center decommissioning and accurate inventories of what you’re disposing of.

What kinds of e-waste can ERI help you responsibly recycle when your business is relocating? The short answer is almost everything. Here’s a short list of things we recycle external hard drives, desktops, laptops, monitors, fax machines, pagers, tablets, printers, copiers, solar panels, batteries, medical equipment, servers, routers, smartphones, self-checkouts, etc.

If it’s electronic, we can recycle it following federal and state guidelines. ERI has locations throughout the U.S., so you’re never out of reach of one of our recycling facilities. If you have items that are still in good shape, we can even help you get the highest possible resale value to have them remarketed. Use that money to pay for your company’s ITAD services.

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