Most disposal companies are vague about this, which is reasonable grounds for suspicion. Here is the whole process, including the parts that are less flattering — what gets broken for parts, what gets recycled for nothing, and where the money actually comes from.
We count what we load against your list and both sides sign. If anything differs from the list — and on a big cleanout it usually does — that is recorded there and then rather than discovered later.
Every unit is logged by make, model and serial number. This is what your final report and your certificate are built from, and it is where a discrepancy with your list would surface.
Working drives are wiped to NIST SP 800-88 with per-drive verification. Drives that fail verification, and any drive that will not respond, are physically destroyed instead. Every drive gets a line in the record whichever way it goes. The methods.
Equipment is powered up, tested and graded. This is where the real value of a load becomes known, and where an estimate can move in either direction — machines are sometimes better than described as well as worse.
Working, current equipment is refurbished and resold. Equipment that is not economically repairable is broken for parts, which still have value. What is left goes to recycling, which is a cost rather than a return.
You get a report listing every unit, what happened to it, and what it contributed. Payment follows by check or ACH. The certificate of data destruction comes with it.
It is worth being plain about this, because it explains why offers look the way they do.
Most of the value in a mixed load comes from a minority of the units. Recent servers, well-specified laptops and networking equipment carry it. Old desktops, monitors and anything over about seven years old generally cost more to handle than they return.
Recycling is a cost, not a revenue stream. Responsible downstream recycling is something we pay for. On a load with enough value in it, that cost is absorbed and the free collection makes sense. On a load of genuinely dead equipment, there is nothing to absorb it, which is why a pure scrap load sometimes attracts a collection charge rather than an offer.
An estimate is an estimate. It is based on what you describe, and the final figure is based on what arrives and what it does when powered up. We would rather give you a number that holds than a high one that moves, which is why we ask for specifications up front and tell you where we are guessing.
Collection is usually arranged within a few days of agreeing the job. After that, audit and data destruction typically take a few days to a week depending on volume, and testing and grading follow. Payment is made against the final report once the load has been processed. A straightforward office collection is normally complete within two to three weeks end to end; a large data center load takes longer.
After the equipment has been audited, sanitised and tested, against a final report showing every unit. Payment is by check or ACH. The reason it follows testing rather than collection is that the real value of a mixed load is only known once units have been powered up and graded, and paying beforehand would mean quoting defensively low to cover the uncertainty.
It is broken for parts where components still have value, and what remains goes to recycling through downstream processing. That part is a cost rather than a return, which is why loads consisting entirely of dead equipment sometimes attract a collection charge instead of an offer. You receive documentation covering the recycled units as well as the ones you were paid for.
It can, in both directions, because an estimate is based on what you describe and the final figure is based on what arrives and how it tests. The way to keep the two close is to describe the equipment accurately up front, including faults, and to send specifications rather than just model names. Any material difference between the list and what we receive is recorded at collection, not raised afterwards.
Yes. The final report lists every unit received by serial number along with its disposition, and the certificate of data destruction lists every drive with the method used and the result. Between them you can trace any individual asset from your building through to resale, parts or recycling.
Send us your asset list and get a clear offer within one business day. Free pickup across South Florida, statewide for larger jobs.