GREEN ACTIONS. GREEN RESULTS.
E-waste
E-waste is a name for consumer and business electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. Most of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. Unfortunately, electronic discards is one of the fastest growing concerns of our nation's waste stream.
With the passage of the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, certain portions of the electronic waste stream are defined and the systems to recover and recycle them administratively regulated beyond the universal waste rules that now apply to material handling.
Furthermore, it is thought that nearly 75 percent of old electronics are in storage, in part because of the uncertainty of how to manage the materials. Combine this with increasing advances in technology and new products headed towards the market and it is no wonder that "e-waste" is a big concern.
Some e-waste is considered hazardous. Electronics components can contain hazardous toxins such as lead, mercury, and cadmium as well as carcinogens such as PCBs. When dumped into landfills, these chemicals leach into the soil and water supplies, creating potential health risks. California law currently views nonfunctioning CRTs (cathode ray tubes) from televisions and monitor as hazardous.
Regulations Regarding Data
Because so many proprietary and personal records (e.g., medical and financial) now reside on servers, PCs and medical equipment, the federal government has enacted laws to protect citizens’ privacy and ensure these records are never seen by unauthorized persons. In additional to federal laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and HIPAA, many states have passed their own regulations.
Because violating these regulations can result in severe fines and/or prison time, it is essential to ensure that unusable hard drives have been properly destroyed and that recertified hard drives have been sanitized before they are resold.
The Insight Investments Corp. e-Waste Solution: Recover, Reuse, Recycle
Insight Investments is committed to eliminating e-waste. We have instituted a process for purchasing used IT and medical equipment and designating useable equipment for recertification and damaged equipment for disposal.
By taking responsibility for the entire disposal process, we free you from the costs and headaches of getting rid of your unwanted equipment.
“Fix or strip” analysis
Your disposable assets are delivered to our state-of-the-art Tech Center in Garden Grove, California, where audit technicians perform a “fix or strip” analysis to determine whether the equipment should be recertified and returned to viable inventory, or stripped for parts and scrapped.
All assets deemed as “scrap” are handled in accordance with our ISO 9001-documented auditing and e-cycling program. They are delivered to an inventory specialist who removes the equipmentfrom viable inventory and places it in a warehouse location designated for disposal.
Materials designated for disposal are listed with their serial numbers on a Great Plains Sales Order for tracking and purposes before they are removed from inventory and shipped to recyclers. By carefully tracking asset disposal, we maintain an audit trail documenting that each component was disposed in compliance with all environmental regulations.
Data disposal
Non-functioning hard drives marked for destruction are shredded to eliminate any possibility their data can be accessed. Functioning hard drives marked for recertification are sanitized to meet Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines. Each drive undergoes a three-pass data wipe overwriting data using an automated script. Technicians then verify the data is not recoverable and provide a detailed report on data cleansing and results. If, for some reason, the data can’t be total removed, the hard drives are destroyed.
Working with certified partners
Insight Investments is an ISO 9001-certified company that partners with ISO-14001-certified e-waste collection and/or recycling companies. Our partners must undergo rigorous examination to ensure they comply with all international, EPA, state and local standards and regulations. We regularly audit their procedures to ensure they adhere to the strictest guidelines and maintain a no-landfill policy.
Scrap equipment shipped to one of our certified partners is processed, sorted and disposed. For example:
- Systems and sub-assemblies are torn down. Recovered metals like copper, steel and aluminum are sent to appropriate mills where they are melted and recycled.
- Circuit boards are sorted and torn down, with socket parts pulled and surface parts removed. Precious metals are sent to refineries for recovery.
- CRT glass is crushed and shipped to manufacturing plants to be remade into new CRTs.
- Batteries are sent to smelters and refineries where the metal is extracted and recycled to make new products.
- Hazardous materials are sent to special facilities where they are disposed of in environmentally friendly methods.
- Reports are generated detailing that all disposed components were properly disposed.
The Benefits of Insight Investment Corp. Environmental Policy
Insight Investments takes complete responsibility for ensuring your IT and medical assets are properly disposed and/or recycled.
Peace of mind
You will receive a Certificate of Disposal to verify that your equipment (along with their serial numbers) were disposed in compliance with all applicable environmental regulations. This includes shredding the hard drives, destroying all asset tags and properly recycling all components.
This Certificate shields you against environmental risks if you should be audited by federal or local authorities.
No hassles
We take the hassle out of disposing your unwanted IT and medical equipment. With just one call to Insight Investments, we arrange to transport your unwanted equipment to our Tech Center where it is designated for disposal or recertification. All recertified equipment is remanufactured to meet original manufacturer specifications. We then resell it with full warranties.
Maximum ROI
Our ability to remarket your obsolete equipment into several key markets such as education and commercial business enables us to pay you fair market value for all equipment, both salvageable and unsalvageable. This helps you recover some of the original costs of ownership, which goes directly to your bottom line.
Charitable contribution credits
If you would prefer to donate your used equipment instead of selling it, we can help. Because we work with several charitable organizations, we’re very familiar with restrictions often placed on technology equipment donations. We coordinate equipment pick-up and handle all of the paperwork and make arrangements with one of our charities (or the charity of your choice) to purchase your donated equipment from them. This provides value recovery for you in the form of a charitable contribution.
Protecting our planet
By partnering with Insight Investments, you join us as environmental stewards in eliminating toxic wastes from our air and water, and IT and medical e-waste from our landfills. It’s not only the right thing to do…it’s also the law.
Insight Investments Corp. Eco-Friendly Tech Center
Why go “green?”
According to the EPA, buildings in the United States account for:
- 68% of total electricity consumption
- 39% of total energy use
- 38% of carbon dioxide emissions
- 12% of total water consumption
In keeping with our commitment to being “green,” Insight Investments purchased an existing 44,000 sq. ft. building, gutted it, and refurbished it as an environmental friendly, state-of-the-art Tech Center in Garden Grove, California for recycling used IT and medical equipment.
We built the Center around four key initiatives:
- Reducing power consumption: We are committed to using electricity-saving Energy Star appliances whenever possible. To further reduce power consumption, we added 20 skylights to enhance natural light and lessen the need for internal electrical light sources.
- Reducing water consumption: All installed plumbing in our Tech Center reduces water flow in our restroom facilities to conserve water usage.
- Improving air quality: To reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions in the facility, we converted our forklifts from propane to electricity.
- Recycling materials: Our inventory racking systems are made from recycled scrap metal, and we recycle many of our consumables (such as paper).
To ensure we meet all environmental, health and safety guidelines and regulations, we routinely undergo third-party audits to continuously improve our environmental practices.
Benefits
By maintaining a “green building,” we help the environment by improving air and water quality, reducing waste and conserving natural resources. Economic benefits include reduced operating costs, improving productivity and optimizing lifecycle economic performance. Social benefits include enhanced comfort and health, minimum strain on the local infrastructure and an overall improvement in the quality of life.
Take a tour
We invite you to take a tour of our green facility and see for yourself how our building and our processes are helping to protect the environment. To arrange a tour, please call us at (714) 939-2300 or call your Insight sales person.