IcexMalc

I hope I am not being misunderstood. It is not my intention to start an argument, nor to discredit an organisation offering a compliant service. HOWEVER it is the responsibility of the asset owner to carry out due dilligence on the company they hand over their WEEE and data to. Failure to carry out checks leaves the asset owner (company AND employee) vulnerable to prosecution. I am sure you are handling the disposals compliantly but do you offer your clients copies of your Waste Carrier AND Waste management licenses? In fact, they should insist on these. Do you get vetted on the data destruction procedures you use? Too many IT Asset Managers think a simple Waste Transfer Note relieves them of their responsibilites and Duty Of Care, it is important that everyone understands this is not the case.

In response, there is very little vested interest as the initial enquiry is made by someone who appears to have a small disposal requirment and it would not be cost effective to use a company who are too far away. It is extremely important to use an accredited recycler, or to do an audit yourself prior to any collection taking place. Failure to carry out due dilligence is going to be seen as failure to manage the secure destruction of data according to the ICO. ADISA accredited members are recognised as having been audited by a credible organisation.

There are a number of companies offering free collections, ask yourself how they can offer this with no charge and whether by using them you are compliant with WEEE directives and Data Privacy laws. Handing over a TFT or UPS raises a number of concerns as they fall firmly into the category of hazardous waste. It is worth checking with the Environment Agency to see if the recycler holds Waste Carrier AND Waste Management licenses. It only takes a few minutes. Once this is done, what sort of paperwork will you receive? Most of these free recyclers will offer a Waste Transfer Note based purely on weight. So what happens if the items you handed over are found in a roadside ditch? Do you have an audit trail provided by a credble licensed recycler listing the serial number of the item you disposed of? If a free collection is offered, how is the data disposed of? There is a massive fine being levied as we speak against an organisation who lost data even though a recycler was being used? It is your responsibility to vet your chsosen recycler. The best advice would be to visit the ADISA website - Asset Disposal and Information Security Alliance and choose an accredited ITAD to handle your requirements.