Electronic Recycling Association (ERA)

The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 to address the growing problem of e-waste and the increasing ‘digital divide’. For over ten years, ERA has offered simple solutions to help individuals and organizations prevent operational equipment from premature destruction. With a focus on recovery, refurbishment and reuse, ERA continuously supplies charitable groups with donated IT equipment while securely managing the retiring IT assets of organizations and individuals across Canada. We believe that reuse before recycling is critical in managing the waste created by computer hardware, and by offering industry leading data destruction for all equipment we receive, we have securely repurposed hundreds of tons of equipment. Because not everything ERA receives can be reasonably repurposed, we have partnered with certified recycling organizations to process equipment that has reached the end of its productive life.

The ERA (Electronic Recycling Association), is focused on reducing unnecessary waste and/or environmental impact through effective management of retiring electronic and IT equipment. As an Not-for-Profit Organization with deep community roots, it is our “reuse” focus and donation activities which set us apart from others in this sector. We are an ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company who offers pickup services, comprehensive data security measures and subsequent reporting. Individuals and organizations alike move through technology hardware for a number of different reasons, and often there is ongoing productive use. The ERA believes that “reuse” where ever possible is the most ecological approach to this growing stream, and an excellent way to compel real community good will at the same time. The Electronic Recycling Association has a clear mission of reducing electronic waste through computer recycling, laptop recycling and computer donation services. With depots throughout Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and all of Canada. ERA provides a great way to recycle electronic equipment safely and securely.

VISION
To foster a better community by reducing electronic waste and enabling the non-profit sector to achieve excellence by providing for their IT needs through computer donation and computer recycling.

MISSION
To reduce electronic waste and the negative impact it has on our environment, and to reuse unwanted computers and related electronic equipment through recovery, refurbishment and computer donation programs.

WHO WE ARE
The Electronic Recycling Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing electronic waste through the reuse and recycling of unwanted computers, laptops and related electronic equipment.

WHAT WE DO
The Electronic Recycling Association’s key mandate is to reduce electronic waste. Most households and businesses have unwanted electronics taking up valuable storage space because they aren’t aware of disposal options, or are concerned about data security on their devices. We prevent unwanted computers, laptops and related electronic equipment from being prematurely destroyed or recycled by offering Canadian organizations and individuals secure and accessible disposal options. By focusing on the recovery, refurbishment and reuse of electronics, we are able to maximize their life cycle while providing a necessary service to the public and valuable IT hardware donations to charities and other non-profit organizations. Our secondary course of action, when equipment does not exhibit any reuse potential, is to recycle computer equipment. The Electronic Recycling Association works with established recyclers to ensure all materials not suitable for donation are appropriately recycled in a responsible, secure and environmentally friendly manner.

Reuse or Recycling

You have options when it comes to disposing of your electronics. There are countless recyclers who offer electronic recycling services, and one of the first things you should consider is the difference between reusing and recycling. Unfortunately, the majority of e-waste organizations are mandated only to recycle electronics rather than consider the reuse potential, thereby eliminating the possibility of reuse by individuals and organizations unable to afford new items. In addition to this, breaking down operational equipment increases demand for brand new equipment, in turn increasing the necessity for virgin natural resources to be mined in order to meet demand. The ERA’s primary course of action is to evaluate every item we receive for remaining productive life. Once confirmed, items that can be reused are refurbished and prepared to be redeployed into the marketplace. These items undergo stringent and reliable data sanitization (software or hardware based) and are tested for quality control and relevance. In the event that items do not exhibit any reuse potential, they are sent to one of our accredited recycling partners for final recycling. At ERA, we believe reuse is the most responsible and beneficial first line of action, both from an environmental and social perspective. We believe destroying equipment that still offers usability is wasteful and unnecessary. Recycling has an extremely important place in the chain of custody, but should be used only once an item is proven to be of no further reasonable use.

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING ASSOCIATION’S ACCEPTED ITEMS

The Electronic Recycling Association accepts a wide variety of electronics for responsible processing. Equipment is accepted in any condition, operational or non-operational, as well as computer parts. Items may be dropped off at one of our depots, or a prompt and professional pickup can be scheduled within any major Canadian city and surrounding areas. All equipment received by the Electronic Recycling Association is tested and evaluated for reuse potential, put through data removal processes and if possible, is reused. Equipment that cannot be refurbished or reused is given to the Electronic Recycling Association’s recycling partners, who process all end of life equipment in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. Below is a list of the Electronic Recycling Association’s accepted items. Should you require further clarification on whether or not your item is accepted, please use the live chat button to ask one of our friendly staff members.

Data Security

Addressing data security represents a core element of the ERA’s value proposition and service offering. We possess robust data wiping and physical destruction capabilities, and have employed these capabilities in partnership with Canadian Law Enforcement agencies as part of our efforts to raise awareness of the dangers associated with inadequate diligence around personal computing devices. Studies have shown that fear of data being recovered from old equipment is one of the biggest obstacles of reuse. When you utilize the ERA’s data destruction services, you can be assured that your data will be secure from retrieval. The ERA offers several solutions for data security.

PHYSICAL DATA DESTRUCTION
The ERA has several AmeriShred mobile hard drive shredders which can be delivered directly to your location for hard drive destruction services. These machines are capable of shredding hard drives, data tapes, servers and other data storage hardware. You may choose to have us pick up your equipment for shredding or have one of our shredders brought to your facility. Below is a video taken by the North Vancouver RCMP illustrating how our hard drive shredder ensures data security by thoroughly destroying physical data storage hardware.

OFF-SITE DESTRUCTION
ERA picks up the drives and performs the destruction at our facilities. Representatives of the company from which the drives/tapes originate are welcome to observe the destruction at ERA’s facilities, or a (live or recorded) video of the destruction can be made available upon request. Upon completion, ERA issues a Certificate of Destruction which outlines the individual serial numbers of the units that were destroyed.

ON-SITE DESTRUCTION
ERA will bring a mobile shredder to your facility and ERA staff will perform the destruction of the drives onsite. A Certificate of Destruction is also available in this scenario should it be requested.

SELF SERVICE RENTAL
ERA’s AmeriShred mobile destruction units are also available for rent. An ERA representative will demonstrate the unit’s use to a client representative so that the representative can shred related items personally. This option is ideal for organizations with security protocol requiring sensitive information to remain on their own premises at all times.

SOFTWARE BASED ERASURE
The ERA utilizes industry leading software to remove sensitive data from equipment. This method employs a multiple pass, random array approach to sanitizing data. This approach is applied to all equipment slated for refurbishing and reuse. Certain software is cost prohibitive, so the shredding of the hard drives becomes the option for highly sensitive, and budget sensitive situations. Certain software such as DBAN is available for free download so you can erase the data yourself prior to donation or recycling.