Certified ITAD and E-Waste Vendors in the NY / NJ Metro

What is the difference between ITAD and e-waste recycling?

ITAD is short for IT asset disposition. The registries treat it as different work from plain e-waste recycling. SERI's R2 directory lists ITAD/Remarketing, E-Scrap/Recycling and Data Destruction as separate business workflows, and the e-Stewards processor list shows Refurbishing, Asset Redeployment/Remarketing and Data Destruction/Wiping as services separate from e-waste Recycling. New York's DEC defines an e-waste recycling facility as one where the materials and components in e-waste are separated, dismantled or processed for use or reuse in new products.

So a vendor listed for recycling is not automatically listed for ITAD. SERI's directory lets you search the scope text of each certificate by keyword, so check the scope before you assume both.

RemoteHands does the on-floor part: power down, unrack, wipe media to your spec or destroy it on request, record serials, photograph and inventory the units, pack, palletize and hand off at the dock with tracking (see decommissioning). You choose the ITAD or recycling vendor, from the list above or elsewhere; the certificate of data destruction or recycling comes from that vendor, not from us.

What is the difference between R2 and e-Stewards certification?

They are two separate certification programs run by two different nonprofits. R2 is housed by SERI, an ANSI-accredited standards body. The current version, R2v3, covers environmental, health and safety, quality and data security in one standard, and adds process appendices; SERI says buyers who need extra data assurance should look for Appendix B, which can track destruction to the serial number. R2 is certified per facility, and SERI says its directory is the only way to be sure a certificate is active.

e-Stewards is a program of the Basel Action Network. Its standard requires NAID AAA certification as a prerequisite, requires processors to destroy all residual data on equipment they receive, and requires Basel Convention compliance for international shipments. Beyond annual audits, it runs unannounced inspections and GPS tracking.

In New Jersey, an authorized recycler must hold one of the two. The table above shows both columns as the registries report them. We do not verify or recommend vendors; you choose the recycler.

What is the difference between "R2 certified" and "R2-aligned", and how do I check a claim myself?

R2 certified means an independent auditor checked the facility. SERI, which houses the R2 Standard, says a certified facility is not one that says it meets the standard but one audited by an independent third party. "R2-aligned" or "R2 compliant" is the vendor's own wording, not a certification. A base R2 logo does not prove certification either, since SERI lets anyone use it.

To check a claim, open SERI's Find an R2 Certified Facility page, choose Search by Name, and enter the facility name. The record shows whether the certificate is Active, Suspended, Revoked, Expired, Moved or Closed. SERI calls this search tool the only way to be sure. Certification is per facility, so match the address you will ship to. For e-Stewards, open the Find a Processor map, filter by city or state, and read the legend: In-Process for Certification is not yet certified.

Every row in the table above links to its registry source. RemoteHands does not verify or recommend vendors; you choose the recycler, and the certificate comes from that vendor.

Who issues the certificate of data destruction after a decommission, and what does it need to contain?

A certificate of data destruction is the vendor's written statement that the data on a specific device was destroyed. SERI, the nonprofit that houses the R2 standard, calls it a generic, self-generated document, not a third-party audit. The recycler or ITAD vendor you choose issues it. RemoteHands does not: we power down, unrack, capture serials, photograph each unit, and hand the gear to that vendor at the dock with an itemized manifest.

To hold up in an audit, ask for one certificate per device that follows NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2. Its Section 4.6 minimum includes manufacturer, model, serial number, media type, method (clear, purge or destroy), technique, tool and version, verification method, and the verifier's name, title, date, location, contact and signature. A lot-level letter with no serials falls short.

Check the vendor first. SERI says its R2 Facility Search Tool is the only way to be sure a facility is certified, and facilities certified to Appendix B can track destruction to the serial number level.

Does RemoteHands buy my old servers or resell decommissioned gear?

No. RemoteHands.nyc does not buy or resell used gear. It is an independent remote hands and smart hands provider, not an ITAD vendor. On a decommission the technician powers down and unracks the equipment, wipes or destroys media to your specification, records serials, photographs and inventories each unit, packs and palletizes, and hands the pallets off at the dock to the carrier or recycler you chose, with tracking passed back. You get the record of what left the floor. The certificate of data destruction or recycling comes from your vendor, not from RemoteHands.

Questions about resale value, refurbishing, remarketing, or where the gear goes after the dock belong with the certified vendor you contract with. Remarketing is a workflow named in the SERI R2 directory filters (ITAD/Remarketing), and SERI says an R2 certificate covers the primary facility and all of its downstream vendors. Pick a vendor from the table above, then verify its status at the registry before you sign.