UTICA — Computer Connection of Central New York, Inc. in Utica says it has earned the responsible recycling (R2) certification, described as “the highest” industry standard for recycling of electronic waste, according to environmental health and safety measures. Computer Connection, which is located at 11206 Cosby Manor Road in Utica, is a systems integrator, reseller […]
UTICA — Computer Connection of Central New York, Inc. in Utica says it has earned the responsible recycling (R2) certification, described as “the highest” industry standard for recycling of electronic waste, according to environmental health and safety measures.
Computer Connection, which is located at 11206 Cosby Manor Road in Utica, is a systems integrator, reseller and recycler of information-technology networking and security hardware.
On its website, Computer Connection posted a certificate that Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc. (PJR) granted it for earning the R2 certification.
Perry Johnson Registrars is a Troy, Mich.–based registrar that carries “multiple” international accreditations, according to its website. It means PJR “has the authority to register organizations, recognizing them for their quality management system’s integrity.”
Livonia, Mich.–based Accreditation Resource Management (ARM), a management-consulting firm, recommended Computer Connection for the certification in early January.
ARM handled the third-party audit, which examined more than 50 areas of operational and environmental performance in two stages over the course of a year, the company said.
Each stage of the audit measured internal documentation of procedures and how those procedures are executed within the facility, according to Computer Connection.
“We will purchase your items at fair market value, break them down to component level and re-market them as refurbished gear to valued customers,” Computer Connection says on the recycling section of its website.
Certification impact
The R2 certification means annual auditing and verification of Computer Connection’s “environmentally responsible” and transparent management of electronic components, the company said.
The components include servers, storage systems, hard drives, computers, computer accessories, and miscellaneous consumer electronics.
The certification also ensures that data on hard drives and other storage devices is properly sanitized or destroyed in accordance of the U.S. Department of Defense standards.
The firm has bought and sold used information-technology equipment since it launched in 1988, says Scott Fluty, president and CEO of Computer Connection.
The company found itself taking on equipment it couldn’t resell because of the e-waste issues, and it had to find a way to dispose of the equipment.
“We started working with different e-waste recyclers and we learned the [recycling] business and decided to make it part of our business,” he says.
Now, the R2 certification gives Computer Connection “a little more clout” as a recycler, says Fluty.
“We’re able to position ourselves better to take on more hardware.”
Computer Connection of Central New York operates in a 35,000-square-foot space and employs 32 people, a figure that includes two part-time workers. Computer Connection generates about $12 million annually, Fluty says.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com