Corporate Liability: Disposal of obsolete IT equipment is fast becoming a major liability for companies regardless of size. Electronic components contain many substances which are harmful if released into the environment. The toxic content found in equipment can mean negative publicity and fines no one wants, and compliance issues that can not be resolved in house. Electronic scrap which enters the waste stream must be managed as hazardous waste and therefore must be processed accordingly. Environmental enforcement is governed by stringent federal laws under which an offender’s liability for improper disposal is "joint and several." The law governs waste management from an item's removal from the enterprise until its final disposition. In effect every owner or handler must comply with the law in order to avoid legal jeopardy for all. The law allows for penalties against all. The majority of electronics can be traced back to the original purchaser by the serial number. The original owner is classified by law as the ‘Generator of the Waste’ no matter how the equipment is dispositioned. Corporations are subject to legal liability for environmental compliance which, under CERCLA, may not be severed by a bill of sale or certificate of destruction.

New privacy laws pertaining to the financial services, healthcare, and insurance industries establish additional liability for consumer data that is exposed to the market. Under these laws all patient, financial, consumer, or government information must be deleted beyond recovery from the IT equipment i.e. hard drives sanitized, tapes degaussed and monitors with burn-in destroyed. Failure to comply will result in legal and financial liabilities.

PC Worldwide is able to certify that all electronic scrap it receives is handled in a manner compliant with federal and local governmental regulations and requirements. PC Worldwide reporting provides a complete audit trail through final disposition for every serialized item.