Our Certifications

e-Steward is a certification program administered by the Basel Action Network (BAN), an international nonprofit organization that works to prevent the global trade in toxic wastes. The e-Steward standard is widely regarded as the most rigorous and meaningful certification available to electronics recyclers, setting strict requirements around environmental protection, worker safety, data security, and downstream accountability.

The certification matters because the electronics recycling industry, unfortunately, contains actors who accept electronics under the guise of recycling but actually export hazardous materials—particularly CRT glass, circuit boards, and batteries—to developing countries in Asia and Africa where environmental protections are weak and labor costs are low. This practice, which is illegal under the Basel Convention, exposes workers and communities in those countries to serious health hazards and causes environmental damage that persists for generations.

e-Steward certified recyclers are required to maintain full downstream tracking of all materials they process, demonstrating that nothing is exported in violation of international law and that all materials are handled responsibly through certified downstream processors. Annual third-party audits verify compliance with these requirements—a recycler cannot simply claim the certification; they must prove it year after year.

For our customers, e-Steward certification provides genuine assurance that the electronics they recycle with AK Recycling are not contributing to environmental harm overseas. It transforms &quot;recycling&quot; from a vague promise into a verified, documented commitment. Learn more about the program and our journey to certification on our <Link href="/becoming-an-e-steward">Becoming an e-Steward page</Link>.

AK Recycling operates under the licensing and permitting framework established by California&apos;s Electronic Waste Recycling Act (SB 20/SB 50), which created one of the most comprehensive e-waste regulatory systems in the United States. We are certified as a covered electronic waste (CEW) recycler with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), which authorizes us to collect and process televisions, monitors, and other covered devices under California&apos;s e-waste program.

California&apos;s e-waste program is funded by the Electronic Waste Recycling Fee paid by consumers at the point of purchase on covered devices. Certified collectors and recyclers like AK Recycling are reimbursed through this fund, which is why we are able to accept most covered electronic devices free of charge. The program ensures a sustainable financial model for responsible recycling while making recycling accessible to consumers and businesses throughout the state.

Beyond the CEW certification, AK Recycling holds applicable hazardous waste transportation authorizations for the movement of certain categories of e-waste that qualify as hazardous under California law, and we work with downstream processors that hold the appropriate treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) permits for materials like CRT glass, lead-acid batteries, and other regulated materials.

We maintain current copies of all our permits and certifications and are happy to provide copies to customers who require them for their own compliance records. Contact us at rich@ak-recycling.com and we will forward the relevant documentation.

Downstream accountability is one of the most critical and challenging aspects of responsible electronics recycling. When AK Recycling transfers materials to a downstream processor—whether a CRT glass processor, a precious metals refinery, a plastic recycler, or another facility—we bear responsibility for ensuring that processor meets our standards. This is a core requirement of e-Steward certification.

We vet all downstream processors before entering into any business relationship with them. This vetting process includes reviewing their environmental permits, certifications, and any regulatory history. We look for processors that hold recognized certifications such as e-Steward, R2 (Responsible Recycling), or ISO 14001. We review their environmental practices documentation and, for some processors, conduct site visits to observe their operations firsthand.

The Basel Action Network, which administers the e-Steward program, has published guidance on acceptable downstream practices and maintains a list of certified facilities. We use this guidance to inform our downstream selection and to maintain our own certification in good standing. Our third-party auditor reviews our downstream tracking records as part of the annual e-Steward audit, providing an independent check on our practices.

We also maintain tracking records for materials leaving our facility. These records allow us to document where materials went and confirm they were processed appropriately. This level of accountability is not universal in the recycling industry—it is something we invest in because we believe our customers deserve to know that their recycled electronics are truly being handled responsibly, not just collected and then passed off to the lowest-cost processor regardless of that processor&apos;s practices.

AK Recycling&apos;s data destruction services are performed in compliance with established standards for secure data destruction, including the Department of Defense (DoD) 5220.22-M standard for software-based media wiping and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-88 guidelines for media sanitization. These standards define the specific methods and procedures that constitute secure destruction of data from various types of storage media.

For physical destruction of storage media, we use industrial shredding equipment capable of reducing hard drives and other storage devices to fragment sizes that make data recovery impossible. Degaussing—using a powerful magnetic field to erase magnetic media—is another tool in our data destruction toolkit, particularly useful for traditional spinning hard drives and magnetic tape media.

We provide certificates of data destruction for all storage devices processed through our certified destruction service. These certificates document the type and quantity of devices destroyed, the method of destruction used, the date of destruction, and identifying information for the devices where available. These documents are suitable for compliance purposes under HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, GDPR, California&apos;s CCPA, and other regulatory frameworks.

Our complete data security capabilities, methods, and compliance information are described in detail on our <Link href="/data-security">data security page</Link>. We are also happy to discuss your organization&apos;s specific data security requirements by phone or email to determine the appropriate level of service for your needs.

Our e-Steward certification requires annual third-party audits conducted by accredited certification bodies. These are not self-assessments or paperwork reviews—they involve on-site inspections of our facility, review of our operational procedures, examination of our downstream tracking records, and interviews with our staff. If the auditor finds any deficiencies, we must address them and demonstrate compliance before certification is renewed. This rigorous annual cycle ensures that our certification reflects our current practices, not just our practices at the time we first earned the credential.

California state permits and certifications have their own renewal cycles and ongoing compliance requirements. CalRecycle, the state agency responsible for overseeing the e-waste program, has audit and inspection authority over certified recyclers. We comply fully with all state inspection and reporting requirements.

We view audits not as burdens but as valuable tools for continuous improvement. An independent expert reviewing our operations brings a fresh perspective and often identifies opportunities to improve our efficiency or environmental performance that we might otherwise overlook. The discipline required to maintain certification year after year keeps our team focused on doing things right every day, not just during audit season.

If a customer or prospective customer wants to verify our current certification status, the Basel Action Network maintains a public directory of current e-Steward certified recyclers. CalRecycle also publishes a list of certified e-waste recyclers in California. You can confirm our active status through these public resources at any time.