With technology infrastructure evolving at an ever-increasing pace, tech directors may be left with a warehouse full of decommissioned monitors, mice and hard drives. School districts may want to invest in a program that helps them dispose of old technology safely and efficiently.

Schools have two options: They can recycle components for reuse or they can e-recycle the entire system. Product age often dictates the decision. With technology older than five years, the district should e-recycle the system. An e-recycling company can sort through components to recycle metal and plastic parts and properly dispose of potentially hazardous components, such as those that contain mercury.

State and local requirements also factor into the decision on surplus IT equipment. Districts may operate on a three-year tech-refresh cycle for high schools, but can redeploy systems in middle or elementary schools to extend their life span.

Regardless of the initial path, at some point every computer’s usefulness comes to an end. Districts can partner with an e-recycler to recycle the system. Schools should find a partner that balances price and service. “A small mom-and-pop shop may appear affordable, but if it doesn’t offer that full range of services, including logistics support and data sanitization, it may not be the best option in the long run,” says Peter Muscanelli, founder and president of the International Association of Electronics Recyclers.

Cost shouldn’t be a factor. E-recyclers will collect most items for free or for a small fee. Monitors, specifically CRTs, are an exception because they are considered hazardous waste. Most companies charge a monitor-disposal fee.

Schools also need to evaluate e-recycling vendors on data sanitization and environmental consciousness. “It’s very difficult for an understaffed IT department to clean several hard drives,” says Muscanelli, who adds that half of the sanitized equipment he sees still has some information remaining on the computers’ hard drives. Instead, schools should look for an e-recycler who adheres to Department of Defense data-destruction standards and provides a certificate of destruction. Schools should ascertain any potential partner’s environmental commitment by asking about the amount of output destined for the landfill; less than 10 percent is a respectable ratio. It’s also a good idea to avoid any e-recycler that sends scrap to other countries. The final measure of a company’s proficiency is ISO 14000 certification, which includes requirements for environmental management systems.

It’s a safe bet that the e-waste issue will grow; however, more companies are making responsible disposal possible, cost-effective and environmentally benign.