Decommissioning Services

Computer Aid International provides a professional decommissioning service. We have successfully carried out the decommissioning of technical assets for many government and corporate clients, educational institutions and local authorities. References can be provided upon request.

You may be interested in reading our new IT Decommissioning Information Pack.

Organisations have an obligation under the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure that confidential data about employees or customers is not disclosed without the consent of the individual concerned. Computer Aid is registered in accordance with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 1998.

All donated computers, laptops and servers received by Computer Aid are wiped using Ontrack® Eraser™ software from Kroll Ontrack®, which guarantees the unrecoverable removal of 100% of data. This free-of-charge service means companies can be sure that none of their data can be retrieved and that they are fully compliant with the Data Protection Act. Hard disks that are faulty or that cannot be wiped of data are destroyed.

Ontrack Eraser is certified by the following organisations:

- UK's Communications Electronics Security Group (CESG) HMG Infosec 5 (Lower & Higher)
- German PCI
- Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM)

For more information about Ontrack Eraser data wiping you can visit their website

Computer Aid's recycling process exceeds WEEE Directive requirements. Any equipment that fails our tests for reuse is processed in state-of-the art recycling facilities within the UK.

Computer Aid assumes full legal liability for equipment that we receive. We have public liability insurance which covers all hardware donated to us as soon as it comes into our possession, as well as data wiping insurance.

Letter of Disposal - This lists the quantities of equipment donated and states that we accept full legal responsibility for the equipment and that all hard disks will be wiped to US Ministry of Defence standards. This letter can be used for auditing purposes.

Certificate of Donation - This thanks you for your donation and can be displayed for employees and visitors to see.

Contractual Agreements - Computer Aid has a standard contract that it provides to larger donors, detailing our service level agreement. This contract can be tailored to your company's needs.

Data Destruction Report - Computer Aid can provide companies with a detailed report on the data wiping of their hard drives for an additional cost.

Waste Transfer Note - Should Computer Aid arrange a collection, it will provide each IT donor with a Waste Transfer Note, as required by the Environment Agency.

We offer a free decommissioning service to companies donating equipment we can reuse. If you are able to deliver the equipment to our warehouse in North London then there are no costs.

If you would like to arrange a collection we will ask for a contribution towards collection costs depending on the quantity, quality and location of the equipment. For example, it would be £50 for us to arrange a collection of up to 10 computers and 10 monitors anywhere within the M25.

Please contact Darren on 0208 361 5540 or darren@computeraid.org to get a quotation or to book a delivery into our schedule.

The Environment Agency has approved Computer Aid International as an Authorised Approved Treatment Facility (AATF) for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). This means that Computer Aid is authorised to issue the evidence notes required by Producer Compliance Schemes (PCSs), which are designed to prove that original IT equipment manufacturers have paid for the recycling of their products and are therefore complying with the law.

Computer Aid is currently implementing the Quality Management Standard ISO 9001:2000 and Environment Management standard ISO 14001

Computer Aid is a perfect fit for Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. We provide volunteering opportunities for company employees and can provide you with stories and photos for your company intranet or newsletter.

We can also work with your PR team to deliver mutually beneficial publicity. We have an excellent record of obtaining publicity in both the national and trade press.

Please follow the links to view  press coverage we've had with some of our IT donors Cranfield University, Royal Mail,  Buckingham Palace, Sainbury's, Rothschild , Coca Cola, the Virgin Group Brent Council

Computer Aid asset tracks all equipment donated to the organisation. This involves bar-coding every piece of equipment that comes into our warehouse (each monitor, each base unit, each printer). We will provide you with a breakdown of all equipment you donated, detailing what has be reused what has been recycled. Our asset tracking enables you to follow your PCs to exactly which project and which country they are sent to.

In 2009 Computer Aid assisted in the setting up of an e-waste recycling plant in Nairobi, extending our commitment to end-of-life solutions in Africa. The recycling centre for end-of-life electronic and electrical equipment has been set up by our partner organisation Computers for Schools Kenya (CFSK), a not-for-profit organisation based in Nairobi. The recycling plant has received an award by the Kenyan Environment Agency for its work.

We offer a UK wide collection for donations of equipment from businesses and organisations. If you would like to arrange a collection we may ask for a contribution towards collection costs depending on the quantity, quality and location of the equipment.  For example, it would be £50 for us to arrange a collection of up to 10 computers and 10 monitors anywhere within the M25.

Please contact Darren on 0208 361 5540 or darren@computeraid.org to get a quotation or to book a delivery into our schedule. Alternatively you can fill in our online form with the equipment you currently have and we will get back to you with a quote.