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Data Center Equipment Decommissioning

Data Center Take-Outs and National Pickups

Recycle for Life, Inc. handles data center take-outs and large IT equipment pickups for businesses outside Southern California. For jobs beyond our regular Orange County, Los Angeles and San Diego routes, we coordinate local labor crews and LTL freight carriers to remove your equipment and ship it to our facility in Tustin, California.

Every national job is planned and quoted individually based on the location, the amount of equipment and the labor required. There is no set minimum, so contact us with what you have.

What we remove

  • Servers, storage arrays and networking equipment
  • Racks, cabinets, cabling and power distribution units
  • Desktop computers, laptops and monitors from office closures
  • Hard drives, SSDs and backup tapes

Where we work

Our regular pickup area is Orange County, Los Angeles County and San Diego County. Locations elsewhere in the United States are reviewed and quoted case by case. We work with businesses only.

How a Data Center Take-Out Works

1. Send us an equipment list or photos, the site address and access details such as loading docks, elevators and working hours.
2. We review the job and send you a quote for labor and freight.
3. On the scheduled day, a local crew de-racks the equipment, removes racks and cabling, and prepares everything for freight.
4. An LTL freight carrier delivers the equipment to our Tustin facility.
5. You receive a Certificate of Recycling within 3 days of the equipment arriving.

Equipment with resale value, such as current servers and networking gear, may be purchased, which can offset the cost of the job. Profit sharing on resold equipment and components is also available, either as a direct payment to your company or as a donation to charity. The rest is recycled through an EPA-registered, DTSC-audited facility. Recycle for Life is registered with the EPA (CAR000293126) and regulated by the California DTSC (facility 32421), and has served businesses since 2010.

Hard Drives and Data Security

Drive destruction on a data center job is quoted as part of the project, because of the labor a job this size involves. Pricing depends on the type of drive and how it arrives. SSDs and M.2 drives cost less to destroy than hard drives, and drives still in their caddies cost more to process than drives that have already been removed.

Drives can be destroyed on-site during the take-out when arranged in advance, or after they arrive at our Tustin facility. High-volume destruction is available for jobs of more than 2,000 hard drives. SSDs and M.2 drives are destroyed by punching or breaking, and backup tapes are crushed. Either way, you receive a signed Certificate of Destruction. If you need serial numbers listed, send us your list before the job and we will attach it.

Tell us about your data requirements when you request a quote so destruction can be planned along with the removal. Learn more about hard drive destruction.

Data center take-out FAQ

Do you work outside California?
Yes, case by case. Send us the location and equipment list and we will let you know if we can take the job.

How much does a national pickup cost?
Each job is quoted individually based on labor, freight and the value of the equipment. Drive destruction is quoted as part of the job. SSDs and M.2 drives cost less to destroy than hard drives, and drives in caddies cost more to process than loose drives.

Is there a minimum?
No set minimum. Contact us with what you have.

Do you buy data center equipment?
Yes. We buy used servers, storage and networking equipment with resale value. Send model numbers and quantities for a quote. Profit sharing on resold equipment and components is also available, as a direct payment or as a donation to charity.

Can you provide a certificate of insurance?
Yes. We provide a certificate of insurance on request. Include the certificate holder and any additional insured requirements in the questionnaire below.

What paperwork do I get?
A Certificate of Recycling within 3 days of the equipment arriving at our facility, and a Certificate of Destruction for any drives destroyed.

Ready to plan a take-out? Fill out the questionnaire below, or contact Recycle for Life at (714) 988-8109 or ewaste@usedcartridge.com.

Technicians transferring server equipment for recycling

Data Center Take-Out Questionnaire

Tell us about your data center and we will follow up to review the job and prepare a quote. Only your email is required, so answer whatever you can and we will follow up on the rest.