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How To Mark Warehouse Assets For Recycling
How To Mark Assets For Recycling via Returns, Replacements, or Offboarding
What is ITAD?
IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) is how Firstbase helps you securely retire hardware, including:
- Reverse logistics (returning devices)
- Secure data erasure and/or physical destruction (NIST 800-88 compliant)
- E-waste recycling
- Remarketing and resale for credit (via ITAD Credits)
What’s included with every ITAD service?
- NIST 800-88 Compliant Data or Physical Destruction: Devices are either securely wiped using NIST 800-88 compliant overwriting software or physically destroyed in accordance with the same standard. Physical destruction is used when devices are locked, unable to power on, or otherwise inaccessible to the software.
- Certificate of Destruction (COD): A certificate is uploaded to the Firstbase platform for every retired asset, whether it was data-wiped or physically destroyed.
- Responsible Recycling: Devices that cannot be resold are recycled in accordance with local e-waste regulations.
- Re-marketing & ITAD Credits: For customers opted in to our credits program, a portion of the resale proceeds is returned as a credit that can be applied to any future Firstbase invoice.
Where are ITAD services available?
Recycling and CODs are available in all countries where Firstbase operates a local warehouse. View our full capabilities by region here.
ITAD Credits are currently offered in the US, UK, EU, and Canada.
How do I initiate ITAD services?
There are a few different ways to initiate ITAD services, depending on where your devices are located:
1. Returning a device?
You can mark it for recycling as part of a Returns, Replacement, or Offboarding workflow. Just toggle for “Recycle” when prompted.
2. Device already in a Firstbase warehouse?
You can request recycling directly from the Asset Management page in the platform.
3. Locked or damaged device?
If our warehouse team discovers that a device is locked or damaged during grading and diagnostics, we’ll reach out with next steps. If you’d prefer to recycle instead of repair or unlock it, just reply to our support team to let us know—we’ll mark it for destruction in the platform and handle it from there.
4. Sending from an office?
If you want to ship devices directly from an office, please email support@firstbase.com. We’ll coordinate the shipment to one of our global facilities and get your devices addd to the platform and processed for ITAD on arrival.
Can I use my own third party ITAD service?
Yes, you’re welcome to use your own ITAD vendor if preferred. Just email support@firstbase.com with a csv file containing the list of equipment (including serial numbers) for ITAD. Provide us with the delivery address, POC and any shipping instructions to coordinate the shipment with your provider.
Once we receive your request, we’ll mark the devices for destruction in the platform on your behalf. When the assets leave our facility, we’ll archive them with the deploy status “Decommissioned By Employer.”
Please don’t use the platform’s ITAD features—those are specifically for Firstbase-managed ITAD services.
How do I track the progress of my ITAD request?
You can track the status of each asset right from the Assets page in the Firstbase platform. Here’s a quick breakdown of what each status means and how it works:
Recycling Requested
(You initiate an ITAD request in the platform.)
⬇
Marked for Destruction
(The asset is pulled from your inventory and prepped for shipment. In the US, UK, EU, and Canada, if the device powers on and isn't locked, we perform secure data erasure using NIST 800-88 compliant overwriting software and upload a COD to your assets page. If the device can’t be accessed—or if it’s in another region where CODs are not issued on site—no COD is uploaded at this stage and the device is shipped directly to our ITAD partner.)
⬇
Out for Destruction
(The device is shipped to one of our ITAD partners for final processing—either secure recycling or remarketing.)
⬇
End of Useful Life – Destroyed
(Our ITAD partner performs NIST-compliant data erasure or physical destruction, and uploads a COD. This may be the second COD if the device was already wiped by Firstbase prior to shipment. If the asset has resale value, it’s repurposed on secondary markets. Customers enrolled in our ITAD Credits program will receive quarterly credits for any resale earnings from their devices.)
👉 Note that for non-data-bearing equipment (like monitors and peripherals), the status moves directly from “Recycling Requested” to “End of Useful Life – Destroyed” once it’s been recycled.
What equipment is eligible?
Laptops, phones, and tablets come with a COD. They are also eligible for credits if you’re opted into the program. Other equipment—like monitors and accessories—is responsibly recycled but doesn’t qualify for credits or CODs. For monitors, we upload a certificate of e-waste instead, where available.
What fees am I charged?
You’ll see an “End of Life Disposal Fee” on your order form—this covers warehouse handling, data erasure, COD issuance, logistics, and recycling. It’s charged per item for laptops, phones, tablets, and monitors. All other items are responsibly recycled at no additional cost.
If your equipment is resold, you’ll receive the full resale credit. Any ITAD service fees are billed separately—they’re not deducted from your credit.
How long does the process take?
It can take up to 60–90 days from the date you request recycling to receive your COD, depending on the region and the condition of the device. In supported regions, if the device powers on and isn’t locked, we’re able to wipe it in-house before shipping it to our ITAD partner, which speeds things up.
You can view our Service Level Objectives by region here.
If your device is eligible for resale, it can take up to an additional 90 days to be sold on secondary markets. Credits are issued quarterly, based on the resale earnings from the previous quarter.
Is your process NIST 800-88 approved? What erasure tool do you use?
Yes, our data destruction process meets or exceeds NIST 800-88 standards in all regions where we offer ITAD services. In the US, this also covers the older DoD 5220.22-M guidelines. We typically use Bitraser or Securaze, though tools may vary by region. If you’d like details about a specific location, please reach out to support@firstbase.com.
Who are your ITAD partners?
Today we partner with Ingram Micro, TAMS, DMD, and ALSO to provide global coverage. Our partner network is always evolving, but we only work with vendors that meet strict standards—this means certified facilities (ISO, NAID, or comparable), a strong industry reputation, and a NIST 800-88–compliant data destruction process.
Do you erase the data on site before sending devices to your ITAD partners?
Yes — in all regions, we wipe devices using our standard returns process (factory reset for Windows devices or Apple Configurator for macOS). In the US, UK, EU, and Canada, we also run the NIST 800-88–compliant wipe using overwriting software, and upload a COD in the platform before the device leaves our facility.
However, there are a few exceptions where a device may ship to an ITAD partner without either of these wipes:
1. ITAD Returns – If you choose to recycle a device during the return process (pre-arrival to one of our facilities), it bypasses the standard wipe and is shipped to our ITAD partner soon after arrival to our facilities. (In the US, we’ll still run the NIST wipe on site prior to shipment if the device is accessible.)
2. Office-originated ITAD shipments – If you send equipment directly from your office for ITAD, we forward it to the ITAD partner as-is. (Again, in the US, we’ll run the NIST wipe if possible.)
3.Devices that are locked or can’t power on – These can’t be wiped internally and are sent straight to our ITAD partner for secure destruction.
In all cases, data destruction is handled securely. If we don’t perform the wipe in-house, our certified ITAD partners take care of it, and a COD will be uploaded once processing is complete.