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Retiring old IT? You have two options, and KGS runs both. E-waste recycling safely disposes of dead or obsolete electronics and recovers the materials. ITAD handles working or data-bearing gear: it wipes the data, remarkets anything with resale value, then recycles the rest.
Rule of thumb: recycle what is broken, use ITAD for anything that still works or holds data. Even a small fleet has PDPA duties, so do not just bin it.
Jump to the difference, e-waste recycling, ITAD, which you need, or the FAQs.
The difference is scope.
E-waste recycling deals with electronics that are already dead or obsolete. Its job is to keep them out of landfill and recover the materials inside.
ITAD covers assets that may still hold data or resale value. It adds certified data destruction and remarketing first, then recycles what is left.
| E-waste recycling | ITAD (IT asset disposition) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Sound disposal and material recovery of end-of-life electronics | Full end-of-life management: data destruction, remarketing, then recycling |
| Best for | Broken, obsolete or non-working electronics; bulk e-waste | Working or data-bearing IT: laptops, desktops, servers, drives |
| Data security | Not the focus | Certified data destruction (NIST 800-88 / NAID AAA-equivalent), with a certificate |
| Value recovery | None | Possible via remarketing, not guaranteed |
| Documentation | Certificate of recycling on request (no ESG report) | Certificate of destruction, chain of custody, resale record |
| KGS service | E-waste recycling service | ITAD service |
This is the right route for gear that no longer works or is obsolete.
KGS is a NEA-licensed recycler, holding General Waste Collector and Disposal Facility licences. Collected equipment goes through a compliant, traceable route, not to landfill.
There is no enterprise minimum, so an SME can have the volumes it actually has collected.
In recycling, these materials are recovered and kept out of landfill:
KGS is ISO 14001 certified, so these materials are recovered and kept out of landfill, which supports Singapore's "Towards Zero Waste" vision. You can request a certificate of recycling for your records.
Arrange a collection through the e-waste recycling service.
ITAD is more than recycling.
Because it covers assets that may still hold data or value, it wraps recycling inside a controlled lifecycle: secure collection, certified data destruction, remarketing, then recycling. It all runs under one chain of custody.
The PDPA applies no matter how small your company is. Even a few retired laptops should go through certified destruction, not a bin or a general recycler.
Data is destroyed and certified before anything is resold or recycled.
Reusable drives are wiped with a multi-pass overwrite to the NIST SP 800-88 standard. Dead or damaged media is physically destroyed to a NAID AAA-equivalent process. Each batch gets a Certificate of Destruction for your audit trail.
See how each method works on the secure data destruction service.
Working, recent hardware is often worth more refurbished than as scrap.
Where hardware qualifies, generally batches over 50 units and under 5 years old, KGS may remarket it to recover some value. A return is not guaranteed and depends on the resale market. Devices sent to NGOs or schools also create social impact by helping bridge the digital divide.
Smaller SME batches that do not meet the threshold still get certified data destruction and recycling.
Every asset is logged at collection with asset-tag reconciliation and tracked through the process. The count that leaves your office matches the count that arrives, and you get a certificate of destruction and a chain-of-custody record for PDPA.
Explore end-to-end lifecycle management on the ITAD service.
Choose by what you are retiring:
For most SMEs a refresh is exactly that mix. A few working laptops worth remarketing, plus older gear for recycling. One ITAD engagement with KGS usually covers both.
KGS runs both services under one licensed chain of custody. That gives you a single accountable partner from the office desk to the final report.
To get started, contact KGS to arrange a collection. Or explore the e-waste recycling and ITAD services.
ITAD (IT asset disposition) is the full end-of-life management of a company's IT assets. It covers secure collection, certified data destruction, remarketing of working gear, then recycling. It is broader than e-waste recycling, which handles disposal and material recovery only.
Use a licensed vendor that gives you tracked collection, certified data destruction (NIST 800-88 or NAID AAA-equivalent) and a certificate. KGS is NEA-licensed and collects the volumes an SME actually has, with no enterprise minimum.
Yes. KGS issues a Certificate of Destruction for each batch. It is the legal audit trail your compliance team needs to show retired data was provably destroyed.
Remarket working units, generally over 50 units and under 5 years old, for possible value recovery, though a return is not guaranteed. Recycle dead, damaged or small batches. Either way, data is destroyed and certified first.
Gold, silver and palladium from circuit boards, aluminium and steel from chassis, and lithium from batteries. KGS extracts the lithium in-house rather than passing it to a third party.
For e-waste recycling you can request a certificate of recycling. For data-bearing assets under ITAD, KGS issues a certificate of destruction plus a chain-of-custody record. KGS does not provide a formal ESG report.
Yes. Every reusable drive is wiped to the NIST SP 800-88 standard and verified before resale. Anything that cannot be securely wiped is physically destroyed instead.
Contact KGS to arrange a collection. The team handles inventory, certified data destruction, and remarketing or recycling, with a certificate of destruction and a certificate of recycling available on request.
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