Richie Steffens

About Richie Steffens

Richard Steffens is the CEO and co-founder of TechWaste Recycling. With more than two decades in electronics reuse, recycling, and IT asset disposition, he helps organizations retire electronics and IT assets with secure data destruction, IT asset disposition (ITAD), and certified recycling backed by clear documentation. He writes practical guidance on data risk, compliance, and responsible recycling, so teams can run repeatable, audit-ready end-of-life programs.

Battery-Embedded Electronics In California: What Businesses Need To Know Before New Rules Take Effect

By |2026-03-02T20:33:45+00:00February 28th, 2026|

If you run facilities or sustainability programs in California, SB 1215 is expanding the state’s Covered Electronic Waste (CEW) Recycling Program to include more products with non-removable, battery-embedded designs starting January 1, 2026. This is informational only. Confirm whether specific devices are covered, and how the rules apply to [...]

Designing a Campus E-Waste Program Across Multiple Southern California Sites

By |2026-05-13T21:35:37+00:00February 27th, 2026|

To run a campus e-waste program that scales across multiple Southern California sites, focus on repeatable operations: standardized collection points, predictable pickups, basic staff training, and reporting you can pull for audits and sustainability updates. This guide walks you through a simple model that keeps e-waste and data-bearing devices [...]

What To Include In Your Itad Policy If You Work In A Regulated Industry

By |2026-01-14T03:55:59+00:00January 20th, 2026|

TL;DR: In regulated industries, ad hoc hardware retirement creates real risk for data, audits, and reputation. A clear IT asset disposition policy gives teams a shared playbook for how to retire devices that hold sensitive information. Define scope, roles, and asset inventory requirements in plain language. Document approved data [...]

California E-Waste Rules For Businesses

By |2026-05-13T21:39:37+00:00January 6th, 2026|

TL;DR: California treats many retired electronics from businesses as a regulated waste stream, not regular trash. IT and facilities teams are responsible for separating devices, working with qualified recyclers, and keeping basic records that show what they did. Treat any device with a plug, battery, or circuit board as [...]

How To Document Hard Drive Destruction For Auditors In California

By |2026-01-14T04:12:55+00:00December 30th, 2025|

TL;DR:Auditors in California care about how clearly you can prove what happened to each data-bearing device, not just whether you destroyed it. Strong documentation connects your policy, inventory, chain of custody, and certificates into a story that makes sense.Start with a clear data destruction policy that defines media, methods, and [...]

IT Asset Disposition Checklist For Southern California IT Teams

By |2026-01-14T03:48:51+00:00December 26th, 2025|

TL;DRIf you manage IT in Southern California, a simple IT asset disposition checklist keeps old hardware from turning into data risk and clutter. It gives you a repeatable way to plan projects, coordinate pickups, and prove that devices were handled securely.Understand which sites and teams are involved in every ITAD [...]

Can You Recycle X-ray Films?

By |2026-01-02T20:24:07+00:00October 20th, 2023|

X-rays are so helpful that many people never imagined the topic of recycling X-ray films. As environmental awareness grows, everything that has ever come into contact with humans will be analyzed from an eco-friendly perspective. Can X-Rays Be Recycled? Yes, X-ray films can be recycled. Plastic and silver materials [...]

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