Industrial Recycling

Electronics De-Manufacturing Services

We take electronics apart the right way, separating metals, plastics, and circuit boards so more material gets a second life.

6 commodity streamsMetals, boards, glass, plastics
Certified chain of custodyFor every unit processed
Destruction certs issuedPer device, serialized
Hazmat containedBatteries, lamps, toner isolated
What De-Manufacturing Is

Disassembly beats shredding when precision matters

"De-manufacturing is the manual and mechanical disassembly of electronics into distinct commodity streams: steel and aluminum housings, copper wiring, circuit boards for precious-metal recovery, plastics sorted by resin type, and CRT or panel glass handled to specification. By separating before shredding, AVA routes each material to the downstream processor best suited to recover it, and pulls hazardous components out before they can contaminate the stream."

"For business clients, de-manufacturing also enables secure disposition. Storage devices are removed from every unit and destroyed under documented chain-of-custody procedures before the housing is processed. Branded housings can be physically destroyed rather than resold, protecting brand integrity and data security simultaneously."

AVA's de-manufacturing line processes equipment ranging from individual workstations and servers to full pallet loads of mixed electronics. Volume pricing is available for regular accounts. Every processed load receives a Certificate of Recycling, and data-bearing devices receive a serialized Certificate of Data Destruction.

AVA Recycling de-manufacturing facility
How It Works

The de-manufacturing process, step by step

  1. 1

    Intake and manifest

    Your equipment is received, counted, and entered into our tracking system. You receive a pickup manifest that serves as your initial documentation.

  2. 2

    Data device removal

    Hard drives, SSDs, and other storage media are removed from every unit and transferred to our secure destruction queue before any disassembly proceeds.

  3. 3

    Certified data destruction

    Storage devices are shredded or degaussed under documented chain-of-custody procedures. Serialized Certificates of Data Destruction are generated for every device.

  4. 4

    Manual and mechanical disassembly

    Electronics are disassembled into commodity streams: metals, circuit boards, plastics, glass, and isolated hazmat components such as batteries, mercury lamps, and toner cartridges.

  5. 5

    Downstream routing and documentation

    Each commodity is routed to a certified downstream processor. You receive a Certificate of Recycling confirming the load was processed to applicable environmental standards.

Why It Matters

De-manufacturing versus shredding

"AVA Recycling de-manufactures electronics by hand and machine into six commodity streams: steel and aluminum housings, copper wiring, circuit boards for precious-metal recovery, plastics by resin type, CRT and panel glass, and isolated hazardous components. Storage devices are destroyed under documented chain-of-custody before disassembly. Every processed load receives a Certificate of Recycling."

"Whole-unit shredding is fast but imprecise. Mixed fractions require additional processing, some materials degrade in value, and hazardous components can contaminate otherwise clean commodity streams. Manual de-manufacturing addresses all three of these issues by separating materials before any size reduction occurs."

"Circuit boards are among the highest-value materials in electronics. Precious metals including gold, silver, and palladium are recovered from boards by specialized downstream smelters. Commingled boards retain more value than boards processed with mixed scrap, which is why AVA routes them as a clean separate stream."

"CRT glass presents a specific challenge. Leaded glass from cathode-ray tubes requires processing at a dedicated glass processor that can capture and contain the lead content. AVA removes CRT panels intact and routes them to certified CRT glass processors, keeping leaded materials out of general glass and metal streams."

"Batteries are removed before any other processing because lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, and nickel-cadmium cells can ignite or explode under the stress of shredding. Mercury in CCFL backlit displays, toner in cartridges, and refrigerant in air-conditioned rack equipment are similarly isolated. Hazmat components are sent to licensed disposal facilities."

"For corporate and government clients with brand or data security concerns, physical destruction of branded housings is available as an add-on service. Housings are shredded or crushed, and destruction is documented. This prevents branded equipment from being resold or refurbished in ways that could create liability."

Common Questions

De-manufacturing questions

Have Equipment to De-Manufacture?

Schedule a free pickup or call our team — we'll walk you through pricing and logistics in minutes.