Cascade, now Sage Sustainable Electronics, is capable of effectively and safely processing most information technology equipment and office electronics. We are also able to process certain electronic medical equipment and industrial equipment when they meet our specific acceptance guidelines and receive pre-approval prior to pick up. There is some equipment that Sage cannot or chooses not to process because it poses environmental, health, safety, legal or other concerns. We call these items “nonconforming materials.”

Cascade/Sage can help customers prepare and treat items so we’re able to safely transport and handle the equipment or help find suitable alternatives for processing these nonconforming items.

• RecyclePak program from Veolia – We recommend using Veolia’s convenient pre-paid box, shipping and recycling system. Buy from their online catalog. Includes options for recycling many items Cascade/Sage considers non-conforming, including smoke detectors, PCB ballasts, mercury containing devices (thermometers, thermostats, mercury wetted relays, etc.), fluorescent lamps/bulbs, etc.
• Items acceptable for processing by Cascade/Sage
• Battery handling guide for customers – this resource provides information on how to prepare loose batteries for pickup for safe and compliant hauling and recycling.

Nonconforming Materials

Generally speaking, we do not process items with liquids, radiation, or hazardous waste, or that are potentially contaminated with harmful or unknown chemicals, biological pathogens, radioactive substances, or other hazardous material. Other licensed firms are better able to deal with these hazards. Companies should look to see if they are already under contract with a suitable hazardous waste processor for treating these items, or we can help you find options for this waste.

Here is a list of some products we consider “nonconforming” and will reject for processing:

1. Blades, which refers to the sharp cutting edges used in knives, box cutters, utility knives, swords, or similar devices. 
2. Building materials such as wood, ceiling tiles, drywall, concrete, paint, etc.; this includes any item used for structural, enclosure, insulation, service rough-ins and finishes made of natural and/or manufactured substances.
3. Capacitors that are not installed inside of a device, machine, or other equipment.
4. Chemicals, including cleaners, pest control products, etc.
5. Compressed gas cylinders, tanks, or pressurized containers (including aerosols)
6. Currency or other monetary items such as checks and bank cards
7. Damaged Lithium-ion batteries (and devices with damaged Li-ion batteries) that are not properly packaged and labeled for shipping are not accepted for pickup or shipment by Cascade/Sage. A damaged Li-ion battery would be swollen, burnt, smoking, or show other signs of physical damage. These may be unsafe for anyone to handle because they can ignite. Also, the DOT does not allow for them to be transported without proper labeling and packaging.
   1. You can order a kit for safely packing and shipping damaged Li-ion batteries for processing that meets DOT requirements from Call2Recycle (1 complete recycling and shipping kit starts at $90.00) or Veolia (their DDR Lithium-ion battery recycling kits start at $322.32). 
   2. Contact our Account Management Team about using Cascade/Sage to safely and legally package and transport damaged Li-ion batteries or devices with Li-ion batteries (tablets, laptops, phones that are bulging). The cost for this service is $7.50 per battery, plus applicable device/battery processing, inventory, and handling charges. Learn more here. 
8. Explosives, including any chemical compound, mixture, or device. Examples include black powder, pellet powder, initiating explosives, ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) mixtures, safety fuses, squibs, mixed binary explosives, and igniters.
9. Flammable solids (powdered, granular, or pasty chemicals) which may cause or contribute to a fire through friction. Examples include sulfur, magnesium, and naphthalene (moth balls). 
10. Garbage and food waste
11. Household items other than microwaves: small and large appliances, especially those that contain refrigerant, freon, and/or coolant.
12. Insects or animals (live, eggs, remains), such as bed bugs, roaches, rodents, reptiles, etc. If you encounter equipment exposed to bed bugs, follow treatment recommendations provided by the Mayo Clinic. Recommendations on how to treat electronics infested with cockroaches can be found here. Hint: bag and freeze the electronic device for at least 3 days.
13. Liquids of all types, including those marked flammable, such as vapes and e-Cigarettes.
14. Medical waste: equipment with potential biological contamination (see our “Acceptance Guidelines for Healthcare Customers” for more information about handling items that may have been used in a clinical environment that will need special handling before acceptance by Cascade/Sage.)
    1. Medical or other IT equipment with a bloodborne pathogen exposure risk that has not been decontaminated on its surface
    2. Any equipment that shows evidence of biological contamination
    3. Any medical waste including sharps or other contaminated wastes
    4. Anything in a biohazard bag
15. Unused sharps in sealed packaging
16. Mercury-containing devices (We can accept LCD monitors, laptops and televisions for processing, even though they contain mercury lamps)
    1. Mercury thermometers
    2. Mercury thermostats
    3. Fluorescent lamps (or light bulbs) – in fixtures or loose
17. PCB-containing materials (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
    1. Capacitors
    2. Lighting ballasts manufactured before 1979
    3. Any magnetic ballast not labeled “does not contain PCBs”
18. Pharmaceuticals including medicinal and recreational drugs
19. Radioactive materials (look for radioactive sticker on device)
    1. Some exit signs
    2. Some medical equipment
    3. Some smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
20. Solar panels
21. Suspicious or suspect equipment such as personal electronic devices, intimate use electronic devices, and containers leaking fluid.
22. Weapons and ammunition
    
23. Equipment exposed to sewage from flooding, unless it has been decontaminated and dried prior to handling by Cascade.
24. Loose rechargeable (non-damaged) batteries not packaged per DOT requirements.
    1. See Info sheet about how to properly package batteries for transport.
25. Loose bulbs (LEDs, fluorescents, incandescents, etc.)
26. Leaking wet celled batteries (such as car batteries that are leaking)
27. Solid waste or other trash
    1. Large amounts of rubber or glass
    2. Plumbing/plumbing fixtures
    3. Anything containing Asbestos
28. Materials with high amounts of lead, cadmium, or other dangerous components that are not typically present in office electronics
29. Anything else that could pose a threat to health, safety, or the environment

Nonconforming Materials Procedure

In contracts with customers, Cascade/Sage will define its procedure for handling nonconforming materials generated by the customer and identified during pickup or processing. For those customers not under contract, our standard Terms and Conditions apply.

The section about Nonconforming Equipment from our Standard Terms and Conditions is excerpted here:

Customer agrees to only send computer and other office electronic equipment and related materials to Cascade for processing. Cascade is not capable of processing hazardous materials that are not particular to electronic equipment. Equipment shall be considered non-conforming, after initial evaluation of each shipment (which shall take place no later than 30 days after delivery thereof in Cascade’s facility), if it fails to conform to the characteristics agreed to by Cascade in any material respect.

Cascade may revoke its acceptance of NCE within five business days of Cascade’s discovery of the non-conformity. The revocation of acceptance shall be effective immediately upon receipt by the customer of oral notice followed by written notice. The customer shall direct Cascade within seven business days of an alternative lawful manner of disposition of the NCE. If the customer fails to so direct Cascade, Cascade shall prepare for lawful transportation and return of the NCE to the customer at the customer’s expense.

Cascade retains the right not to service NCE. If Cascade cannot or chooses not to service NCE or the customer elects not to have Cascade service the NCE, the customer shall pay Cascade reasonable handling costs including, but not limited to, transportation, unloading, loading, preparing, storing and caring for the NCE. Cascade shall be responsible only for its employees, agents, subcontractors or invitees negligence with respect to any such NCE.