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CyrusOne stands among the world’s leading data center operators, and its sustainability record reflects that leadership. As CyrusOne’s trusted electronics recycling partner, AIT Electronics Recycling has helped the company turn end-of-life electronics into measurable ESG wins. This partnership shows exactly what responsible recycling looks like at corporate scale, and it offers a roadmap for any sustainability officer building a stronger circular economy program.
America Recycles Day: A Moment That Matters for Corporate Sustainability
America Recycles Day falls on November 15th each year. It started as Texas Recycles Day, created by two employees of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality who wanted a dedicated day to champion recycling. The idea reached the National Recycling Coalition, and a national observance was born.
Over time, national recycling efforts have lifted the U.S. recycling rate to about 32%. That number proves progress, but it also signals how much room remains, especially in electronics recycling. For companies like CyrusOne, America Recycles Day is a checkpoint for the year-round work that drives ESG reporting and corporate responsibility.
CyrusOne’s ESG Highlights: Numbers That Tell the Story
CyrusOne treats transparency as a guiding principle, and the data backs up the commitment. These highlights show how responsible recycling fits into a much larger sustainability strategy.
- Climate Neutral by 2030: CyrusOne has committed to climate neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, with near-term targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
- 46% waste diversion rate in 2023: A company-wide push to address operational waste more than doubled the diversion rate from the prior year.
- 63% recycling rate: Centralized waste tracking across the portfolio pushed the recycling rate well past internal goals.
- 2.4 million pounds of batteries recycled: Spent lead-acid batteries from backup power systems were responsibly recycled in a single year.
- EcoVadis Gold Level: CyrusOne ranked in the top 5% of more than 85,000 companies rated by EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted business sustainability rating provider.
- ~280,000 pounds collected by AIT: In 2023 alone, AIT picked up roughly 280,000 pounds of recyclable electronic materials from CyrusOne facilities.
Each CyrusOne facility in the U.S. now hosts a dedicated e-waste collection bin, giving customers and team members a convenient way to recycle old computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, and more. All data storage devices are placed into dedicated, locked data storage bins which require a key to open. These storage devices are then destroyed through AIT’s certified data destruction services, fully compliant with IEEE 2883-2022, NIST SP 800-88 and DoD 5220.22-M, data destruction standards. CyrusOne’s ITAD program keeps valuable materials in circulation and toxic materials out of the environment.
Why E-Waste Recycling Belongs in Every Company’s ESG Report
Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world, and it sits at the intersection of three ESG priorities: environmental impact, data security, and circular economy progress. A documented e-waste program gives sustainability teams something they can actually report.
Here’s how responsible recycling strengthens your ESG disclosures:
- Verifiable waste diversion data: Service certificates and recycling reports give you hard numbers for environmental disclosures to stakeholders and clients.
- Circular economy contribution: Refurbishing and reselling recovered electronics with a full ITAD program keeps materials in use and supports circularity goals.
- Reduced environmental liability: Compliant recycling protects your organization from the risks tied to improper disposal.
- Secure data destruction: Certified data destruction services guarantee that sensitive data storage devices are thoroughly destroyed and do not end up in the wrong hands.
- Stakeholder trust: Transparent recycling metrics show investors, customers, and communities that your commitments are real.
Why AIT Electronics Recycling Earns Corporate Trust
AIT has spent more than 20 years helping organizations retire IT assets the right way. We serve 500 of the Fortune 1000, and that track record reflects a simple promise: your data security and your sustainability goals come first.
Here’s what sets our service apart:
- 24-hour turnaround: We respond to any correspondence within 24 hours, and we always answer the phone.
- Certified data destruction: Choose on-site shredding, off-site shredding, or custom options built for HIPAA, SOX, PCI DSS and any other high-security compliance requirements.
- Customized intake and logistics: We tailor intake forms, plans, and pickup schedules to fit your team and your locations nationwide.
- Circular value recovery: Our dedicated IT and e-commerce team refurbishes and resells recovered electronics by request, turning end-of-life assets into a renewed return on profit for your company.
Quick Answers for ESG and Sustainability Leaders
What makes an ongoing recycling partnership better than one-off pickups?
An ongoing partnership means consistent data, customized logistics, and reliable coverage across every location. You get repeatable, reportable metrics instead of scattered records, which makes ESG reporting far easier.
Will my data or assets be compromised during recycling?
No. We build a binding work proposal tailored to your needs before any service begins, and we treat data security as our top priority. With certified destruction options abiding by NIST, IEEE and DoD data destruction standards and decades of experience, AIT protects your information at every step.
How does e-waste recycling support our broader ESG goals?
Every pound recycled contributes to waste diversion targets, circular economy commitments, and reduced environmental liability. The documentation we provide, including a Certificate of Destruction, Certificate of Recycling and full e-waste report, plugs directly into your sustainability disclosures.
A single collection bin at each facility may seem modest, but together those bins recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds of material in one year. That’s the circular economy in action, and it’s the kind of measurable progress that belongs in every ESG report.
Responsible recycling isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good for governance, smart risk management, and a clear signal of corporate integrity. We’re proud to help CyrusOne move toward its sustainability goals a little more each day.
Happy recycling!
Ready to get started? Click here to start recycling your e-waste today!