Asset ITAD — Component Recovery

Circuit Board Component Recovery

Circuit boards do not go straight to the shredder. We de-solder high-value programmable ICs, microcontrollers and connectors in our soldering lab, releasing them to prototypers and product developers before the board is recycled.

Request a Quote What We Handle

Last reviewed: 22 October 2026

tfix · component-recovery.logCoC #TF-40230
$ tfix recover --asset pcb --parts ic
✓ logged board · graphics card → recovery
✓ de-solder IC · microcontroller removed
→ parts secondary market £210 recovered
✓ residual Au · Ag · Cu reclaimed
✓ CoC issued · audit-ready▌
A technician working on a circuit board
Boards & components, processed at our licensed UK facility
Graphics cards and circuit boards
In plain English

What is circuit board component recovery?

Component recovery is de-soldering high-value programmable ICs, microcontrollers and connectors from circuit boards before the board is recycled for its precious metals — gold, silver and copper.

What You Get

Every Asset Logged. Every Step Documented.

The same verified foundations on every project — documented, traceable, and UK-only.

1. High-value parts rescued first

Programmable ICs, microcontrollers and connectors are de-soldered before boards are recycled.

2. A working soldering lab

De-soldering happens in-house, so components are recovered carefully instead of being lost in the shredder.

3. Parts back into the market

Recovered components reach secondary markets where prototypers and product developers can pick them up individually.

UK chain of custody. No offshore brokering.

Every asset is logged by serial number, transported under chain of custody by our Environment Agency registered carrier, and processed at our licensed UK facility in Mitcham — never sold on to an untracked offshore broker.

Certifications & Compliance

Compliance You Can Verify

We lead with paperwork, not promises. Every registration below is independently checkable, and every project is delivered against recognised UK standards.

CredentialReferenceIssued / recognised byWhat it proves
Waste Carrier RegistrationCBDU656692Environment AgencyLegal authority to transport and carry controlled waste and end-of-life IT across the UK.
WEEE Treatment Exemption (T11)EXP/UP3043JDEnvironment AgencyAuthorised to treat waste electrical and electronic equipment for reuse and recycling.
ICO Data Protection RegistrationZB787416Information Commissioner's OfficeRegistered to process personal data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Cyber EssentialsReference on requestIASME (NCSC scheme)Independently verified baseline cyber-security controls protecting your data while in our custody.
ADR 1.3 Dangerous Goods Awareness (Driver Training)Reference on requestEcoStar (Dangerous Goods Training Online)Collection drivers are trained to handle and transport equipment containing lithium batteries (UN3481, Class 9) in line with ADR dangerous goods rules.

Certification vs alignment: the table lists the registrations and certifications TFix holds and can evidence. References to ISO 27001 elsewhere on this site describe alignment with its information-security principles, not certification.

Standards we work to

  • NIST SP 800-88 Rev.2— Media sanitisation standard governing secure erase and physical destruction.
  • NCSC Secure Sanitisation Guidance— Current UK government guidance on secure sanitisation and disposal of storage media (replaces the withdrawn HMG IA Standard 5).
  • UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018— Legal basis for evidenced, auditable destruction of personal data.
  • WEEE Regulations— Environmental compliance for waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Need our paperwork for an RFP or audit?

We can supply our registrations, insurance certificates, and sample destruction outputs as part of your supplier due diligence.

What We Handle

Circuit Boards We Retire Securely

Built for Prototypers, product developers, makers, and electronics manufacturers.

Programmable ICs & microcontrollers

High-value integrated circuits, microcontrollers and processors recovered for reuse.

Connectors & power components

Connectors, sockets, relays and power components de-soldered and sorted.

Graphics cards & motherboards

Complete boards and cards set aside whole for component recovery.

Precious-metal recovery

Residual boards processed so gold, silver and copper are recovered, not landfilled.

More Equipment We Retire

Hard Drives & SSDs

Certified erasure & shredding

Laptops

Secure wipe & buyback

Servers & Data Centre Equipment

Disposal, decommissioning & recycling

Monitors, TVs & Displays

WEEE-compliant recycling

Phones & Tablets

Secure wipe & buyback

Networking Equipment

Config wipe & buyback

Printers & MFPs

WEEE-compliant disposal

Batteries

Lithium-ion disposal & UPS reuse

GPUs & Graphics Cards

AI & data-centre GPU disposal

Audio & Hi-Fi

Reuse & recycling of hi-fi equipment

Consoles & Gaming

Console reuse, repair & recycling

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about circuit boards disposal.

Why de-solder components instead of shredding the whole board?

A working programmable IC or connector is worth far more in a circuit than as scrap metal. De-soldering keeps those parts whole and usable, which sits higher up the waste hierarchy than shredding a board for its gold, silver and copper.

Who uses the recovered components?

Recovered parts go to secondary markets where prototypers, makers and product developers can pick them up individually — components that would otherwise be too expensive one-off or only sold in bulk.

What happens to the rest of the board?

After the valuable parts are recovered, the remaining board is processed so its precious metals — gold, silver and copper — are recovered rather than landfilled.

Still deciding?

Compare options before committing budget or timeline

Erasure vs Shredding In-house vs Outsourced Evaluate Providers What changes project cost
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Request a Quote

Tell us about the circuit boards you need to retire and we will arrange a clear, no-obligation quote.

✅ Licensed UK collection • Full compliance documentation • Serialised audit trail

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