Barcode Tracking

Ask just about any American consumer what a barcode is and most will know.

We see barcodes on almost all the products we buy. The straight black lines, some thick and some thin, are actually computer code used to identify products.

With a barcode sticker placed onto an electronic device, a permanent record of that device's history and characteristics are recorded and linked to a database.

In the case of electronic waste, information such as the name of the former owner, the location where the device was most recently deployed, the current location of the device, the manufacturer, model, part number and serial number are all very useful information to an e-waste company.

Ideally, once the device is decommissioned, the e-waste company that is handling the recycling of the equipment would deploy barcodes onto devices before they ship out to be processed.

Deploying barcodes enables tracking of devices which would definitely facilitate compliance with environmental regulations. In other words, the barcode will insure you know what it is, where it is, what has been processed so far, and what needs to be processed in the future.

The barcode is a great asset tracking tool that is a virtual necessity in today's world of electronic waste remarketing and recycling.

Since 1949, the year of the first barcode patent, barcodes have a had a not very "black and white" history of successes and failures. You can easily find out more about barcodes on Wikipedia.

At one point in barcode history there was a Catch-22 going on because retailers had to purchase expensive scanning equipment while product suppliers simultaneously had considerable costs in upgrading their packaging and labels to make the new barcode ecosystem a success. Neither one wanted to be the first to bear the cost of an untried new technology.

Consequently, since neither retailer nor supplier wanted to take the lead implementing them, barcodes, before becoming a success and ubiquitous, languished in an economic purgatory almost a decade before their widespread use was adopted.

Knowing an e-waste company that will BARCODE track your "decommissioned" electronic assets from "cradle to grave," is peace of mind considering the risks of data destruction and the risks of failure to comply with local, state and federal regulations concerning e-waste.

To get an even more detailed account of how your e-waste is handled please contact us.