One ITAD in India workflow: wipe, certify, recycle, buy back.
How a Pune fintech’s Rs 12,000 scrap sale turned into a Rs 14 lakh legal bill, and the ITAD contract that now keeps it from happening again. Full story below.
IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) in India at a glance
The straight answer on what ITAD covers, who needs it, and what it costs.
- What it covers
- Pickup, serial-level audit, certified data wipe, CPCB recycling, and buyback credit, in one contract.
- Who it fits
- Any business retiring 50 or more devices at once. BFSI, healthcare, IT-heavy firms, anyone under DPDP scrutiny.
- Compliance basis
- Data wipe to NIST SP 800-88. Recycling under the E-Waste Management Rules 2022, through CPCB-authorised dismantlers.
- What you get back
- A wipe certificate per device, a CPCB recycling certificate per batch, and buyback credit for anything with residual value.
- Typical recovery
- 25 to 40 percent of original cost for 3-year-old laptops, 10 to 18 percent for 5-year-old kit. Quoted after a serial-level audit.
- Turnaround
- Pickup in 5 working days of PO. Wipe certificates in 7 working days. Recycling certificate in 14 working days. Buyback credit in 21 working days.
The ITAD process Sirius Star runs, stage by stage
Every ITAD engagement runs through these four stages. We scope the fleet size in the free 30-minute review.
Pickup & serial-level audit
Our driver and your IT lead reconcile every serial number on a tablet at your dock before the truck leaves.
- Every laptop, server, switch, UPS scanned
- CSV signed by both parties before pickup
- 5 working day pickup window
Certified data destruction
NIST SP 800-88 wipe under CCTV by a named operator. Physical shredding for drives that will not respond to commands.
- Crypto-erase for self-encrypting drives
- BFSI clients can wipe on their own premises
- Certificate in 7 working days
CPCB-certified recycling
Anything below Grade A goes to a CPCB-authorised dismantler under the E-Waste Management Rules 2022.
- Chain of custody log included
- Meets auditor documentation requirements
- Certificate in 14 working days
Buyback & residual value
Grade-A units return to our refurbished inventory as buyback credit that lands on your books as income.
- 25-40% recovery on 3-year-old laptops
- 10-18% recovery on 5-year-old kit
- Priced after serial-level audit
ITAD vs in-house disposal vs a scrap dealer
Three ways to retire old IT. Only one is defensible in a DPDP audit.
| Brand | Where it wins | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Sirius Star ITAD (certified) | Wipe certificate per device, CPCB recycling certificate per batch, full chain of custody, up to 40 percent residual value recovered. | Any firm retiring 50+ devices. BFSI, healthcare, regulated industries under DPDP. |
| In-house wipe and dump | No vendor cost if you already own wipe software. | Very small fleets, under 10 devices, with an IT team confident in chain-of-custody paperwork. |
| Scrap dealer sale | Fastest, cash in hand the same day. | Never, if the devices ever touched customer or employee data. No certificate, no defensibility, pennies on the rupee. |
How a Sirius Star IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) procurement runs
Free 30 minute review first. Then a written quote in 24 working hours.
Serial-level pickup audit
Our driver and your IT lead reconcile every serial number on a tablet at your dock before the truck leaves.
Secure transport & storage
Devices move to our nearest secure facility (Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi or Hyderabad) and sit in a locked, CCTV room until wipe.
Certified wipe or destruction
NIST SP 800-88 wipe under CCTV by a named operator, or physical shredding where drives will not respond to commands.
Recycle, refurb or buy back
Grade-A units return to inventory as buyback credit. Everything else goes to a CPCB-authorised dismantler with a batch certificate.
The DPDP-safe way to retire old IT assets
The deeper read for IT and compliance heads planning a device retirement cycle.
- The full Pune fintech story
- NIST 800-88 wipe methods explained simply
- The CPCB certificate checklist your auditor will ask for
- How buyback credit is calculated
ITAD in India: FAQ
Common questions about ITAD for Indian buyers. Hover any underlined term for a plain-English definition.
How is data wipe verified?
Every drive gets a wipe certificate with serial number, the NIST 800-88 method used, operator name, timestamp, and a verification hash. We use Blancco or White Canyon WipeDrive depending on the drive type. The certificate stands up in audit.
What does buyback typically recover?
For 3-year-old business laptops we typically return 25 to 40 percent of original purchase cost as buyback credit. For 5-year-old kit it drops to 10 to 18 percent. We quote per batch after a serial-level audit.
Do you handle servers and networking gear?
Yes. Servers, switches, routers, UPS, KVMs, and storage arrays. The wipe and recycling chain is the same. Buyback is harder to predict because the secondary market is thinner.
How long does pickup to certificate take?
Pickup within 5 working days of PO. Wipe certificates in 7 working days from pickup. CPCB recycling certificate in 14 working days. Buyback credit note in 21 working days.
Is ITAD the same as a scrap sale?
No. A scrap sale is a sub-step. ITAD adds data destruction, CPCB compliance, asset audit, and chain of custody. A scrap dealer gives you Rs 200 per laptop. ITAD gives you a defensible compliance posture and 25 percent or more of the original cost back.
Ready for a written ITAD quote?
Tell us your fleet size and locations. A sized quote lands in 24 working hours.
Pair this on one PO
What buyers typically add to a Sirius Star order. Each link is a live page on the Sirius Star site.
Sources we trust
The numbers and frameworks on this page come from primary sources you can verify.