What Is Chicago Surplus Computers? Everything You Need to Know About CSC

Who Is Chicago Surplus Computers?

Chicago Surplus Computers (CSC) is an R2v3-certified IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) and electronics recycling company headquartered at 240 Cortland Ave, Lombard, IL 60148. We’ve been in operation since 2005 — over two decades of helping businesses responsibly retire their technology.

We work primarily with commercial clients: corporations, healthcare organizations, universities, government agencies, and any business that needs to dispose of 50 or more data-bearing devices in a compliant, secure, and fully documented way.

What Does R2v3 Certification Actually Mean?

R2v3 (Responsible Recycling, version 3) is the gold standard certification for electronics recyclers and ITAD providers in North America, issued by SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International). Companies must pass rigorous third-party audits every year covering five pillars:

When you work with an R2v3-certified vendor like CSC, you get a documented, auditable chain of custody that protects your organization from liability under HIPAA, FACTA, SOX, GLBA, and PCI-DSS.

Core Services We Provide

IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

ITAD is the full lifecycle management of retired IT equipment. When your organization upgrades hardware, you’re left with assets that still carry sensitive data and residual value. CSC handles it completely:

• Asset inventory and tagging — every device logged before it leaves your site
• Secure logistics and pickup — we come to you, anywhere in the Midwest
• Data sanitization or destruction — NIST 800-88 compliant wiping or physical shredding
• Remarketing and resale — working devices are resold, and you may receive a financial return
• Certificate of data destruction — issued for every batch processed

Data Destruction

Data destruction is a legal obligation for most organizations. CSC offers two certified methods:

• Degaussing + Software Wiping (NIST 800-88): For drives that can be reused. Overwrites all data to DoD standards with a verified wipe report per device.
• Physical Shredding: For drives that must be destroyed beyond any recovery. Serial numbers of every destroyed drive are logged on your certificate.

Electronics Recycling & E-Waste Collection

We accept a wide range of electronics for responsible recycling — laptops, desktops, servers, networking gear, monitors, printers, tablets, phones, UPS systems, cables, and peripherals. We offer free scheduled pickups for qualifying commercial bulk loads across Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

How the CSC Process Works

Our process is simple on your end — rigorous on ours.

1. Request a Pickup or Quote Fill out our ITAD Calculator or call us. Tell us what equipment you have, how much, and where. We’ll assess and provide a clear, no-obligation quote.
2. We Schedule Pickup Our team coordinates a convenient time and brings the right equipment, labor, and packaging — from a single desk clear-out to an entire data center floor.
3. Intake & Inventory Every item is logged at our Lombard facility — make, model, serial number, condition. You receive a full asset manifest.
4. Certified Data Destruction Every data-bearing device goes through our certified destruction process before anything else happens. No exceptions.
5. Remarketing or Recycling Working devices with market value are refurbished and resold. Non-functional equipment is broken down and recycled to R2v3 standards.
6. Documentation Delivered to You You receive your Certificate of Data Destruction, asset report, and recycling receipt — everything your compliance team, auditors, and legal counsel need.

Who We Serve

CSC’s clients span the industries where data security and regulatory compliance carry the highest stakes:

• Healthcare & Hospitals — HIPAA-compliant disposal of patient-data devices
• Financial Services — GLBA and SOX-compliant hard drive destruction
• Corporate IT Departments — bulk decommissions during mergers, office moves, or tech upgrades
• Universities & Schools — end-of-lease and end-of-year fleet retirement
• Government Agencies — compliant disposal with full documentation trails
• Logistics & Retail — POS systems, tablets, and warehouse equipment

We work with businesses of all sizes — from a 50-device office upgrade to enterprise-scale decommissions involving thousands of assets.

Why Choose Chicago Surplus Computers?

The Real Cost of Not Using a Certified ITAD Provider

Some businesses try to handle old IT equipment on their own — wiping drives with free tools or discarding hardware with general waste contractors. Here’s what that gamble can cost:

Partnering with CSC isn’t just the responsible choice — it’s the financially prudent one.