Licences, permits and certifications, explained
Environmental authorisations are legal permissions from the regulators. Certifications are voluntary standards. For each one we show which companies hold it — verified when we found it on the official register or list, or as the company states until we have checked.
Environmental authorisations
- Waste carrier, broker or dealer registration225 verified · 45 as stated
Businesses that transport other people’s waste — including old IT — or arrange its disposal must be registered as a waste carrier, broker or dealer: with the Environment…
- T11 exemption (repairing or refurbishing WEEE)214 verified · 4 as stated
A registered waste exemption in England and Wales for repairing, refurbishing or dismantling waste electrical equipment so it, or its parts, can be reused — up to 1,000 …
- AATF (Approved Authorised Treatment Facility)55 verified · 0 as stated
A licensed WEEE treatment site that the regulator has also approved to issue evidence notes, which producer compliance schemes use to prove recycling. Approval runs for …
- ATF / environmental permit for WEEE treatment25 verified · 12 as stated
An authorised treatment facility (ATF) is any site licensed or permitted to treat WEEE — usually with an environmental permit (a waste management licence or EASR authori…
- SEPA waste licence, permit or EASR authorisation1 verified · 5 as stated
In Scotland, waste sites are authorised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) — older waste management licences, and since November 2025 authorisations un…
- SEPA exemption or EASR registration6 verified · 7 as stated
In Scotland, smaller waste activities were run under exemptions registered with SEPA. Since 1 November 2025, repairing, refurbishing or dismantling up to 35 tonnes of WE…
- NIEA waste authorisation0 verified · 4 as stated
In Northern Ireland, waste carriers, licences and exemptions are authorised by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA, part of DAERA). Repairing and refurbishing …
Certifications and standards
- ADISA certification29 verified · 3 as stated
Independent certification for IT asset disposal companies from ADISA Certification Ltd (UKAS accredited). Its ICT Asset Recovery Standard 8.0 is a UK GDPR certification …
- NAID AAA certification0 verified · 2 as stated
A data destruction certification run by i-SIGMA (the association formed from NAID), which includes unannounced audits. Certified companies can be checked in i-SIGMA’s on…
- ISO 9001 (quality management)0 verified · 142 as stated
An international standard for quality management systems. ISO itself certifies no one — certificates come from certification bodies, so check the certificate is current,…
- ISO 14001 (environmental management)0 verified · 142 as stated
The environmental management system standard (a new edition, ISO 14001:2026, replaced the 2015 version in April 2026). It shows a company has a system to manage its envi…
- ISO 27001 (information security)0 verified · 98 as stated
The international standard for information security management systems (ISO/IEC 27001:2022). It shows a company runs a risk-based system for keeping information secure, …
- ISO 45001 (health and safety)0 verified · 47 as stated
An international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. Check the certificate is current and covers the site.
- Cyber Essentials0 verified · 43 as stated
The government-backed minimum cyber security standard, covering five controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security updates, user access and malware protection. It …
- Cyber Essentials Plus0 verified · 23 as stated
Cyber Essentials with independent hands-on technical testing of the controls. Like Cyber Essentials, it covers the company’s own IT, not its data destruction methods.
- Blancco partner0 verified · 44 as stated
The company says it is a partner of Blancco, a widely used maker of data erasure software, and uses its software to wipe drives and devices. Ask for the erasure report f…
How we check, and what “verified”, “company says”, “not found” and “expired” mean: about the data.