62 million tons of e-waste are generated globally each year — and only about 22% gets recycled. The rest leaks toxic mercury, lead and lithium into soil. Worse, lithium batteries in regular trash start thousands of recycling-truck fires annually. Here's how to dispose of your old electronics safely (and for free).
The Golden Rule: Never Trash It
E-waste should never go in regular trash or curbside recycling. In the US it's illegal in 25+ states. In the EU, the WEEE Directive requires free take-back at retailers. Always use one of the routes below.
1. Manufacturer / Retailer Take-Back (Free)
- Apple GiveBack — trade-in or recycle any device, any brand
- Best Buy — free recycling for most electronics (US)
- Currys / Dixons — free take-back for any small device (UK)
- Staples / Office Depot — accepts batteries, ink, small electronics
- Samsung, Dell, HP — mail-in programs for printers, PCs
- Call2Recycle — battery drop-off bins at Home Depot, Lowe's
2. Municipal E-Waste Days
Most cities run free e-waste drop-off events 1–4 times per year. Search "[your city] e-waste day". For ongoing drop-off, look up your city's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility.
3. Trade-In For Cash
Working devices are worth money. Try Gazelle, Decluttr, ItsWorthMore, or trade-in via Apple/Samsung. Even broken phones often fetch $20–$50.
4. Donate
Working laptops, phones and tablets are gold for charities, schools, and refugee organizations. Try World Computer Exchange, Cell Phones For Soldiers, or local Goodwill electronics programs.
Wipe Data Before Recycling
- Phone: Sign out of accounts, then Settings → Erase All Content (iOS) or Factory Reset (Android).
- Laptop: Sign out of cloud accounts, then OS-level reset (Windows: "Reset this PC" with "Remove files and clean drive"; macOS: Erase All Content and Settings).
- External drive: Use a secure-erase tool (Disk Utility, DBAN).
- If in doubt: Physically remove and destroy the storage.
Special Cases
Lithium batteries
Tape the terminals with electrical tape. Drop at Call2Recycle bin or e-waste site. Never bin them — even small ones can ignite trucks.
CRT TVs & monitors
Heavy and contain lead. Most cities require special drop-off; some retailers charge a small fee. Never put curbside.
Light bulbs
CFLs and fluorescent tubes contain mercury — drop at Home Depot, Lowe's or hardware stores. LEDs and incandescents go in trash (LEDs ideally e-waste where possible).
Cables & chargers
Bundle and bring to any e-waste drop-off, or to Best Buy / Currys.
Find a Drop-Off Near You
- US: Earth911 search, Call2Recycle.org
- UK: Recycle Now postcode lookup
- EU: Local Wertstoffhof / Déchetterie / Centro de Reciclaje
- Anywhere: Search "[city] e-waste drop-off"
Related
Don't trash old gadgets — TrashSort knows where they go
Scan any device. We tell you the nearest drop-off in seconds.
