E-waste recycling — where to take old TVs, computers and electronics
Here's the fact that decides everything: Sixteen of the fifty states we cover ban computers and televisions from landfills or the trash (North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Vermont and Rhode Island), and Minnesota and Massachusetts ban old picture-tube TVs. Put a TV in a landfill load in one state and it can be refused outright; do the same a state line away and no rule is broken. That said, almost every county would rather you recycled it — and most will take it free.
The state rule comes first
| State | Banned from landfills? | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Yes — banned | Discarded computer equipment and televisions are on the statutory landfill ban list. They must be recycled. |
| Florida | No | Electronics are not among Florida's five prohibited categories. Counties still run free drop-offs and would rather you used them. |
| Georgia | No | No state e-waste law, no landfill ban on most electronics and no producer-responsibility program. Hazardous components — batteries especially — are still regulated. |
| Texas | No — but manufacturers must take them back | No landfill ban (30 TAC 330.15), but Texas law requires computer makers to offer free recycling for their own brand (30 TAC 328.137), and TV makers to run a recycling program (30 TAC 328, Subchapter J). TCEQ publishes both manufacturer lists. Most large cities also run a recycling center. |
| Ohio | No | Electronics are not on Ohio's landfill prohibition list (OAC 3745-535-620), which covers tires, yard waste and hazardous material. County and city drop-offs take them anyway, and several accept CRT televisions that private recyclers refuse. |
| Tennessee | No | Electronics aren't on Tennessee's landfill ban list, which covers whole tires, lead-acid batteries, used oil and liquids (Tenn. Code § 68-211-866; TDEC Rule 0400-11-01-.04). Counties take them anyway: Rutherford County's Leanna, Smyrna and Rockvale convenience centers accept TVs, computers and phones free, and Clarksville's Bi-County landfill takes computers and TVs. |
| Virginia | No | Virginia has no statewide landfill ban on electronics, but localities may ban tube TVs and monitors if they run a recycling program for them (Code of Virginia § 10.1-1425.26), and computer makers must let you recycle their brand without a separate fee (§ 10.1-1425.29). SPSA takes up to five electronic items a day free from Hampton Roads residents. |
| South Carolina | Yes — since July 1, 2011 (S.C. Code § 48-60-90) | You can't put a computer, laptop, monitor, printer or TV in trash headed for a landfill, and landfills must post signs saying they won't take them. Greenville County takes intact electronics at four of its six Residential Waste and Recycling Centers, Richland County takes up to five items at its Caughman Road drop-off, and Lexington County takes up to five a day at Edmund Landfill. |
| Arizona | No | Arizona has no statewide landfill ban on electronics; a 2010 bill that would have created a recycling program never became law. Cities run their own: the Glendale landfill takes computers, phones and cables (not TVs or printers), Chandler's collection center takes computers and household electronics, and Phoenix residents can drop off two tube TVs a month free. |
| California | Yes — banned from the trash | California bans electronics from the trash: TVs, monitors, laptops, computers, printers, phones, radios and even microwave ovens, according to CalRecycle. Kern County's Bena Landfill and Sacramento County's North Area Recovery Station take residents' electronics free; San Diego's Miramar Landfill turns them away, and the City's hazardous waste facility doesn't take them either. |
| Washington | No — but recycling is free | Washington has no statewide landfill ban on electronics, but its electronics recycling law (chapter 70A.500 RCW) funds E-Cycle Washington, which takes TVs, computers, monitors, laptops, tablets, e-readers and portable DVD players with no fee at drop-off, at retailers, charities and local government sites. Seattle goes further and bans those electronics from its garbage and transfer stations. |
| Oregon | Yes — computers, monitors and TVs (ORS 459.247) | Computer monitors, desktop and laptop computers and TVs can't go to an Oregon disposal site, and each one dumped can draw a civil penalty of up to $500. Oregon E-Cycles sites take them free: Metro's stations and Marion County's take up to seven items a day. |
| Colorado | Yes — since July 1, 2013 (C.R.S. Title 25, Article 17, Part 3) | Colorado residents can no longer put computers and other electronics in the trash, and landfills, transfer stations and haulers must post signs saying so. There's no free statewide program, so expect a recycling fee: Mesa County charges $0.80 a pound and Larimer County $0.65 a pound for computers. A county can vote to opt out of the ban only after a good-faith effort to offer recycling. |
| Maryland | No state ban | Maryland doesn't ban electronics from the trash. Its eCycling law makes TV and computer makers register with the state, with a lower fee for those offering free takeback. Counties take them too: Harford and Cecil counties accept electronics free, and Baltimore County's drop-off centers take them from residents. |
| Wisconsin | Yes — since September 1, 2010 (Wis. Stat. 287.07(5)) | TVs, computers, monitors, printers, DVD players and other electronics can't go in the trash in Wisconsin. The E-Cycle Wisconsin program has manufacturers pay for recycling, but local sites still charge: Dane County's Clean Sweep takes TVs and monitors for $15, Winnebago County charges $15 to $20 a TV, and Outagamie County $30. |
| Minnesota | Picture-tube (CRT) devices — since July 1, 2006 (Minn. Stat. 115A.9565) | State law keeps anything with a picture tube, like an old TV or monitor, out of the trash. Manufacturers fund recycling under a state program, and county sites take TVs for a small fee or free: Itasca County takes TVs and monitors free, Hennepin County's drop-offs charge $10, and Rice County $15. |
| Alabama | No — not listed in ADEM's landfill rules | Alabama has no electronics landfill ban, but local sites still separate them. The Calhoun County transfer station takes TVs and computers with household trash, and in Huntsville the Solid Waste Disposal Authority's hazardous waste facility on A Cleaner Way takes TVs, laptops and cellphones, weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Utah | No: Utah's e-waste law funds education and collection events, not a ban | Many Utah sites take electronics free from residents: the Trans-Jordan Landfill does, and the Davis Landfill takes electronic waste free from district residents. Others charge a little: Weber County's transfer station charges $5 a TV or monitor, and North Pointe in Lindon $10 an item. |
| Iowa | No statewide ban in the Iowa Code | TVs and monitors carry their own fee: $15 in Linn County, $20 in Iowa City and Dubuque, $12.50 to $50 by size in Sioux City, and $30 to $40 for picture-tube TVs at Metro Park East near Des Moines. Iowa City and Boone County won't bury screens. |
| Kansas | No statewide ban; Kansas has no electronics recycling law | Wichita's Brooks Landfill charges $50 per electronic item, Lyon County's hazardous waste department in Emporia takes old tube TVs for $10, and Leavenworth County takes electronics free from county residents. Ellis County accepts picture-tube TVs and monitors with household trash. |
| Idaho | No statewide ban; Idaho has no electronics recycling law | Ada County takes computers, TVs and monitors free from residents, and the Twin Falls area stations take electronics free. Bonneville County's transfer station won't take electronics at all, and Valley County charges $6 a TV or computer. |
| Connecticut | Yes: TVs, computers, monitors and printers (Conn. Gen. Stat. 22a-636) | Manufacturers pay to recycle them, so drop-off is free: Trumbull, Guilford and Waterford take electronics free at their transfer stations, and Norwalk's has an electronics container. |
| New York | Yes: since 2015, households can't put covered electronics in the trash (N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law 27-2611) | Manufacturers pay for free take-back. Clifton Park and Orange and Sullivan counties take electronics free at their stations, Broome County free on designated days; Guilderland charges $20 for a TV or monitor. |
| New Hampshire | Yes: computers, monitors, TVs, printers, phones and other electronic devices (RSA 149-M:27) | Town stations charge a fee to recycle them: $5 in Amherst, $5 to $15 in Goffstown, $15 in Merrimack, $15 a TV in Bedford. Nashua takes your first two a year free. |
| Maine | Yes: TVs and computer monitors (38 M.R.S. § 1306 bans picture tubes from disposal facilities) | Town stations collect them for recycling, usually for a fee: $11 a TV in Belfast, $20 in Standish, $5 to $25 in Waterboro. |
| Montana | No state ban | Local sites decide: Helena treats monitors, printers and TVs as trash, Logan Landfill takes residential electronics at $27 a ton, and Lake County holds a yearly recycling event. |
| New Mexico | No state ban | Local sites decide: Las Cruces charges $9.59 a TV, Santa Fe $10, the Sandoval County Landfill $33; Albuquerque picks TVs up free with large items. |
| Oklahoma | No state ban | Local sites decide: Stillwater charges $25 a TV, Enid's landfill $7 a monitor, and Tulsa's bulky pickup takes up to 4 TVs. Norman's transfer station won't take TVs or computers. |
| New Jersey | Yes: TVs, computers and monitors can't go in the trash (Electronic Waste Management Act, since 2011) | County sites in Sussex, Salem, Cape May and Burlington counties take them free; manufacturers pay for the recycling. |
| Nebraska | No state ban | Nebraska has no e-waste law, so each landfill sets its own rules; call your city's site before bringing a TV or computer. |
| Nevada | No state ban | Each site sets its own rules; the Douglas County transfer station takes TVs and monitors by weight. |
| Indiana | Yes: households can't put TVs, computers and other electronics in landfill trash (Indiana E-Cycle law, Ind. Code 13-20.5) | Bartholomew County takes residents' electronics at its landfill and recycling center ($20 for TVs and monitors), Elkhart County charges $10 an item, and Fort Wayne residents use Allen County events or recyclers such as OmniSource. |
| Arkansas | No state ban | Garland County takes whole electronics free, Fort Smith takes them free from Sebastian County residents, and Conway charges a small fee at its landfill. |
| Michigan | No state ban | Kent County takes electronics free (old tube TVs $20 to $40); Midland points residents to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or Midland Recyclers. |
| Kentucky | No state ban | Louisville takes up to 3 electronic items a day free from residents; Daviess County's Grimes Avenue station has an electronics drop-off, and Hardin County holds free e-scrap days (next April 24, 2027). |
| Pennsylvania | Yes: TVs, computers and monitors are banned from the trash (Covered Device Recycling Act of 2010) | Philadelphia's convenience centers and Centre County take them free from residents, Chester County takes up to 3 free, and LCSWMA's hazardous waste facility takes them from Lancaster County residents. |
| Louisiana | No state ban | Jefferson Parish's Marrero and Metairie drop-offs take flat-screen TVs and computers free, and New Orleans takes up to 4 TVs at its Saturday drop-off center. |
| West Virginia | Only where the county can recycle them: since 2016, TVs and computers can't be landfilled if the county solid waste authority has a cost-effective recycling option (W.Va. Code 22-15A-22) | Jefferson County takes TVs and monitors for $10 each. |
| Missouri | No state ban | Lee's Summit's Resource Recovery Park recycles electronics; call (816) 287-2221 for the price. |
| Massachusetts | Picture-tube TVs and monitors only: cathode ray tubes are on MassDEP's waste ban list | Worcester's drop-off center takes TVs for $5; Falmouth charges $25 and Barnstable $20 to $40. |
| Mississippi | No state ban | DeSoto County's Sandidge Road pit recycles TVs for residents; Hancock County collects them at its yearly hazardous waste day. |
| Illinois | Yes: TVs, computers, monitors, printers and other electronics have been banned from landfills since January 1, 2012 | Chicago residents can drop computers at the city's Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility; Rock Island County residents get free year-round electronics drop-off. |
| Vermont | Yes: electronics have been banned from the trash since 2011 | TVs and computers are free for households under Vermont's E-Cycles program, up to seven items. |
| Rhode Island | Yes: TVs, computers, monitors, laptops and tablets are banned from landfill disposal | Resource Recovery takes residents' TVs and computers free; Richmond's transfer station takes e-waste free. |
| Delaware | No state ban found | DSWA runs separate electronics recycling collections. |
| South Dakota | No state ban | Local rules vary: the Sioux Falls landfill bans TVs, computers and phones, while Brookings and Watertown take e-waste by weight. |
| North Dakota | No state ban | Grand Forks residents can drop off electronics free (four times a year); Bismarck runs an electronics recycling center. |
| Wyoming | No state ban found | Cheyenne's transfer station and the Laramie landfill take household electronics free. |
| Alaska | No state ban found | Kenai Peninsula Borough sites take electronics free; Anchorage charges $30–$35 for TVs and monitors. |
| Hawaii | No landfill ban (manufacturer take-back, HRS 339D) | Manufacturers fund collection under the state's electronic device recycling law; check county collection events. |
Sources: NC G.S. 130A-309.10; Florida Administrative Code 62-701.300; Georgia EPD; Texas 30 TAC 328.137 and Subchapter J (TCEQ); Ohio OAC 3745-535-620; Tennessee Code § 68-211-866 and TDEC Rule 0400-11-01-.04; S.C. Code § 48-60-90; Arizona Revised Statutes Title 49, Chapter 4; chapter 70A.500 RCW, Washington Department of Ecology, E-Cycle Washington and Seattle Public Utilities Director's Rule SW-404; ORS 459.247 and 459.995; C.R.S. Title 25, Article 17, Part 3; MDE, eCycling; Wis. Stat. § 287.07; Minn. Stat. § 115A.9565; ADEM Admin. Code r. 335-13-4-.21; Utah Code 19-6 Part 12; CalRecycle, waste banned from the trash; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-636; N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law § 27-2611; N.H. RSA 149-M:27; 38 M.R.S. § 1306; MCA Title 75, ch. 10. Verified September 2026.
Then find your local drop-off
The state rule tells you whether a landfill may bury electronics. It does not tell you where to actually take them — and in every state, including the ones with no ban at all, there is usually a free option.
Three routes cover almost everyone, in the order worth trying:
- National retailers. Best Buy takes most electronics free at most stores, up to ten items per household per day, though TVs carry a $29.99 fee per set in most states, and Staples accepts smaller electronics. No proof of residency, no appointment — the simplest option for a laptop or a phone.
- Your county household hazardous waste or recycling center. Usually free for residents with ID. This is the route for the awkward items, and often the only one that takes a CRT television.
- Manufacturer takeback. Free, and in some states legally required — see the Texas row above.
CRT televisions and monitors are the hard case. The old glass tubes contain several pounds of lead, they cost more to process than the materials are worth, and many private recyclers refuse them or charge a fee of $10 to $25. County facilities are far more likely to take one free. Call before you load a tube TV into the car.
Type your city or ZIP into the finder below, or tap Use my location. Each result links to its city page, with hours, fees and what it takes.
Find electronics recycling near you
Enter your city or ZIP to see the closest recycling facilities. Call ahead to confirm they accept e-waste — not every recycler does.
Why the landfill often says no
Electronics contain lead, mercury, cadmium and lithium — none of which anyone wants leaching into groundwater. That's why they're pulled out of the normal waste stream and handled at environmental service centers rather than dumped at the working face.
It's also why the free drop-offs are almost always restricted to residents. The city is absorbing a real recycling cost per unit, so they want to see a utility bill or a driver's license proving you live there.
Before you recycle it, check whether it's worth something
A working computer, phone or TV from the last few years still has resale or trade-in value, and a genuinely dead one may still be worth something for parts. Recycling is the right end of the line — but it's the last stop, not the first.
If the item is usable, many cities run a reuse shelf or warehouse where residents drop off working items for someone else to take home, free.
- Wipe your data first. Factory-reset phones and computers, and remove hard drives if you're paranoid — most recyclers make no promises about data.
- Remove batteries where you can. Loose lithium batteries are a fire risk and many sites want them separated.
- TVs and monitors are the heaviest and most restricted item — call ahead if you have several.
- Bought a replacement? Many retailers take the old unit at delivery, which beats any trip.
Where to recycle electronics for free near you
You usually don't have to pay to recycle electronics — you just have to use the right drop-off. Three free routes cover almost everyone:
- National retailers. Best Buy takes most electronics free at most stores (up to ten items per household per day; TVs carry a $29.99 fee in most states), and Staples accepts smaller electronics and accessories free. Neither asks for proof of residency, which makes them the easiest option when your city's center is residents-only.
- Your city's environmental service center. Most large-city environmental service centers take e-waste free for residents with a photo ID or utility bill. Some are appointment-only rather than walk-in, so check before you drive.
- Manufacturer and carrier take-back. Apple, Dell, Samsung and the major phone carriers all run free mail-in or in-store recycling, and many will haul off your old unit when a new one is delivered.
The exception is the city that charges per item even for residents — usually for screens. Where that's the case, a retailer take-back run is the cheaper move. For a TV or a pile of old gear that won't fit in the car, a junk-removal quote is often less than the value of the afternoon it would take you to sort out.
Common questions
Where can I recycle electronics for free near me?
Best Buy and Staples both take most electronics free with no proof of residency required, which makes them the simplest option nationwide. Your city environmental service center is usually free for residents too, and manufacturers like Apple and Dell offer free mail-in recycling. Use the city or ZIP search on this page to find the closest drop-off.
Can I throw a TV in the dumpster?
Among the states we cover, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Vermont and Rhode Island ban TVs from landfills or the trash, and Minnesota and Massachusetts ban old picture-tube TVs. Everywhere else it's allowed, but don't count on it: TVs carry lead and mercury, many cities pull them out of the waste stream, and most drop-off centers won't take them in a mixed load. A county drop-off or a retailer take-back is usually free anyway.
Is electronics recycling free?
For residents, usually yes — most large cities and counties accept e-waste free with proof of address. The exceptions charge per item, most often for old tube (CRT) televisions, because the leaded glass costs money to process. Commercial quantities are a different matter everywhere — call first.
Where do I take an old computer?
Your city's environmental service center or hazardous waste drop-off is the standard answer. In Texas, the maker of your computer must also take it back free. Use the city or ZIP search on this page to find the nearest recycling facility to you.
Do I need an appointment?
Sometimes — a number of facilities are appointment-only, and turning up without one is a common reason people get sent home. Everywhere else, walk-in during posted hours.