How to Recycle Electronics

Throwing your old tech in the trash is bad for the environment. Check out some safer, cleaner alternatives.

With the holidays almost upon us, chances are you will get new electronics, maybe a computer or a Switch or other game system. What do you do with your old electronics? Or maybe you don’t need the latest electronics and wonder where you can find reliable used equipment.

Electronics recycling centers are both a place to recycle your electronics safely and, in some cases, repair technology for sale. Many will erase your hard drives to protect your privacy.

In the US, start with the EPA website to find locations and search online with the phrase, electronic recycling centers. Other countries have similar websites. Staples, Gamestop, and other stores also recycle. So do Apple and Dell. Look around and make a few phone calls.

Recycling electronics also is a great way to conserve energy and resources, as well as reduce pollution. For example, the EPA says recycling a million laptops would save the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3500 homes.

Learn More

Popular Science article about recycling old tech at e-waste centers

https://www.popsci.com/recycle-tech-e-waste-centers

List of places to recycle old tech

https://www.kidscodecs.com/where-to-recycle-electronics/
https://www.kidscodecs.com/resources/electronic-recycling/

Official EPA page on donating and recycling electronics

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling

E-cycling central

http://www.ecyclingcentral.com/ (US)

List of recycling centers per state in the USA

https://www.recyclingcenters.org/electronics_recycling.php

Author

  • Tim Slavin

    Tim is an award-winning writer and technologist who enjoys teaching tech to non-technical people. He has many years experience with web sites and applications in business, technical, and creative roles. He and his wife have two kids, now teenagers, who are mad about video games.

Also In The December 2018 Issue

Create colourful geometric patterns in SketchUp inspired by the Great Mosque of Cordoba.

Learn how to use animated GIFs to create proper animation loops in Scratch.

Create an electronic obstacle course and test the steadiness of your hands as you navigate through.

What’s allowed in an e-mail address? Let’s break down the syntax.

Throwing your old tech in the trash is bad for the environment. Check out some safer, cleaner alternatives.

New, crafty mods that’ll push your Minecraft design skills to new levels.

Part philosophical paradox, part coding puzzle, quines are sure to tease and challenge your brain!

5 questions with the designer pushing innovation in 3D printed clothes.

All work and no play makes it harder for kids to learn, especially those with anxiety and learning disabilities.

Dive into the nuts & bolts of storing pictures and files on your computer.

A clever AI is creating twisted, surreal art. Math or magic?

Two doors hide a zonk, and one door hides a prize. Can probability & statistics help you pick the right one?

How can you tell if a credit card number is valid or invalid? Meet the Luhn algorithm, one of many checksums helping us keep the internet in order.

Learn about the Destination Dispatch algorithm and create your own robotic lift.

Grab your friends & disconnect from the digital world with these fun science & tech board games.

Interesting stories about computer science, software programming, and technology for December 2018.

Links from the bottom of all the December 2018 articles, collected in one place for you to print, share, or bookmark.

Interested but not ready to subscribe? Sign-up for our free monthly email newsletter with curated site content and a new issue email announcement that we send every two months.

No, thanks!