How to Recycle Electronics

Mobile phones of any brand or age. Recyclers recover metals from boards and handle the lithium-ion pack. Working phones often earn trade-in credit; cracked or dead phones still go through e-waste, not the trash.

Desktop PCs, laptops, and all-in-ones. Boards carry lead solder; laptops hold Li-ion packs; older LCD panels may use CCFL lamps with mercury. Wipe storage before drop-off.

Cathode-ray tube TVs and computer monitors. The funnel glass is leaded. Legitimate recyclers handle them under CRT-specific rules. They are not the same stream as flat panels.

LCD, LED, OLED, and plasma flat televisions. Older CCFL-backlit LCDs contain mercury lamps. Modern LED and OLED sets skip those lamps but still need e-waste recycling for boards and plastics.

Inkjet, laser, and all-in-one printers. Cartridges have their own take-back path. The printer body is e-waste at retail or municipal programs.

Home consoles, handhelds, and controllers. Storage and accounts need a real wipe before resale or recycling. Working systems often sell or trade better than scrap.

iPads, Android tablets, and Windows tablets. Larger sealed batteries than most phones. Cellular models need the SIM removed. Same retail channels as phones, with tablet-sized trade-in values.

Wired and wireless keyboards, mice, and similar input devices. Wireless units often hide coin cells or AA packs that need battery recycling if removed.

Power cords, USB and Lightning cables, HDMI, Ethernet, and similar interconnects. Copper and connectors are recoverable. Retail e-waste is the convenient path; scrap yards are the cash path for sorted wire.

Computer speakers, soundbars, Bluetooth portables, and home powered speakers. Passive PA and instrument cabinets often need municipal or specialty e-waste instead of retail.

DVD, Blu-ray, and similar disc players. Standalone units rarely store personal data. Smart or networked players need an account wipe when settings exist.

Point-and-shoot cameras, DSLRs, mirrorless bodies, camcorders, and similar imaging gear. Sensors sit on boards with lead solder. Packs are usually Li-ion.

Over-ear headphones, earbuds, and charging cases. Wireless models hide small lithium cells. Cases are part of the e-waste item, not household trash.

AC adapters, USB power bricks, car chargers, and similar external power supplies. Transformers and boards go through electronics recycling.

Internal and external hard disk drives and solid-state drives. Platters, flash, and boards are recyclable after sanitization. Retail partners may wipe again; do not rely on that alone for sensitive data.

Acoustic, electric, and bass guitars are mixed wood, metal, finish, and sometimes electronics. They are a reuse and donation product first. Only separated electronics, strings, and scrap metal follow recycling paths.

Inkjet and laser-printer cartridges are reusable or recyclable through manufacturer mail-back and take-back programs. They contain plastic, metal, electronics, and residual ink or toner.

Home routers, cable and fiber modems, mesh nodes, network switches, and related communications equipment.

Wearable electronics with screens, circuit boards, sensors, and embedded lithium-ion batteries.

Desktop and small-office uninterruptible power supplies containing circuit boards and sealed lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries.

Rack servers, storage arrays, network switches, UPS-connected equipment, and other data-center hardware containing data-bearing drives, circuit boards, metals, and batteries.

Optical discs made mostly of polycarbonate plastic with a thin metal reflective layer, along with their plastic jewel cases and paper inserts.