Computer & Electronics Waste Reduction and Recycling

From the growing popularity and necessity of computers and rapidly changing computer technologies, comes the growing problem of computer and  electronics waste. As more new and improved computers are designed and built, more older obsolete computers are becoming part of the waste stream. The good news about computer waste is that there need not be any. This list document will explain how to handle recycling with different parts of the computer as a List of Computer Recycling Vendors who rebuild computers for schools and other uses or will accept computer parts for recycling (see list below).

There are three primary parts that make up a personal computer. The computer is the large box which contains the disk drive, power supply, and the processor. The computer may also contain other components such as the sound and video cards, and internal modems. The monitor is the screen, or the part of the computer that looks like a television (also referred to as a cathode ray tube or CRT ). The keyboard is the part which, not surprisingly, looks like a typewriter keyboard. In some older models, the computer may be housed in the same case as the monitor or the keyboard. For the purposes of this fact sheet the keyboard is considered to be part of the computer.

Virtually an entire computer can be recycled. From the glass in the monitor, to the plastic in the case, to the copper in the power supply, to the precious metals used in the circuitry. Companies are making new innovative products out of old computers. Many computers can be revitalized and sold to schools in economically challenged urban and rural areas. Some vocational schools use old computers to teach electronic repair and analysis techniques. Non-functioning computers may also have salvageable components such as modems or power supplies that could be used to refurbish other computers. One company is even turning old circuit boards from computers into novel products like clip-boards and notebooks.

Not all companies are equally equipped to recycle all parts of a computer. Some companies, for example, may charge a handling fee for recycling monitors, since they contain significant quantities of lead and some quantities of other hazardous materials such as barium. Other companies, however, specialize in monitor recycling and do not charge a fee. So depending on your waste situation you may want to choose more than one company to recycle your computer waste.

It is important to note that if you should decide to dispose of computers and monitors, you could be considered a generator of hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA requires generators of solid wastes containing toxic constituents (such as lead and barium) to determine whether or not the waste is hazardous by using generator knowledge or by testing representative samples of that waste. If you do not test used computers and monitors and prove them non-hazardous, you must assume they are hazardous waste and dispose of them at a permitted hazardous waste facility or recycle them.

Under some state's provisions (like Ohio), computer CRTs are not regulated as hazardous wastes if the generator has them recycled. Some states consider discarded integrated circuits from computer systems to be scrap metal. Scrap metal is not regulated as hazardous waste if it is reclaimed or recycled. 

I'm Just a Homeowner, What Should I Do?

Homeowners are not considered hazardous waste generators under RCRA. However, your local solid waste district may have laws or restrictions against disposing of computers or CRTs (monitors, televisions, etc.) in the municipal solid waste stream. This may be because their landfill is not permitted to accept these types of hazardous waste. The average 15-inch computer monitor contains over 1.5 lbs. of lead. Disposing of a hazardous waste in landfill that is not permitted for such wastes could pose a threat to drinking water and result in other environmental hazards in the future. If you have any questions about your local solid waste regulations, please contact your state EPA.

If it is not practical for you to find a certified recycler for your old computer or computer monitor, you can contact the local Goodwill, Salvation Army, AmVets, or other organization where you can donate the computer for resale or refurbishing. You might also contact school districts near you to see if they can use your computer. The following sites also have information about donating used computers:

Share the Technology

The Used Computer Mall

More Recycling Information from EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention

The following companies have identified themselves as recyclers of computers and/or electronic components.

Most of the companies listed below recycle only computers, but some may accept other electronic components as well. Some companies recycles only monitors, and this will be indicated at the bottom of the specific listing. You might also want to check the  Fluorescent Lamp and Ballast Recyclers List since some fluorescent lamp recyclers are now recycling CRTs.

For further recycling information, you can consult the Office of Pollution Prevention's TARP2 list of recycling resources, or you can check the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources - Recycle Ohio WWW page

Also see the Electronics Recycling Initiative, developed by the National Recycling Coalition and the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative facilitated by the Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies at the University of Tennessee.

Computer and Electronic Component Recyclers

5R Processors, LTD.
N5779 White Street
Glen Flora, WI 54526
Phone: (715) 474-3317
Fax: (715) 474-3326
Contact: Bonnie Dennee
E-mail: b.dennee@centuryinter.net

Note: Services lower 48 states.

or

5R PROCESSORS 
PO BOX 218
GLEN FLORA, WI 54526 
Phone: (715) 322-5100 
Fax: (715) 322-5115 
E-mail: jdm/5r@centuryinter.net 

Chase Electronics
166 Academy Lane
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania 19082
Phone: 610-449-8160
Fax: 610-449-6393
Contact: Chase Electronics

COMPRENEW Corporation
8195 Graphic Drive
Belmont, MI 49306
Phone: (616) 866-3100
Fax: 616-866-3400
Contact: David Perry
Note: Accepts all types of computer and electronic equipment for recycling, asset management and remarketing.

Corporation for Educational Technology,
"Buddy up with Education"
6321 LaPaz Trail, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Phone: (800) 53-BUDDY
Fax: (317) 328-7296
Contact: Ed Harper

DMC Electronics Recycling
16 Swamscott Street
P.O. Box 146 
Newfields, NH 03856
Phone: (800) 347-5560 
Fax: (603) 772-5420
Note: Accepts all types of computer and electronic components for recycling. ISO 14001 approval and zero landfill policy.

Envirocycle, Inc. 
Rt.81 Exit 68, PO Box 899
Hallstead PA 18822-0899
Phone: (570) 879-2862
Toll Free: (800) 711-6010
FAX: (570) 744-5765
E-mail: envirosales@matcogroup.com
Contact: Tina Haley

Note: Specializes in recycling CRTs , in addition to computers and most other electronic devices.

Goldsmith Group
2107 North Adams St.
Indianapolis, IN 46218
Phone: (317) 545-4883
Fax: (317) 545-4883
E-mail: recycle@goldsmithgroup.com

Goodwill Computer Recycling Center
2600 East Carson St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Phone: (412) 481-9049

Hewlett Packard (HP) 
Roseville, CA
Phone: (208) 472-3494

Any HP or non-HP brands of personal/office computer equipment or peripherals are accepted. This includes printers, scanners, fax machines, personal computers, desk-top servers, monitors, handheld devices, etc. – along with their associated external components such as cables, mice, keyboards, etc. Larger computer equipment is accepted through the custom quote service. 

Indiana Materials Exchange
3006 Olcott Blvd. 
Bloomington, IN 47401
Phone: (800) 968-8764 toll free phone (inside Indiana only)
Phone: (740) 397-7675 
Fax: (740) 397-7649
IMExchange@ecr.net

Northeast Surplus & Materials, LLC 
440 Shonnard Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
Phone: (315) 677-5246
Fax: (315) 476-7708
Contact: sbbn@aol.com

WE ACCEPT ALL TYPE OF COMPUTER AND ELECTRONICS AT OUR SITE. WE WORK WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATION IF TRAINING AND JOB CREATION. WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING TRUCK LOADS FROM NEARBY STATES AND CANADA.

Ohio’s Materials Exchange (OMEx)
c/o Waste Alternatives
PO Box 70
Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050
Phone: 888/718-OMEx (6639)
Fax: 740/397-7649

Ohio Surplus
1282 Trumbull Avenue
Girard, OH 44420
Phone: (330) 759-0557
Fax: (330) 759-0547
Contact: Steve Klein
Note: Accepts any amount of computer related scrap

Ohio Technology Access Project (OTAP) 
Dayton Microcomputer Association
119 Valley Street,
Dayton, Ohio 45404
Contact: otap@dma.org
Phone: 937/222- 2755
Note: Refurbish computers and provide them to people with handicaps, limitations, challenges and special needs, and to institutions that serve these individuals.

SCROUNGE - Student Computer Recycling to 
Offer Underrepresented Groups in Education
Pennsylvania State University
101 South Frear Lab
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 863-7688 or (814) 865-0678
Fax: (814) 863-8286
Contact: Remy DuPasquier
E-mail: scgech@psu.edu

The Oak Ridge National Recycle Center (TORNRC)
East Tennessee Technology Park
2010 Hwy. 58, Ste. 2111, Bldg. K-1036 
Oak Ridge, TN 37830-2111
Fax: (865) 241-3524
Contact: Athena Lee Bradley, Manager of Environmental Affairs at
(865)241-3525 or by Email: athena@oakridgerecycle.com

Note: We focus on reconditioning, refurbishing, remarketing and recycling Computers and Peripherals; Subassemblies and Components; Central Office and Communication Room Equipment; Office Equipment; Utility and Power Equipment; Process Equipment; Metals; Laboratory and Analytical Equipment.

United Recycling 
3700 N. Runge Avenue
Franklin Park, IL 60131
Phone: (800) 270-8220
Fax: (847) 455-3232
Contact: Ann Kunderer
E-mail: akunderer@unitedrecycling.com

Note: offers a service for smaller, individual needs, which is similar (but with a little twist) to the Xerox program. For $27.99, United Recycling Industries will send customers a kit containing a shipping label to affix to a box, as well as a discount of 6 to 9 percent on Compaq products. Participants can ship up to 70 pounds of electronics, including computers, printers, monitors, keyboards, external modems, and fax machines. United refurbishes and donates usable computers to local charities and recycles the components and materials of items which can not be reused.

United Recycling also services bulk shipments of electronics from businesses and community collections.

List Servers

CompRecycle Listserv

A national computer recycling listserv. To subscribe to the list, send e-mail to:
listproc@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
- Leave the Subject line blank
- In the Message Text area enter: "sub CompRecycle Your name"