Where to Recycle Electronics (for free) in the San Francisco Bay Area
Are you feeling overwhelmed with the technological museum forming in your space? Is keeping up with the latest gadgets creating a graveyard in your home? Like so many San Francisco residents, you’re probably wondering: what do I do with all of my outdated electronics? Whether you want to donate, recycle, or purge, I’ll guide you through the process.
As a professional organizer, I often hear questions like: How do I know if something could be useful to donate to a school? Would anyone pay for my perfectly good printer? And what about security? Is it safe to donate a phone or computer? Could my private information be accessed? In this article, I’ll share easy, safe and eco-friendly tips for getting rid of your old electronics.
In my line of work, I see so many old printers, modems, computer monitors & towers, video game consoles and first generation Alexas, Kindles and TiVos that have long been upgraded, cluttering up garages and offices. Boxes and boxes of precious storage space taking up prime San Francisco real estate. And the Apple products! So many old iPhones, iMacs, iPods, iPads, ancient, tangled headphones… plus all of the packaging! I give Steve Jobs credit - there is something special about those boxes, but maybe it’s time to take a closer look at how much we have laying around.
Securely Dispose Electronics with Personal Information
Before letting a phone, hard drive or anything with storage go, you will need to back up, erase and wipe your hard drive, and then do a factory reset. This article goes into more detail on how to do this. Apple product users can visit a local Apple Store and have them wipe and reset the old product(s) you. It takes just a few minutes!
You might have a very old computer tower that hasn’t been touched in years. If it’s been backed up, you can manually remove the hard drive (not sure how? YouTube to the rescue!). From there, you can really have some fun: drill holes into the tower or smash it with a hammer (wear safety goggles!)! Too hands on? Try a commercial shredder - some companies will even let you watch them do it.
For $1-$10 each, eWasteSF in the Mission District will destroy hard drives, DVDs, flash drives, phones, tablets, PDAs (remember those?) and SIM cards. They will also recycle qualifying electronics for free and will shred documents for $4 a pound, so you can really make the trip worth your while.
Sell Your Old Electronics
Because of the short shelf life on electronics these days, it can be challenging and time consuming to sell old items. I have worked with several clients who’ve tried to sell pristine, working printers (extra ink cartridges and all!) with zero luck. If you have the time and desire, try posting it on FB Marketplace.
If there isn’t a sale after a reasonable period of time, it might be worth posting it for free so at least it will be used (and probably very appreciated).
A Note on Rare Electronics
If you have something that is very special or rare, try Swappa, Decluttr and good ‘ol Ebay. Psst…as a fellow Bay Area resident, keep an eye out for those first edition iPods - they’re worth thousands!
Donate Your Outdated Electronics
Many nonprofits accept electronic donations. Some are very selective (again, tech moves fast) so be prepared to have organizations pass if what you have isn’t in good working condition and a relatively current model.
National Organizations:
World Computer Exchange - a non-profit that provides select electronics to developing countries.
Computers with Causes - accepts all sorts of electronics, from computers to drones and game consoles for foster homes, shelters and elderly care facilities.
National Coalition of Domestic Violence or Cellphones for Soldiers - donate your phones or other devices to an individual in need.
San Francisco Organizations:
Community Thrift - takes electronics for resale. They receive drop offs everyday and can arrange for pickups. They also take furniture, clothing, books & housewares.
Out of the Closet - with four locations in the Bay Area, they accept electronics and other donations. They will pick up large donations by appointment.
Goodwill - in partnership with Dell Computers, they will take any condition computer equipment for resale, refurbishing or recycling. They take drop offs at their Bay Area locations and offer discounts with Task Rabbit if you prefer to have things picked up.
Want to keep it in your neighborhood? Try asking nearby schools or your library if they are in need of your good quality, working electronics.
Give Away Your Old Electronics for Free
Finally, don’t overlook posting things for free on NextDoor or a FB buy/sell/trade group. SF Bay Area Free, Trade and Sell Cheap Stuff group and the Free Stuff in San Francisco group are two FB groups with thousands of members.
I work with clients who post things regularly and they are usually picked up by the end of the day. Recently, a client posted boxes of electronics and other things on Next Door that I wasn’t sure there would be much interest in. I was wrong! A few hours later, everything had been taken!
Recycle Your Old Electronics
In California, it is illegal to put electronic equipment in the trash. Many electronic devices contain toxic chemicals that can leak from the landfill and contaminate groundwater and soil. Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new phone you are charged a few bucks for a “CEW Recycling Fee?” That stands for Covered Electronic Waste, or anything the state has found to potentially leak toxins in our landfills. The 2003 Electronic Waste Recycling Act started this fund, making it possible for many in-store and online sellers to recycle or refurbish our electronics at no additional charge. By paying that fee, we are all able to find many options for having our electronics recycled. Go California!
All electronics (including cords, cables, and holiday lights)
First stop, the San Francisco Dump/Recology. Hopefully you are already using Recology’s free bulk pick ups per calendar year. They will pick up electronics as a part of your bulk pick up for proper recycling. You can also take up to 30 electronics per month directly to the SF Transfer Station (check website for hours). They will take all cords, cables and holiday lights; just put them in a box and mark “EWASTE.”
Big box stores like Staples and Best Buy recycle electronics, phones, large and small appliances, videos, ink & toner, cameras, video consoles and a lot more at their stores. They will also remove and recycle your old electronics when delivering a new one.
Amazon offers a buy back program for many of their products which can come with a discount on future purchases. They also recycle many electronics for free.
The EPA Website lists other places that will recycle your electronics.
Cell Phones
Besides Staples and Best Buy, Cole Hardware is the place to recycle cell phones. While you are there, bring your old paint cans, batteries, Brita Filters and fluorescent bulbs for recycling too.
Apple will recycle any and all of their products and you might even get some money back in credit if it is something that they can refurbish. If you are sitting on a huge stash of Apple gear, please bring it in and report back if you hit the jackpot!
Sprint’s Buy Back Program will give credits for phones from any carrier.
Toner/Ink Cartridges
Staples recycles ink and toner for free at their stores, and Office Depot also takes old toner and ink cartridges.
Printers
Most printer manufacturers including HP, Epson and Canon have their own recycling programs.
Still feeling overwhelmed?
I can help! I'll work with you to decide what stays and what goes, make arrangements for getting things out and then (the best part!), make all of that newly found space look great. Stay tuned for more ideas on where to send old clothes, housewares, etc in a future post. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch if you want help sorting through your old electronics. I'd be happy to lend a hand!
Do you have too many old electronics around your home? Please tell me about it in the comments!
