Electronics Disposal

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Some electronics contain hazardous materials, including lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. You can’t dispose of these electronics, also called e-waste, with your regular trash or recycling.

E-waste includes:

Computers and Computer Accessories

  • Desktop towers, monitors, laptops, and tablets (ex: iPads)
  • Keyboards, mice, and pointing devices
  • Printers and document scanners
  • Cables, cords, and wiring permanently fixed to a device
  • Small-scale servers

TV and Video Equipment

  • TVs, VCRs, DVD players, and DVRs (digital video recorders)
  • Cable boxes, cable/satellite receivers, antennas, and digital converter boxes
  • Cables, cords, and wiring permanently fixed to the TV

Portable Electronic Devices

  • Laptops, tablets (iPads), and e-readers
  • Portable music devices/digital music players (iPod, mp3 player, Walkman)
  • Digital cameras
  • Cell phones

Home Electronics

  • Video game consoles
  • Fax machines
  • Electronic keyboards

If you need to dispose of an item not listed above, you can use the How to Get Rid of Lookup to learn how to dispose of it.

Disposal Options

City residents have several options to dispose of e-waste.

You can:

  • Donate them if in working condition
  • Schedule a pickup appointment if you live in Staten Island
  • Enroll your apartment building to get pickups through the ecycleNYC program
  • Bring them to a drop-off location
  • Return them to the manufacturer or retailer for recycling

Tenants must appropriately discard their electronics. It is not the landlord's responsibility to take or mail back items for reuse or recycling.

Learn more about electronics disposal.

You can search for places in your neighborhood and throughout the City where you can donate working electronics on the donateNYC website.

Visit donateNYC.

Staten Island residents can get free curbside pickup of electronics by making an appointment with the Department of Sanitation (DSNY).

How it Works

  • You can request pickup of up to 20 items per appointment, including 5 TVs. If you need to dispose of more than the maximum number of items allowed per appointment, you can make a separate appointment.
  • Appointments are available Monday through Friday, except on City holidays.
  • You can schedule appointments up to two weeks in advance. Next-day appointments must be scheduled by noon the previous day.
  • You must place the items curbside after 4 PM the evening before your appointment day.

Pick-Up Status, Rescheduling, or Cancellation

You can check the status of your e-waste pick-up appointment. You can also reschedule or cancel it up until 4 PM the day before the appointment. You must provide your Service Request number.

Check the status of an e-waste pick-up appointment.

Call 311 to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

Adding Additional Items to an Appointment

If you have already scheduled an appointment and have additional items you need to dispose of, or if someone else has already made a pick-up request for your preferred appointment date, you can:

  • Place your additional items curbside along with the others on the scheduled appointment date, OR
  • Schedule a separate appointment for your other items on a different date

Missed Collection

DSNY does not accept missed collection complaints for electronic items. If your items were not collected on your appointment day, you must remove the items from the curb and schedule a new pick-up appointment.

Items that are left out on private property are "unserviceable” and cannot be picked up. You must place your items curbside in order for them to be collected. If you did not put your items curbside on the scheduled day, you can make a new appointment.

Apartment buildings with 10 or more units can participate in ecycleNYC, a free and convenient in-building service to remove and recycle unwanted electronics.

Service options include:

  • Room clean-outs for buildings with 10 or more units
  • Storage bins for buildings with 100 or more units
  • Building events for buildings with 250 or more units

Buildings, management companies, or residents can apply to enroll in ecycleNYC online.

Learn more and apply for ecycleNYC.

 Pickups

If your building is enrolled in ecycleNYC, a building manager or staff member can request pickup of unwanted electronics. Pickup is guaranteed within 5 business days.

Call 311 for assistance.

City Drop-Off Sites

You can drop off electronics for recycling at Special Waste Sites or seasonal SAFE Disposal Events. Learn more on the Special Waste Disposal page.

Other Drop-Off Locations

View a map of electronics drop-off locations or contact the following businesses or organizations to drop off, recycle, or donate your electronics.

Please note that some sites charge fees or do not accept certain items. Check the location’s website or contact them to confirm before you drop off the items.

Best Buy

Visit Best Buy's website.

  • Agency: Best Buy
  • Phone Number: (888) 237-8289
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

  • Agency: Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey
  • Phone Number: (718) 728-5400
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

  • Agency: Salvation Army
  • Phone Number: (800) 728-7825
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

  • Agency: Staples
  • Phone Number: (800) 333-3330
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

You can return unwanted electronics to manufacturers for recycling or disposal. Electronic manufacturers, such as Samsung, Sony, or Toshiba must accept electronics from residents for recycling at no cost. The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a list of registered electronic equipment manufacturers and the brands they recycle.

Cell phones can also be dropped off at any store that sells service plans.

You can find more information about recycling electronics at the store where you purchased the item or at any store that sells the item. You can also check your brand's website.

Complaints

You can report a:

  • Electronics manufacturer that does not accept their products for recycling
  • Store that sells electronics but does not have information about electronics recycling

  • Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Division: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Tip Line
  • Phone Number: (800) 847-7332
  • Business Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week

Electronics cannot go in regular recycling or trash. Schools must follow specific guidelines for disposal.

For more information on electronics disposal for NYC Department of Education schools, you can email your question to WasteSupport@schools.nyc.gov.

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