Electronic Waste Recycling
July 2024. Do you have broken or outdated electronics hiding in the closet or garage at home? Old laptops, TVs, cell phones, gaming consoles, and other electronic devices that you’ve been holding on to but don’t know what to do with? These items require special handling and cannot be discarded in the trash, but Thousand Oaks’ electronic waste recycling programs are here to help.
What is Electronic Waste?
Electronic waste, commonly known as “e-waste”, describes any unwanted electronic device or cathode ray tube.
E-waste includes (but is not limited to):
- CRT televisions
- LCD, OLED, and plasma televisions
- LCD monitors, smart displays, and tablets
- Laptops with LCD monitors
- OLED desktop monitors, laptops, and tablets
- Computers, computer monitors, and printers
- VCRs
- Portable DVD players with video screens
- Cell phones and telephones
- Printers
- Radios
According to the 2024 Global E-waste Monitor, worldwide generation of e-waste is rising five times faster than e-waste recycling rates. A record 62 million tons of e-waste was produced in 2022, up 82% from 2010; and e-waste generation is on track to rise another 32%, to 82 million tons, by 2030.
What about other items with cords or batteries?
If an item has a cord or is battery-operated and has programmable electronic components (e.g., small kitchen appliances like toasters and microwaves, vacuums, electronic toys, and power tools) it likely qualifies as e-waste. If you’re not sure, you should dispose of the item as e-waste because e-waste recyclers are equipped to recycle these items, regardless of whether it is in working condition.
“White goods” are products that contain metallic waste, and include large appliances (refrigerators, water heaters, washers, dryers, and air conditioners). Landfills must recover these goods under California law (Assembly Bill 1760) if safe to do so. Landfill operators must properly remove hazardous materials such as mercury-containing switches and temperature control devices, oils, PCB capacitors, and refrigerants from white goods prior to recycling the metal. City residents with unwanted large appliances may utilize the bulky item pickup program to request up to two free collections totaling six items per calendar year at no cost.
Why does e-waste require special handling?
E-waste is hazardous waste. Certain electronics have hazardous components like leaded glass in Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs), capacitors, fluorescent tubes, batteries, and particular precious and non-precious metals. Some e-waste (like televisions, monitors, computers, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios, and microwave ovens) can also contain elements such as lead, cadmium, copper and chromium. These elements can be toxic and harmful to the environment, and California prohibits most e-waste from being disposed of in landfills.
How can I recycle my e-waste?
There are a few options available to you for e-waste recycling. Local e-waste drop-off locations include:
- Donation centers and retail locations (Goodwill, Staples, Best Buy)
- City’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility
- Tempus, an electronics recycler here in Thousand Oaks
Visit the City’s Electronics Recycling webpage for additional details and resources.
Privacy and personal data concerns (storage drives)
Most, if not all, e-waste processors will shred a hard drive from a computer or laptop upon request, sometimes for an additional, nominal fee. Hard drives can also be wiped in accordance with industry standards. Some companies offer the Department of Defense-equivalent level of data wiping upon request.
Is e-waste recycling expensive?
E-waste recycling is free for residents. To support the safe and proper recycling of certain types of e-waste while helping offset costs for e-waste recyclers, the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 created the Covered Electronic Waste (CEW) program to pay for the added disposal costs for both CRTs and the newly emerging LCD and LED monitors. The CEW Program uses a Product Stewardship model (just like paint) whereby consumers who purchase a new monitor or TV pay a fee to the retailer based on screen size. The fees then go to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to support e-waste recycling. As a result of this cost recovery, many of the CEW products are recovered and recycled today. (Click here to view the fees charged at the point of sale.)
How are electronics recycled?
Most electronics are shredded after the removal of hazardous components. One company uses centrifugal force collisions to liberate materials, with some shredding at the end of the process for those components that could not be separated through the spinning process. CRTs, LED and LCD screens, laptops, and other similar devices are disassembled by hand due to the nature of the components contained within them. End materials are marketed to plastics reclaimers, smelters, etc., depending upon the types and conditions of materials released during the deconstruction/recycling processes.
While the condition of an electronic item is not necessarily important for recycling, many devices can be reused after only minor changes or repairs to make them marketable, thereby giving them a second life.
Business electronics – what do I do?
Most facilities will accept business electronics; however, unlike the typical free service for residents, there will likely be a charge for businesses at a solid waste or HHW facility. Businesses should look for a processor close to them or participate in the City’s HHW program for qualifying businesses.
There are plenty of convenient, no-cost e-waste recycling options in Thousand Oaks so gather up that old e-waste you’ve been storing away and recycle it!