When disposing of an old tv or computer, you know electronics recycling is the best and safest option. But did you know that many of the items you dispose of throughout your house may also qualify as e waste and fall under the umbrella of electronics recycling? Recycling these items is about more than protecting the environment. Many of these devices contain hazardous materials, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. When they aren’t properly disposed of, these dangerous substances harm the environment as well as our health. 

A safe and responsible electronics recycling process doesn’t seek to only deal with the hazards in our electronics. These household items often contain rare earth materials that can be reused or recycled into new products. By carefully dismantling each item, electronics recyclers strategically extract valuable, reusable materials for recycling while responsibly disposing of hazardous materials. If you’re cleaning out your entire house or just a single room, here are just some of the items to look out for that may require professional electronics recycling. 

Living Room  

Cutting the cord or switching your satellite provider? In states like California, where electronics recycling is mandatory, the circuit boards inside satellite tv dishes and cable boxes put them squarely in the category of e-waste. This means residents not only should recycle their old satellite dishes and cable boxes if not returning them, but that they’re required to by law. 

These other items that may be in your living room are also candidates for electronics recycling: 

• Cable boxes 
• Televisions (Flat screen & CRT) 
• Stereo equipment 
• Speakers 
• DVD players 
• VCRs
• Digital cameras 
• Video cameras 
• Game consoles Accessories & cables 

Bedroom  

While some items, such as tvs and computers come immediately to mind when you think about electronics recycling, others may not be as obvious. A quick look around your bedroom will probably find at a least a few, however. Before you clean out your or your kids’ bedrooms, make sure to these items aren’t set on the curb with your trash or regular recycling:

• Fitness trackers
• Smart watches
• Alarm clocks 
• Baby monitors 
• Electric blankets 
• Heating pads
• Window fans
• Radios
• CD Players 
• Record Players 
• Lamps 
• Space heaters 
• Telephones 

Kitchen   

With the Internet of Things in full swing, the line between appliances and electronics is harder than ever to pin down. Even before our refrigerators gained apps, however, many small appliances contained the same components and materials as our electronics. All but the most basic coffee makers, for example, have been capable of programming brew times for decades, which requires a microprocessor. The power cords for many other kitchen devices contain valuable metals, which are also recyclable--even if they’re attached to a low-tech kitchen appliance that can’t play your favorite song or take dictation. 

Here are some other items to look out for in your kitchen that need proper appliance or electronics recycling when it’s time to replace them: 

• Dishwashers
• Trash Compactors
• Refrigerators
• Freezers

• Stoves
• Ovens
• Microwaves
• Stand mixers
• Hand mixers
• Blenders
• Waffle irons 
• Electric kettles 
• Toaster ovens 
• Pressure cookers
• Ice cream makers 
• Rice cookers 
• Coffee grinders 
• Can openers 
• Coffee makers 
• Food processors  
• Crock pots 
• Convection ovens 

Bathroom 

Beneath your bathroom sink and inside the medicine cabinet, you might be surprised at the amount of electric and battery-powered devices you’ll find. Even everyday items, such as electronic toothbrushes, may have battery compartments or light-up components that require care when disposing of them. Other items to look out for in your bathroom include: 

• Electric razors 
• Hair dryers 
• Curling irons 
• Flat irons 
• Heated curlers 
• Scales 
• Humidifiers 
• Vaporizers 

Dining Room 

When you’re cleaning out the house and setting aside items for electronics recycling pickup, you might not expect to find much in the dining room. While you likely won’t find quite a many items in this room as in others, there are some items that you should keep an eye out for, such as: 

• Electric chafing dishes 
• Lamps 
• Electric carving knives 
• Hot plates 
• Electric or battery-operated serving carafes 

Office   

Many of the electronics found in your home office contain circuit boards which can be recycled so the valuable metals within can be reused. Often, electronics are encased in plastics which can and should also be recycled. Recycling these devices also ensures that hazardous materials are handled and disposed of safely and don’t end up in a landfill where they present a danger to the health of people, wildlife,and the environment. A single CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor, for example, can contain up to eight pounds of lead. 

Here are some other items you may have in your home office that fit the bill for electronics recycling:  

• Copiers 
• Scanners 
• Fax machines
• Phone systems
• Answering machines 
• Desktop and laptop computers 
• Flat screen and CRD monitors
• Computer accessories, such as speakers, keyboards, mice, webcams, and microphones
• Cables & cords
• External hard drives
• Solid state drives
• SD cards
• Memory cards
• Card readers
• Calculators

Garage, Storage Areas, & Outdoors   

On Christmas morning in 2015, many delighted gift recipients found the most coveted gift of the season waiting for them under their trees: a hoverboard. Social media filled with videos of (mostly) dads and their hilarious first attempts at riding them. Not long after, hilarious videos were replaced by hospital photos, as it turns out that most of us (dads included) weren’t born with an innate skill for hoverboarding. 

The Christmas Day hospital selfies were not the grimmest aspect of the entire hoverboard fiasco, however--that honor is held by the fact that they had a tendency to, well, explode. While the infamous exploding hoverboards of 2015 were recalled, that doesn’t mean a newer model can safely go in the trash or even on the curb with the rest of your recycling. Similar to laptop computers, hoverboards contain a lithium ion battery that must be properly removed and recycled in order to dispose of it safely. 

When you’re cleaning out your garage, attic, and other storage areas, here are some other items to set aside for electronics recycling: 

• Solar panels
• Electric scooters
• Power tools
• Rechargeable dry cell batteries
• GPS units
• Walkie talkies 
• Washing machines 
• Clothes dryers 
• Water heaters 
• Vacuum cleaners 

Finding an Electronics Recycling Program Nearby

Junk King’s electronics recycling service provides a convenient and eco-friendly way for conscious consumers like you to safely and ethically dispose of your large and small e waste items. 

Our professional and courteous e waste removal team will call you 15 minutes before we arrive at your home or office so you can arrange to meet us there. Once we arrive, we’ll provide you with an estimate for us to haul your e waste and other junk away on our truck.

We’ll assess each item to determine the best, safest method of disposal--up to 60% of the items we pick up go on to be recycled, reused, or donated.  

Ready to get rid of that junk? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

You can make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).