Everyone’s got old, unused devices sitting around their homes. It can be weirdly difficult to get rid of your old laptop, desktop or printer — even when it’s been over a decade since you last switched it on. But recycling old tech can free up a lot of space in your home.
A recent CNET survey found that 31% of US adults are still holding onto old, unused devices, including laptops, because they’re unsure of what to do with them. The survey also found that 19% of respondents just toss old devices in the trash — which is actually illegal in many states and can draw hefty fines — while 29% use a recycling service to dispose of old tech. But there are easy and sustainable ways to clear out all that ancient tech.
This story is part of CNET Zero, a series that chronicles the impact of climate change and explores what’s being done about the problem.
Recycling computers and printers can be as easy as bringing them to major retailers such as Best Buy, Office Depot and Staples. Some stores will even give you credit for offloading your old devices, as hard as it might be to let go of them.
Here’s what you need to know about recycling your old tech. For more, learn how to recycle your old phones.
What to do before recycling an old computer
Wherever you choose to take or mail in your items to be recycled, you’ll want to protect your data by removing it as best you can. One way to do this is to perform a factory reset on your computer. Our guide walks you through the process.
Where to recycle printers and computers
Some retail stores will accept computers and printers for recycling, but it’s not always a free service. Policies vary by company.
Apple
You can recycle your old Apple computers, monitors and peripherals, such as printers, for free at an Apple store, but there’s a costly catch. According to the Apple Free Recycling program, you must also purchase a qualifying Apple computer or monitor to receive this service. Need another option? A third-party company called Gazelle buys old MacBooks to recycle them. After accepting Gazelle’s offer, you print a prepaid label or request a prepaid box and ship the machine to them.
Read more: Phone and Laptop Repair Goes Mainstream With Push From iFixit
Best Buy
Best Buy generally accepts up to three household items per household per day to be recycled for free, including desktop computers and printers, as well as other items ranging from e-readers to vacuum cleaners. While three is the limit for most items, there’s a higher standard for laptops — Best Buy will take five of those per household per day. Note that rules for dropping off monitors vary by state, and it’s not always free to do so. Best Buy also offers a mail-in recycling service for select items, but that’s also not free. A small box that holds up to 6 pounds costs $23, while a large box (up to 15 pounds) costs $30.
Office Depot
Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in 2013. The retailers offer a tech trade-in program both in-store and online where you may be able to get a store gift card in exchange for your old computers and printers. If the device has no trade-in value, the company will recycle it for free. Office Depot also sells its own tech recycling boxes that you can fill with electronics to be recycled and then drop off at the stores, but they aren’t free. The small boxes cost $8.39 and hold up to 20 pounds, the medium ones cost $18.29 and hold up to 40 pounds, and the large boxes cost $28 and hold up to 60 pounds.
Staples
You can bring your old desktop computers, laptops, printers and more to the Staples checkout counter to be recycled for free, even if they weren’t purchased there. The retailer also has a free at-home battery recycling box which, according to a Staples rep, has led customers to recycle thousands of batteries per week, up from an earlier average of 50 per week. Here’s a list of everything that can be recycled at Staples.
Read more: How to Factory Reset a MacBook, Windows Laptop or Chromebook
Where to find electronics recycling centers
If you don’t live near a major retailer or would rather take your computers and printers to a recycling center, you can locate places near you by using search tools provided by Earth911 and the Consumer Technology Association.
Earth911
Use the recycling center search function on Earth911 to find recycling centers near your ZIP code that accept laptops, desktops and printers. Note that the results may also turn up places that accept mobile phones and not computers or printers, so you may have to do a little filtering.
Greener Gadgets
Consult the Consumer Technology Association’s Greener Gadgets Recycle Locator to find local recycling centers in your area that will take old items. The search function also allows you to filter the results to separately hunt for places that take computers versus printers.
