Electronics are one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the U.S., and they can’t go in your regular curbside trash in Ohio. Computers, TVs, monitors, and printers contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and other hazardous materials that contaminate landfills and groundwater. Here’s how to dispose of e-waste properly in the Toledo area.
💻 What Counts as E-Waste?
If it has a circuit board, battery, or power cord, it’s e-waste. The most common items we pick up:
- Computers: desktops, laptops, tablets, monitors (CRT and flat-screen)
- TVs: all types, including old tube TVs (these contain lead and are the hardest to dispose of)
- Printers, scanners, fax machines: including toner cartridges
- Phones and chargers: old cell phones, landlines, and their cables
- Small electronics: routers, modems, DVD players, game consoles, speakers
- Cables and cords: the drawer full of mystery cables everyone has
- Batteries: lithium-ion, lead-acid, rechargeable (NOT regular alkaline — those go in regular trash in Ohio)
🏢 Free Drop-Off Options in Toledo
Several retailers accept electronics for free recycling year-round:
- Best Buy (West Toledo & South Toledo locations) — accepts TVs up to 32", computers, monitors, phones, cables, ink cartridges, and small appliances. Limit 3 items per household per day. TVs larger than 32" have a $29.99 recycling fee
- Staples — accepts computers, laptops, tablets, and peripherals for free recycling. No TVs or monitors
- Home Depot — accepts rechargeable batteries and CFL bulbs at the front desk
The catch with retail drop-off: you have to get everything there yourself, and they won’t take large quantities. If you’re cleaning out an office or an entire household, you need a different plan.
♻️ Lucas County Household Hazardous Waste Events
The Lucas County Solid Waste Management District hosts periodic Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection events throughout the year. These events accept electronics, paint, chemicals, and other items that can’t go in regular trash. They’re free for Lucas County residents.
Events are typically held at the Lucas County Fairgrounds or the Hoffman Road Transfer Station. Check the Lucas County Solid Waste District website for the current schedule — they usually announce dates a few weeks in advance. Bring a photo ID or utility bill showing your Lucas County address.
🔒 Data Security: Wipe Before You Toss
Before getting rid of any computer, phone, or storage device, wipe your data. A factory reset isn’t always enough — here’s what to do:
- Computers: Use DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke) for hard drives, or use the built-in Secure Erase for SSDs. Or remove the hard drive entirely and keep or destroy it
- Phones: Factory reset, then encrypt the phone first (Settings → Security → Encrypt) so the wiped data is unrecoverable
- Printers: Many modern printers store WiFi passwords and document history. Do a factory reset from the printer’s settings menu
- External drives and USB sticks: Format them, or physically destroy them if they contained sensitive data
If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, let us know when we pick up — we can remove hard drives on-site and hand them to you for destruction.
🚻 What NOT to Do with Old Electronics
- Don’t put them in the trash. It’s illegal in many Ohio jurisdictions and harmful to the environment
- Don’t leave them on the curb. Republic Services won’t take them, and you’ll get a code violation
- Don’t throw batteries in the trash. Lithium batteries can start fires in garbage trucks and at transfer stations — this happens more often than you’d think
- Don’t dump them in a dumpster. Commercial dumpster services can refuse your entire load (and charge you for it) if they find e-waste
🚚 Junk Removal Pickup for Electronics
If you’ve got more than a carload of old electronics — or you just don’t want to deal with multiple drop-off trips — we’ll come get it all. Common scenarios:
- Home office cleanout: old monitors, dead printers, boxes of cables and peripherals — $75–$150
- Whole-house electronics purge: TVs from every room, the computer graveyard in the basement, old stereo equipment — $150–$300
- Business/office cleanout: multiple workstations, server equipment, networking gear, commercial printers — $200–$500+ depending on volume
We sort and route everything to licensed e-waste recyclers. CRT monitors and tube TVs — the items nobody else wants to deal with — are our specialty. We handle them safely and make sure they’re processed properly.
📱 The Easy Way
Text us a photo of your electronics pile. We’ll reply with a flat price — no surprises. We can usually do same-day or next-day pickup, and we handle all the sorting, hauling, and responsible disposal. You just point and we load.