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The world generates over 50 million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) each year. But worldwide, we're recycling just 12.5% of the e-waste we generate, and no country in the world recycles even half of its e-waste. When e-waste ends up in the trash, it can harm water and wildlife.

For instance, in the Korle Lagoon near an illegal e-waste dump site, copper was found at 66 times the safety threshold. Copper is toxic to many invertebrates and can damage gills, kidneys, and other organs of most fish. People living in areas with high e-waste dumping have heavy metals in their bodies at rates that indicate susceptibility to cancers, neurodevelopmental disorders, thyroid dysfunction, and DNA damage.

Repair is better than recycling, for reducing the amount of e-waste we generate and for conserving the materials and energy that go into electronics manufacturing. Keeping our phones an additional year on average would be the carbon equivalent of taking 636,000 cars off the road.

But repair still makes e-waste, in the form of cracked screens and dead batteries. Those dead parts should go to an electronics recycler, not be put in the trash.

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If you're recycling something that should've lasted longer, next time, buy repairable—check out our smartphone, laptop, and tablet repairability score guides.

Give Your E-Waste to a Certified Recycler

Electronics recyclers can recover many of the materials inside electronics. There is 100 times as much gold in a ton of cell phones as in a ton of gold ore.

A lot of big box stores take back e-waste, but beware: Several of them have faced lawsuits for improperly disposing of e-waste and other hazardous materials. Finding a drop-off location via a recycling organization like The Battery Network helps you make sure your e-waste won’t end up in the trash.

We've collected links about e-waste recycling options and laws around the world below. If you see a broken link or have information that's not listed, feel free to edit this page directly (it's a wiki!) or leave a comment.

How to Recycle Rechargeable Batteries

Changing a battery is one of the best ways to extend the life of your devices. But it's especially important that you don't chuck spent lithium-ion batteries into your household recycling bin.

Batteries have specific handling requirements, which means that not all e-waste recyclers take them. Confirm that your recycler takes your type of battery before leaving it in a drop-off location.

Skip to recycling locators to find an e-waste recycler near you:

What If My Battery Is Swollen?

Be very careful in handling a swollen battery, which contains toxic chemicals under pressure. See What to do with a swollen battery for more specific advice.

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Wait, Batteries Can Explode? Or Catch Fire?

Batteries are designed to store a lot of energy and release it in a controlled and useful way—but if the energy is released too quickly, it can result in a nearly uncontrollable fire. This usually happens when the battery is damaged while still holding a charge, such as when it gets bent or poked by a wayward tool. That's why it's so important to fully discharge the battery before starting a repair or sending it for recycling.

Generally, batteries are pretty safe. You’re far more likely to be struck by lightning than experience a lithium-ion battery catching on fire.

But you’re at higher risk if you work for a waste or recycling company. These facilities have compactors, shredders, and other machines that break stuff into more manageable pieces. If a charged battery gets caught up in a shredder or compactor, it can break open and start a fire. Waste facility battery fires are up 38% since 2017, and 90% of recyclers’ fires are from lithium-ion batteries.

Heavy Metals from Batteries Contaminate Our Water

If lithium-ion batteries make it to a landfill, that’s bad news: They can leach heavy metals (such as cobalt, copper, and nickel) and dissolved gasses (such as sulfuric acid) into the soil and nearby waterways.

Recycling your battery properly means you’re helping keep waste workers, waste facilities, and our water supply safe.

What Should I Do with Single-Use Batteries?

The US Environmental Protection Agency says that alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries can usually be safely put in the trash. However, some governments have laws against throwing single-use batteries in the trash. Regardless, if your local waste authority collects them, recycling is best—for materials recovery, for conserving energy that goes into mining and manufacturing, and for keeping potentially hazardous materials out of the trash.

Many household hazardous waste collection facilities collect single-use batteries that contain dangerous metals.

United States E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

National E-Waste Recycling Locators

Rechargeable Battery Recyclers

Visit The Battery Network to find a battery take-back location or get a shipping label. Via its mail-in program, The Battery Network takes rechargeable batteries, single-use ("primary") batteries, cell phones, and e-bike batteries. Its partner locations may take some or all of these things.

Other E-Waste Recyclers

Earth911 has a great general e-waste recycling locator.

State-by-State E-Waste Legislation

The United States of America does not have a national e-waste mandate. However, individual states have passed state e-waste laws. The list below is a community-built list. If your state isn't listed below, don't assume there's not state e-waste law for you to follow.

Alabama

  • Alabama e-waste law: In Alabama, large producers of e-waste that counts as "universal waste" (e.g., some kinds of batteries, mercury-containing devices, and electric lamps) need to recycle that e-waste formally. Households are generally exempt, but it's good practice to recycle anyway.

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Maryland

Michigan

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Texas

Texas requires all companies that manufacture new computers to offer free recycling for consumers.

Europe E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

Recycling labels

The Master Guide to European Recycling Symbols

At iFixit, we believe a product isn’t truly “good” unless it has a graceful exit strategy, which is why we embrace the European Union’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws as a blueprint for transparency. It’s not just about legal compliance; it’s about keeping toxins out of our soil and ensuring valuable resources stay in the supply chain rather than a landfill. We engineer our tools to last a lifetime and rigorously test our parts to ensure they serve you as long as possible, but when a product finally reaches the end of the road, we want it handled right. Also, our packaging is designed to strike the perfect balance between rugged product protection and recyclability. We keep it as small as possible to limit the resources we pull from the earth and make sure the only thing that lasts forever is your right to repair.

At its core, recycling is the ultimate form of resource recovery. We believe the first step is always repair. But when a device has truly given up the ghost—when it can no longer be fixed, hacked, or salvaged for parts—these symbols tell you exactly where its remains need to go so its "organs" can be harvested to build the tech of tomorrow.

1. The Heavy Hitters: Electronics & E-Waste (WEEE)

The Crossed-Out Wheeled Bin

This is the universal symbol for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

  • What it means: Do not throw this in the trash. If it has a plug, a battery, or a circuit board, it belongs nowhere near your municipal garbage bin.
  • Why it matters: E-waste contains a wild mix of valuable materials (like gold, copper, and aluminum) and hazardous stuff (like lead and lithium). Throwing this in a landfill is a waste of precious resources and a hazard to the environment.
  • What to do: Take these items to a designated e-waste collection facility, a local recycling drop-off point, or return it to a retailer.
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The French Triman Logo: Electronics

France takes end-of-life sorting seriously, and this label breaks down exactly what to do with your dead gadgets.

  • What it means: This logo indicates that the product is subject to specific sorting and recycling rules in France.
  • The best part: Look closely at the text at the bottom: "Privilégiez la réparation ou le don de votre appareil !" (Prioritize repairing or donating your device!) We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
  • What to do: If you can't fix it or give it away, the icons show you your options: drop it off at a retail store (À DÉPOSER EN MAGASIN) or take it to a waste sorting center (À DÉPOSER EN DÉCHÈTERIE).
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2. Packaging: Sorting the Shell

Once you've unboxed your gear, you're left with the packaging. Here is how to sort it correctly across different regions.

The French Triman Logo: Packaging

  • What it means: This tells you exactly how to separate the different parts of the box your device came in.
  • What to do: It breaks the packaging down by component. The cardboard box elements (Élément(s) d'emballage) go into the recycling bin (indicated by the yellow bin icon). If there are plastic inserts or wrappers, follow the specific bin colors instructed on the label.
  • Note: These sorting instructions are specific to the individual packaging of each product. The images shown in this guide are examples of the most common packaging types; the label on your specific order or product may differ based on its unique materials and configuration.
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Iberian Sorting Rules: Spain & Portugal

Spain (Ecoembes) and Portugal (Sociedade Ponto Verde) use a standardized labeling system to take the guesswork out of recycling. To maintain clarity across different packaging designs, we typically utilize the black-and-white versions of these labels, which specify the correct bin in writing.

  • Paper and Cardboard (Al Azul / Ecoponto Azul): This is for paper and cardboard. Flatten your boxes and slide them in here.
  • Plastic and Metal (Al Amarillo / Ecoponto Amarelo): This is for plastic packaging, metal cans, and cartons.
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3. The Material Matrix: What is this made of?

The "Mobius Loop" (the triangle of chasing arrows) is universally recognized, but the number inside the triangle is the real payload. These are identification codes. They tell recycling facilities exactly what chemical family the material belongs to so they can melt it down properly.

Plastics (Codes 1-9)

Not all plastics are created equal.

  • 1 (PET/PETE): The MVP of plastic recycling. This is the primary material we use for our products and packaging due to its high recyclability.
  • 2 (PE-HD/HDPE): Highly recyclable and accepted almost everywhere, though we generally aim to avoid using this material in our current range where possible.
  • 3 (PVC), 4 (PE-LD), 5 (PP), 6 (PS): Specialized plastics. Check with your local municipality, as acceptance rates vary.
  • 7 (O/Other) & 9 (ABS): ABS is the tough stuff used in many electronics casings. It's incredibly durable, but you usually need to take it to a specialized e-waste or hard plastics recycler.
  • What to do: Codes 1 and 2 are widely accepted in standard curbside recycling bins. For Codes 3 through 6, check with your local municipality first. For Code 7 and 9 (ABS), do not put these in your home bin; they should be taken to a specialized e-waste or hard plastics recycler to ensure they are processed correctly.
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Paper & Cardboard (Codes 20-22)

  • 20 (PAP): Corrugated cardboard (the sturdy shipping boxes).
  • 21 (PAP): Non-corrugated paperboard (the thinner boxes holding your manuals/cables).
  • 22 (PAP): Standard paper (manuals, quick-start guides).
  • What to do: All of these are highly recyclable. Keep them dry and toss them in your local paper/blue bin.
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Metals (Codes 40-41)

  • 40 (FE): Steel / Iron. Magnetic and easily sorted.
  • 41 (ALU): Aluminum.
  • What to do: Metal is infinitely recyclable without losing quality. Never throw this in the trash.
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Composites (Codes 81-91)

  • What it means: These are "Frankenstein" materials—multiple layers fused together (like Paper glued to Plastic, or Paper fused with Aluminum).
  • What to do: Because they are blended, they are notoriously difficult to recycle. Code 81 (PapPet) and 84 (C/PAP), for example, often require specialized industrial separation. Check your local municipal guidelines before tossing these in the standard recycling bin.
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Remember: A circular economy starts with you. Fix what you can, upgrade what you must, and recycle the rest responsibly.

Europe Battery Recycling Locators by Country

See the Battery Recycling and Fees in the EU page for more information.

Europe E-Waste Recycling Locators by Country

Austria

Belgium

Estonia

  • Kuhuviia.ee: web app helping with waste sorting/disposal.

Finland

France

  • Ecosystem: Need to get rid of a device? (for private people and professionals)

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

UK

As in the EU, UK retailers must take back e-waste. You may also take e-waste to a recycling collection facility:

Europe E-Waste Laws

The European Union Directive on e-waste stipulates in article 5 that all households can return their e-waste free of charge. You can return your irreparable equipment free of charge to

  • specialised collection facilities,
  • to the distributor from whom you purchase an equivalent new product, even electronic merchants,
  • or to department stores, who are obliged to take back small appliances without any obligation for you to purchase a new product.

Batteries, cells and lamps can in many countries be returned in collectors in supermarkets and a large number of small retail stores.

UK e-waste recycling laws, for now, map pretty closely to EU laws. Government ministers announced in 2017 that all EU environmental laws would apply to post-Brexit Britain, including the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

UK retailers need to take back used WEEE, and UK repairers and refurbishers of WEEE may need a pollution, prevention, and control permit.

Canadian E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

Canadian E-Waste Recycling Locators

Rechargeable Battery Recyclers

Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! has a national recycling locator for Canada. Veolia also has a prepaid mail-in battery recycling program available to all provinces.

Other E-Waste Recyclers

Canadian E-Waste Recycling Laws

You can find details about e-waste management on a per Province level on this site.

Australia E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

Australia E-Waste Recycling Locators

Australia E-Waste Recycling Laws

New Zealand E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

New Zealand E-Waste Recycling Locators

New Zealand E-Waste Recycling Laws

India E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

India is the world's third-biggest contributor of e-waste, after China and the US. Despite attempts to regulate e-waste, much continues to be imported into India and informally recycled in hubs like Seelampur.

Seelampur demonstrates some of the challenging balances of e-waste collection schemes: Currently, 95% of India's e-waste is processed by informal, illegal waste pickers, an incredibly high collection and processing percentage. The economy in Seelampur is so dependent on the processing of e-waste that even though pollution makes the skies gray and workers often die of respiratory problems, locals are reluctant to disrupt the status quo. Changes to the system will need to weigh the lives and livelihoods of the informal waste picking network against the benefits of modernizing e-waste recycling in India. Ideally, governments will find a way to leverage the informal network's incredible collection rates and integrate the informal workers into the developing formal recycling system.

Today, there are a few dozen formal e-waste recyclers in India (see lists below). In February 2022, the Delhi government announced plans to build the nation's first e-waste recycling park in the Narela industrial area.

India E-Waste Recycling Locators

India E-Waste Recycling Laws

  • As of 2016, per the E-Waste Management Rules, India requires that businesses generating e-waste recycle it, that e-waste recyclers be registered with the government, and that manufacturers of e-waste products pay back a deposit (with interest) to consumers who return covered products. Manufacturers must also include a symbol indicating that the product shouldn't be discarded in household waste. By 2023, businesses should be forwarding at least 70% of e-waste to recycling or dismantling centres.

Asia E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

According to the United Nations,

Asia is the largest consumer of electrical and electronic equipment [EEE — anything with a battery or a cord], buying nearly half of EEE put on the market. Asia as a whole not only accounts for the majority of EEE sales, but also generates the highest volume of e-waste—estimated at 16 million tonnes in 2014. However, on a per capita basis, this amounts to only to 3.7 kg per inhabitant, as compared to Europe and the Americas, which generate nearly four times as much per capita — 15.6 kg per inhabitant.

With growing incomes, consumers in Asia now replace their gadgets more frequently. In addition, many products are designed for low-cost production, but not necessarily repair, refurbishment or easy recycling.

All the countries in the region control e-waste either via the Basel Convention or their national legal frameworks. However, measures to control the import of second-hand electronics and e-waste are different among the countries and regions. There are two types of control measures for the import of e-waste and second-hand electronics: 1) to control the import of e-waste and  not restrict the import of second-hand electronics (Province of China Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Vietnam); and 2) to prohibit the import of e-waste and prohibit or restrict the import of second-hand electronics (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam).

Between 2012 and 2017, e-waste in east and south-east Asia jumped 63%.

Despite these formal steps, enforcement of these measures remains a significant challenge in these countries and many others around the globe.

For more information, please see the Regional E-Waste-Monitor.

Cambodia

  • Cambodia's 1999 Solid Waste Management e-waste Sub-decree prohibited import of e-waste from abroad. Though there is no national e-waste management plan, some municipalities have their own solutions: for instance, the Phnom Penh Municipality began an e-waste management project in 2009.
  • Battery disposal bins are available at many markets in Phnom Penh, including the Sorya Shopping Mall, Plaza, Lucky Supermarkets, Exchange Square Eden Garden, Olympia, Stung Meanchey Thmey, TK and the Marts at Total, Tela gas stations, Chip Mong NORO Mall, Chip Mong Bak Touk, Borey Peng Huoth Boeung Snor, PTT Gas Station & Cafe Amazon near Olympic Stadium, Star Mart at the Bokor traffic light, and at Phsar Toch.

China

  • To protect the environment, China passed the regulation of e-waste recycling in 2008 and implemented it in 2011. China used to accept 70% of the world's e-waste but in 2018 enacted a stricter wide-reaching waste import ban, which included e-waste.
  • China is home to what was once one of the most infamous e-waste recycling locations in the world, Guiyu. In 2012, tens of thousands of informal recyclers in Guiyu processed more than a million tons of e-waste each year, mostly by hand, in ways that were dangerous to workers' health and to the environment. In 2015, the Guiyu Circular Economy Industrial Park opened, aiming to supplant the informal network.
  • To find an e-waste recycling location in China, see the smartphone app Baidu Recycle, a collaboration between The United Nations Development Program and Baidu Big Data Joint Laboratory.

Japan

Malaysia

  • In Malaysia, e-waste is regulated by Code SW110, the Environmental Quality Regulations of 2005. The government banned import of all non-recyclable solid waste in 2018.
  • The E-Waste Management in Malaysia program of the Department of Environment has an e-waste recycling locator.

Philippines

South Korea

  • South Korea does not have a national e-waste mandate but some local governments have launched e-waste recycling programs.
  • Since 2009, the Seoul Metropolitan Government adopted the Urban Mining Project which extract rare metals from discarded electronics collected by district offices or public institutions. Check out the Seoul Resource Center.
  • The Korean Ministry of Environment partners with the Korean Electronics Recycling Cooperative which offers nationwide free collection services. This site provides the following information on how to use the free collection service: "Large electronic appliance wastes (washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, etc.): Use the free pick-up collection service. ☎ Call Center (1599-0903), Online (www.15990903.or.kr)" - and says this about recycling small electronics: "in the designated collection box at your local community service center or apartment".
  • The Korea Electronics Recycling Cooperative (KERC), was established to facilitate the effective recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and operate the national recycling centers. See details of Location and Capacity of Recyclers in Korea.
  • LG Electronics collects e-waste in accordance with the local (WEEE) regulations and requirements around the world. See details of LG Electronics’ Requirements for recycler

Thailand

Taiwan

Latin America E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

The requirements for e-waste management in Latin America are relatively new. It is unfortunate to know that no Latin American country exceeds 5% in the recycling of electronic waste generated annually. Only a few countries in the region have specific laws and regulations on the management of electronic waste.

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Brazil is the leader in the production of e-waste in Latin America (and second in the whole American continent) and has national solid waste legislation from 2010, the "Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos." It defines the principles, goals and instruments related to the comprehensive and solid waste management (federal district, each federal state and the municipalities have to cooperate with the union in order to implement the established in the law): http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_at....

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, Brazil had 1.5 Mt of e-waste with only 3% adequate collection.

There are waste collection companies and waste picker cooperatives working in a non-profit model that also offer e-waste collection. Here just a few of them:

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

Mexico

Peru

Uruguay

Middle East E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

Iraq

Lebanon

Turkey

  • You can access Turkey’s legislation concerning the issue here.

United Arab Emirates

Africa E-Waste Laws and Recycling Locators

For a long time, Africa was positioned as the "dumping ground" of e-waste, where waste producers from the Global North would send dead electronics, to the detriment of waste picking children. The Ghana scrapyard Agbogbloshie has been demonized in these reports.

However, as African consumers have become more able to purchase new technology, electronics manufacturers have jumped to meet their needs (dominated by Transsion branded smartphones). Today, 50-85% of African e-waste comes from within the continent.

Africa generates 2.9 Mt of e-waste a year and recycles 0.9% of that formally. However, as of 2020, 13 African nations have some sort of national e-waste law. By some estimates, informal recycling and reuse in Africa is more complete than on other continents: As much as 95% of electronic waste in Ghana is collected, mostly informally.

Cameroon

Côte d’Ivoire

  • Ivory Coast supermarket chain Promusa has e-waste deposit stations at all markets.
  • Create Lab has been teaching locals how to repair, reuse, and recycle e-waste in Abidjan.

Egypt

  • In 2021, Egypt ICT and environment ministries launched a program called E-Tadweer, which promotes safe e-waste recycling. The Tadweer apps let users upload a photo of electronics they want to recycle, then automatically recommends local facilities that can recycle the equipment.

Ghana

Kenya

Madagascar

Morocco

Nigeria

  • Okunola Alabi of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, has made a public call for improvement to Nigerian e-waste infrastructure and legislation.

Rwanda

South Africa

Zambia

Jeff Snyder

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18 Comments

FYI: The link for your e-scrap price guide no longer works.

Erik Payne - Reply Share

Thanks for pointing that out. We're unable to find a different resource at this point. If anyone has a good link, please add it to the page!

Jeff Snyder - Reply Share

The post above could use a bit of repair (reads: update) of its own.

http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/

The 3rd-party certification(s) mentioned above assure nothing. Here is an example of why I say that. Total Reclaim, once the largest electronics recycler in the PNW was also the most certified (R2, e-Steward, ISO, all 3) at the time of being caught breaking the law. Total Reclaim is not the only example of electronics recyclers holding one or both 3rd-party certifications violating either the certification guidelines and/or the law in general.

https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2...

Don - Reply Share

Electroreturn von DHL gibt es nicht mehr.

Ludwig - Reply Share

Danke für die Info, Ludwig. Wir haben es angepasst.

Fabian Neidhardt - Reply Share

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