Household Hazardous Waste
County Links for Residents
Electronics, TVs & Computers
- Audio equipment, including CD and MP3 players, radios, speakers, stereos and remote controls
- Computers, including laptops, tablets, central processing units (CPUs) and monitors
- Computer equipment and peripherals, including keyboards, speakers, printers and fax machines
- Data storage devides, including USB and external hard drives
- DVD players and VCRs
- Game consoles
- Telephones, including cell phones, cordless phones and answering machines
- Televisions
- Video equipment, including cameras and camcorders
Electronic products containing a cathode ray tube (such as TVs and computer monitors) cannot be placed in the garbage (Minnesota State Statute 115A.9565). The solution? Recycle your electronics.
Recycling & Disposal Information
Electronics don't belong in the garbage. Electronics may contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium or mercury, which are harmful to human health and the environment. Numerous recycling options are available in the Twin Cities area.
Electronics Recycling Options
- Retailer recycling options: Several retailers offer in-store and mail-back recycling programs.
- Manufacturer recycling options: Many manufacturers offer a variety of recycling programs for televisions, computers and other electronics.
- Electronics recyclers: There are many electronics recycling service providers in the Twin Cities metro-area, including county facilities, offering drop-off and pick-up services for electronics recycling. (See the "Disposal and Drop-off Sites" button at the top and bottom of this page for a map of locations.)
- City and neighborhood collection events: Electronics are collected for recycling on most municipal recycling drop-off days and at many community clean-up events. Contact your municipal recycling coordinator for information about seasonal events.
- Garbage haulers: Some garbage haulers offer service for electronics recycling. Ask your hauler if this service is available.
For recycling options outside of the metro-area, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Choosing an Electronics Recycling Option
Before choosing a recycler, ask about:
- Fees
- Hours
- Types of electronics accepted
- Where e-waste is sent for recycling
- How all hazardous components are managed
Privacy
You should remove all personal data from your electronics before recycling them. Personal data may be stored on data storage devices including internal and external hard drives, disks, CDs, DVDs, memory cards, and USB drives. Some locations that accept electronics for recycling require that personal data be removed. You may purchase a disk cleaning utility for your computer's hard drive or choose a recycler who provides data removal or data destruction service (some recyclers will charge an extra fee for data destruction).
For more information contact your county.
Reduction Tips
To reduce the amount of e-waste you create, consider the impact of the items you intend to buy. Try to purchase items with a long product life. You could also consider purchasing used electronic items. If you're giving electronics as a gift, consider if the person really needs the new item and if there are any less-wasteful gift options.
Reuse Tips
If an electronic item you no longer use still works, try to find someone who can use it. You could re-gift the item, sell it, or donate it to a local organization.
All Minnesota Best Buy locations accept nearly everything electronic for recycling, including tube TVs and monitors up to 32", flat-panel TVs and monitors up to 60", peripherals, DVD players, home and car audio, cell phones, MP3 players, and cables. A maximum of three items per household per day is accepted. Also accepts small electrics, fans and vacuums.
