Recycling Consumer Electronic Waste

Two Ways to Recycle Your Electronic Waste

Option 1: Use a Manufacturer's Free and Convenient Takeback Program

1. Go to DEC's list of electronic equipment manufacturers registered in NYS, to find manufacturers, their brands of electronic equipment, and their electronic waste acceptance program websites and toll-free telephone numbers. Manufacturers of covered electronic equipment (CEE) are required to provide consumers a free and convenient opportunity to recycle their equipment brands or one piece of CEE from another manufacturer with the consumer's purchase of the same type.
2. Follow the specific instructions listed on the manufacturer's website or provided over the telephone.

Option 2: Go to an Electronic Waste Collection Site

Residents in any part of the state can download the list of registered NYS Electronic Waste Collection Sites (PDF, 10.2 MB), sorted by county, to find a registered electronic waste collection site near them.

Call ahead before using an electronic waste collection site as the site listed may not accept your particular type or brand of equipment. If the collection site is not affiliated with a manufacturer's acceptance program, you may be charged a fee to recycle your equipment. If you are looking for a free and convenient way to recycle your equipment, please first follow the Manufacturer Takeback Program steps above.

Electronic Equipment Covered by the Act:

* including any cable, cord, or wiring accompanying the covered electronic equipment.

Covered Electronic Equipment Does Not Include:

Any motor vehicle or any part thereof; camera or video camera; portable or stationary radio; household appliances such as clothes washers, clothes dryers, refrigerators, freezers, microwave ovens, ovens, ranges or dishwashers; equipment that is functionally or physically part of a larger piece of equipment intended for use in an industrial, research and development or commercial setting; security or anti-terrorism equipment; monitoring and control instrument or system; thermostat; hand-held transceiver; telephone of any type; portable digital assistant or similar device; calculator; global positioning system (GPS) receiver or similar navigation device; a server other than a small-scale server; a cash register or retail self-checkout system; a stand-alone storage product intended for use in industrial, research and development or commercial settings; commercial medical equipment that contains within it a cathode ray tube, a flat panel display or similar video display device, and is not separate from the larger piece of equipment; other medical devices as that term is defined under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; lighting ballast with circuit board; portable wand scanner; UPS battery; temperature monitoring device; whiteboard as a display surface only; standalone karaoke machine; single function tag reader; handheld label machine not used with a computer; RFID tag; HDMI switch; video baby monitor; or preamplifier.

If you are still unsure whether or not a piece of equipment falls under the scope of the Act, please contact the E-waste Recycling Team at (518) 402-8706 or by e-mail.

Manufacturers' Responsibilities to their Consumers:

The NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act requires manufacturers to provide free and convenient recycling of electronic waste to most consumers in the state. A "consumer" is any individual, business, corporation, limited partnership, not-for-profit corporation, the state, a public corporation, public school, school district, private or parochial school or board of cooperative educational services or governmental entity located in New York State. Most consumers should not be charged for the recycling or reuse of electronic equipment. However, for-profit businesses with 50 or more full-time employees and not-for-profit corporations with 75 or more full-time employees may be assessed a charge for these services by manufacturers. In addition, any consumer may be charged for "premium services." "Premium services" are any services above and beyond the reasonably convenient acceptance methods defined in the Act. These include equipment and data security services, refurbishment for reuse by the consumer, and other custom services such as at-home collection (other than mail back programs), data wiping, specialized packing and preparation for collection, etc.

Collection opportunities include:

• fixed acceptance locations such as retail stores, sales outlets, not-for-profit organizations, or municipal facilities;
• mail or ship back return programs (Manufacturers are responsible for covering the cost of shipping and providing packaging materials if needed);
• collection events; and
• any combination of these or other acceptance methods which are reasonably convenient to consumers in the state.

Manufacturers are not required to have a physical collection location in every community. If you have any problems trying to return electronic waste for recycling, please contact us at (518) 402-8706 or by e-mail.