Minnesota Computer Recycling and Disposal Information for Consumers

Consumers and businesses share a strong concern for the state’s environmental quality. As a state that loves the outdoors and cares about the quality of its air, water, and open spaces, recycling is an important part of daily life throughout our beautiful state. On this website, we want to help Minnesotans understand the reasons we should take disposal of electronics and computer equipment seriously. Only by treating these materials properly when we are finished with them can we protect the environment, recover valuable resources and help to ensure that Minnesota’s environment remains beautiful and protected from harm. At the links below, you’ll find information about technology and e-waste recycling:

• Disposing and Recycling Old Computer Equipment

  Each year, millions of computers in Minnesota homes and businesses become obsolete or stop working. What happens next is important. All too often, those PCs and their peripherals get stacked up in storage because people don’t know what to do with them. By law, they cannot be disposed of in landfills or discarded for pickup by trash haulers. Companies and non-profit organizations throughout the state properly recycle this waste. The maps and directories on this website will help you find a recycler near you.

• Donating Old Computers

  When computers and associated equipment are no longer up-to-date, they are taken out of service. Disposing of equipment that is still operational doesn’t make good sense. Through updates, putting old computers to other uses, and by donating them to people and organizations that will make excellent use of them, that waste is eliminated. Many resources are available to help find new uses for old technology, and we want to help you find those resources and learn about ways to extend the useful life of your equipment.

• Safe-Guard Personal and Private Information

  Every computer stores data that can cause problems if it gets into the wrong hands. For individuals, banking, credit and health information exists on their computer equipment. For businesses, a vast range of data needs to be protected from misuse. To help you learn how to safely remove that data and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, the tips at this link will ensure that you protect yourself and others from data criminals. Time spent doing this before recycling computer equipment pays off in data security.

• Cell Phones and Tablet Devices Need Proper Recycling

  Minnesotans are shifting many tasks that used to be done on computers over to smart phones and tablet devices. These, too, become obsolete or non-functional in time. Like computers, they also contain personal and business data and should not be disposed of in Minnesota landfills. At the link above, you’ll discover ways to safely get rid of these hand-held devices and recycle them or give them a new life in other hands. Most computer recyclers accept this equipment, and there are additional options available.

• Disposal of Consumer Electronics

  As consumer technology is evolving fast, we are constantly upgrading our home electronics, including plasma and LCD TVs, home stereo entertainment centers, video game consoles, video and DVD recorders and players, digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones, tablet computers and more. All old and broken equipment needs to be properly disposed and recycled.

• Electronics Technology Contains Toxic and Hazardous Materials

  The technology Minnesotans use every day represents the most advanced engineering in the world. What most of us don’t know is that today’s high-tech equipment contains a wide variety of toxic and hazardous materials. They’re safe to use because those materials are contained safely, but they’re harmful if released into the environment through improper disposal techniques. Learning about those materials and how e-waste recycling safely handles them is important. Most can be recovered and reused.

• Recovering Precious Metals from Computers and Electronics

  Inside every electronics device are small amounts of precious metals, rare elements and other valuable commodities. When you consider how many computers and other equipment are taken out of service each year, you’ll be surprised to learn how many tons of valuable materials like gold, silver, and platinum are recovered through proper recycling. By putting these materials to new uses, we become less reliant on mining and benefit in many other ways. Learn the facts about recovering valuable resources.

• Recycling Computers and Technology Protects Landfills

  In the United States, our population of well over 300 million people generates mountains of trash every year. Most of that trash ends up being buried in landfills located in every state, including Minnesota. Those landfills waste valuable space and can lead to pollution of our rivers, lakes and groundwater. The goal of all recycling programs, including electronics and computer recycling is to minimize the trash that is simply buried. Every item that doesn’t go to landfills extends their life and minimizes waste.

Computer and High-Tech Recycling Benefits All of Us

We’ve created this website as a public service to Minnesota residents and businesses. We believe that it’s important for everyone to work together to protect Minnesota’s precious environment. Recycling e-waste is just one way we can do that. We hope you’ll use the maps and directories on this site to find the resources you need, and that you’ll share that information with others. We do not make any profit from this website, and have no business relationship with any of the recycling companies or organizations in our directory.