Electronic Waste Management

According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, electronic discards, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream. In addition, some researchers estimate that nearly 75 percent of old electronics are in storage, in part because of the uncertainty of how to properly dispose of these items.

As technology quickly evolves and new products are outdated almost as soon as they are available for purchase, the need for proper and safe disposal of e-waste is apparent. If products are still in working order or need minor repairs, they should be donated to a school, library, charity or church. If they are broken and need to be disposed of, there are several disposal options in North San Diego County - do not place e-waste with your household trash.

Certain materials, particularly metals, in electronic devices can be salvaged and recycled, and proper handling of e-waste ensures that no harmful materials such as lead will contaminate our landfills or water supply.

E-waste includes:

• Cell phones, PDAs, pagers
• Computer monitors
• Computer software disks
• Computers/CPUs
• Laptop computers
• Photocopiers
• Printers/scanners/fax machines
• Stereos/radios/MP3 players or iPods
• Telephones/answering machines
• Televisions (including plasma and LCD)
• VCRs/DVD players
• Video game consoles

Disposal of E-waste

We will retrieve up to five e-waste items three times annually. To schedule an e-waste pick up, please contact Waste Management at 1(800) DUMPSTER or (760) 929-9400 at least 24 hours in advance of your regular collection day, as pick up will occur on your collection day. E-Waste may also be dropped off at one of Waste Management’s recycle centers. Please take these items to Waste Management's Recycling Centers at 2880 Industry St. in Oceanside, or 5960 El Camino Real in Carlsbad, Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Carlsbad residents may drop off e-waste such as TVs, computers, fax machines or stereos at no-charge at the Carlsbad location only. Proof of residency is required.

For other resources on reusing and recycling electronic products, visit or

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