The US Environmental Protection Agency advises households to donate working electronics for reuse or recycle them, to delete personal information and remove batteries first, never to put lithium-ion batteries in household garbage or recycling bins, and, for businesses, governments and large purchasers, to use certified recyclers under the R2 or e-Stewards standards.

Why the EPA encourages reuse and recycling

The EPA’s guidance on electronics donation and recycling, last updated on 19 December 2025, says donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, because electronic products contain metals, plastics and glass that take energy to mine and manufacture. It cites a 2006 estimate from the US Geological Survey that recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent of the electricity used by more than 3,500 US homes in a year, and that each million recycled cell phones can yield 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium. Those are 2006 estimates, so they show the principle rather than a current market value. For a computer or laptop, the EPA suggests considering a hardware or software upgrade instead of buying a new product.

Steps to take before handing a device over

The EPA lists a short checklist before donating or recycling used electronics. Delete all personal information from the device. Remove any batteries, because they may need to be recycled separately. Check for recycling facilities in the state or community. The guidance is unambiguous that lithium-ion batteries, and devices containing them, should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. That matters for phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers and any product with a built-in rechargeable battery, and it should be read alongside the general household guidance in the guide to household hazardous waste in the United States.

Where to donate or recycle

The EPA explains that manufacturers and retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics, and names three websites where options can be searched: Call2Recycle, Earth911 and Greener Gadgets, with a disclaimer that it does not endorse any of these entities or their services. Its certified recycler page says that for households with smaller amounts of electronics, collection programmes that use certified recyclers can be found through Greener Gadgets, which accepts all types of electronics, and Call2Recycle, which accepts cell phones and rechargeable and single-use batteries. Donation suits electronics that still work, since reuse extends a product’s life, while recycling is for items that cannot be donated or repaired. Checking local government websites for drop-off locations or collection events is a sensible first step, because arrangements vary by state and community.

What certification means: R2 and e-Stewards

The EPA encourages all electronics recyclers to become certified by demonstrating to an accredited, independent third-party auditor that they meet specific standards. Two accredited standards currently exist in the United States: the Responsible Recycling (R2) Standard for Electronics Recyclers, and the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment. According to the EPA, both are based on environmental standards that maximise reuse and recycling, minimise exposure to human health or the environment, ensure safe management of materials by downstream handlers, and require destruction of all data on used electronics. The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board accredits the certifying bodies and publishes an updated list of which body holds accreditation to which standard. The EPA recommends certified recyclers for businesses, governments and large purchasers, and says certified recyclers continue to face oversight from an independent accredited certifying body.

Limits of the guidance

The EPA guidance describes recommended practice. It is not a nationwide legal requirement to use a certified recycler, and the pages do not set out state law. The EPA also completed a limited study of how the R2 and e-Stewards programmes are implemented, to assess whether the standards are applied transparently and consistently, and published recommendations for improving implementation, which shows certification is a useful check rather than a guarantee. Rules on electronics disposal differ between states, so local government websites are the place to confirm what is accepted in household trash or at drop-off sites. Readers in the UK should follow the separate producer-take-back regime described in the guide to old computers and hard drives under the WEEE rules.

FAQs

Should I put an old phone in household garbage or recycling?

No. The EPA says lithium-ion batteries and devices containing them should not go in household garbage or recycling bins, and that batteries may need to be recycled separately.

What are R2 and e-Stewards?

They are the two accredited certification standards for electronics recyclers in the United States, according to the EPA. Certified recyclers are audited by independent, accredited certifying bodies.

Does the EPA endorse a particular recycling programme?

No. The EPA lists Call2Recycle, Earth911 and Greener Gadgets for information only and states that it does not endorse them or their services.

The bottom line

In the United States the EPA advises deleting personal data, removing batteries, keeping lithium-ion batteries out of household garbage and recycling, donating working devices for reuse and recycling the rest, preferably through a certified R2 or e-Stewards recycler. The guidance is recommended practice, and state and local rules on what may go in the trash or where items can be dropped off still apply. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 25 September 2026:

• US EPA, “Electronics Donation and Recycling” (last updated 19 December 2025)
• US EPA, “Certified Electronics Recyclers”

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