How to get rid of unwanted electronics in Pinellas County
Electronics Recycling & Disposal
Do you ever wonder how to get rid of your electronics in Pinellas County? There are a lot of recycling and disposal options available for electronics that do not contain rechargeable batteries.
Pinellas County’s Where Does It Go? Search Tool lists local electronics recyclers that residents can use. To use the search tool, select “For Homes”, type “electronics” into the search bar and click “Search”. The results will show many options for electronics reuse and recycling as well as information regarding rechargeable batteries. Be sure to first check with the recycler to make sure they will accept your specific items.
Alternatively, you can place electronics that do not have rechargeable batteries in your garbage bin for disposal. If the item is too large to fit into your bin, contact your city or private hauler to ask about bulky waste pickup. You can also bring the items to the Solid Waste Disposal Complex (SWDC) during normal operating hours for a fee. Electronics that do not contain rechargeable batteries are not accepted by Pinellas County Solid Waste’s (SW) Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) programs.
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable batteries are a leading cause of fires in garbage and recycling trucks and at garbage and recycling processing facilities. Do not place rechargeable batteries or items with rechargeable batteries in your garbage or recycling bin.
If you have electronics that contain rechargeable batteries, remove the battery and take it to a drop-off center for proper disposal. If the battery cannot be removed from the electronic, take the whole electronic to a battery drop-off center.
Examples of products that contain rechargeable batteries include, but are not limited to, cell phones, tablets, electric toothbrushes, power tools, hearing aids, cordless vacuums, razors, portable fans and laptops.
Use the Where Does It Go? Search Tool to find local battery drop-off centers for your rechargeable batteries.
Rechargeable batteries are considered a hazardous chemical and are accepted at Pinellas County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Center and household chemical collection events. Other household chemicals like paint, oil, gasoline, pesticides and household cleaners are also accepted. For more information about SW’s household hazardous waste programs, visit Pinellas.gov/hhw.
Why it’s important to reduce, reuse and recycle electronics
Pinellas County has a vision of zero waste to landfill by 2050. You can help us reach that vision by reducing, reusing and recycling your unwanted electronics. The Where Does It Go? Search Tool below has tons of reuse and recycling options for your electronics!
If the reuse and recycling options are not available to you, it is safe to place your non-rechargeable electronics into your garbage bin. Pinellas County has a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility where garbage is burned to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 45,000 homes each day. Metals are recovered from the remaining ash and recycled.
Questions?
Reach out to us by emailing recycle@pinellas.gov or calling (727) 464-7500.