Go green by recycling unwanted electronics
Chances are that someone in your home received a new electronic gadget this holiday season. Hillsborough County Solid Waste reminds residents to recycle obsolete or broken electronics that may contain lead, mercury, and other toxic materials. Electronics should not be thrown out with regular, household garbage.
Items containing a digital display or circuit board, including televisions, computers, laptops, mobile devices, stereo equipment, gaming consoles, VCR/DVD players, and printers, may be safely recycled at sites that will take them for free.
The most generous way to discard working electronics is to donate them to a local shelter, charity, or thrift store. Additionally, many electronics retailers have free recycling programs for both working and broken devices.
Improperly disposed electronics that contain rechargeable batteries can cause fires. All lithium-ion batteries should be disposed at Community Collection Centers or Household Hazardous Waste events.
For proper battery disposal, each lithium-ion battery must be placed in an individual plastic zip-close bag for safe transport. Battery terminals should be taped with clear packing tape. Do not cover battery labels that indicate the chemistry of the battery. Lead-acid batteries do not require bagging.
Single-use alkaline batteries (for example A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt) can be disposed in residential curbside trash carts. These batteries cannot be recycled.
Residents in Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and the City of Temple Terrace may recycle limited quantities of household electronics at one of our Community Collection Centers by presenting a photo ID:
- Alderman's Ford Solid Waste Facility, 9402 County Road 39, Plant City, FL 33567
- Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility, 6209 County Road 579, Seffner, FL 33584
- Northwest County Solid Waste Facility, 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, FL 33625
- South County Solid Waste Facility, 13000 U.S. 41, Gibsonton, FL 33534
- Wimauma Solid Waste Facility, 16180 West Lake Dr., Wimauma, FL 33598
Community Collection Centers are self-unloading facilities. They will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Hours of operation for each center can be found by clicking on the facility above or by visiting Community Collection Centers.
Disposal of other items accepted at the centers, such as appliances, furniture, microwave ovens, and tires, requires a photo I.D. and a property tax bill showing the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Disposal Assessment.
Small bathroom and kitchen appliances such as toasters, crock pots, electric skillets, blenders, hair dryers, and curling irons may be discarded in your regular trash.
Visit the Find a Waste Disposal Facility page for more information on items accepted, hours, and contact numbers.