For City of Sacramento customers, there is an easy way to recycle household appliances and electronic waste (E-waste) for free– without leaving home.
The Recycling and Solid Waste Division provides households with up to two free pickup appointments per year for E-waste and household appliances. This type of appointment is separate from junk pickup appointments and can be requested year-round.
Up to two appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, can be put out in one appointment, along with up to four E-waste items. Smaller E-waste items, such as cell phones and earbuds, can be placed together in a box and count as one of the four E-waste items.
All pickup appointments can be scheduled by the property owner or tenant by contacting the City’s Customer Service, calling 3-1-1 (916-264-5011 outside City limits), or using the free Sac311 app.
The minimum amount required for an appliance/E-waste pickup is 10 pounds. Smaller amounts of E-waste can be dropped off at a local facility for free.
Acceptable E-waste includes TVs, DVD/VHS players, computers/computer accessories, monitors, small household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and blenders, portable speakers and any item with an embedded battery. Embedded batteries are found in items such as cell phones, tablets, wireless earbuds, power tools, computer accessories, wearable tech, portable speakers, and other rechargeable devices.
A covered, embedded battery–unlike a loose battery–cannot be removed easily just by using a basic household tool, such as a screwdriver. Loose household batteries should first be removed from any E-waste items and can be dropped off at multiple locations for recycling.
“It’s important to dispose of any battery properly,” said Jesa David, spokesperson for the Recycling and Solid Waste Division. “Throwing batteries in the regular trash can lead to fires in waste collection trucks or at the sorting facility.”
To encourage proper battery recycling, the State of California recently passed a law, Senate Bill (SB) 1215, which expands California’s Covered Electronic Waste Recycling program to include any covered battery-embedded electronics.
For more information on services provided by the Recycling and Solid Waste Division, please visit sacrecycle.org.
