Atlanta E-Waste Disposal: No Curbside Pickup

Item: E-waste — TVs, monitors, computers, laptops, tablets, phones, printers, microwaves, cables, chargers and rechargeable batteries Jurisdiction: City of Atlanta, Office of Solid Waste Services (Department of Public Works). The city limits span Fulton and DeKalb counties. CHaRM is a nonprofit facility run by Live Thrive, not a city site Official sources: ATL311 Knowledge Article KB0011610 (City of Atlanta), City of Atlanta Bulk Waste Collection and Multi-family Recycling, Live Thrive CHaRM program, accepted-items and booking pages, DeKalb County Sanitation recycling and contact pages, Fulton County Public Works pollution-prevention and solid-waste pages, Best Buy electronics recycling pages Last verified: September 2026 · Next review: December 2026

Quick answer

The City of Atlanta does not collect e-waste curbside and runs no city e-waste drop-off site. Electronics — "computers, printers, and televisions" — are listed under Bulk Materials Not Accepted on the city's Bulk Waste Collection page.

Residents are routed to CHaRM, the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, a program of the nonprofit Live Thrive — not a city facility. Drop-off is appointment-only at both locations:

1. CHaRM Atlanta — 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta, GA 30315. Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
2. CHaRM DeKalb — 1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur, GA 30032. Wednesday 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
3. Phone for both: (404) 600-6386

CHaRM takes anything that "requires electricity or charging." Residents pay $25 per TV or monitor; other accepted electronics and batteries are free. No cash — Venmo, credit card, debit card or Apple Pay only.

Before loading a vehicle, check livethrive.org for the current fees, hours and accepted list (Live Thrive sets all of them), and call (404) 600-6386 about the residency rule, which the city and Live Thrive describe differently.

Quick facts

Why there is no curbside e-waste route

The city rules it out rather than discouraging it. The Bulk Waste Collection page lists "Electronics (e.g., computers, printers, and televisions)" under Bulk Materials Not Accepted. Bulk is the only schedulable curbside channel, and e-waste is not eligible for it.

Bulk itself is a scheduled single-family service, set on your regular weekly collection day as of February 16, 2026. Residents get up to 12 appointments a year, scheduled through www.atl311.com or 404-546-0311. Bulk is also not available for materials from rental properties, business operations, manufacturing, new construction or demolition.

No City of Atlanta page documents a residential e-waste pickup or a city e-waste collection event. That is a negative finding, not proof that nothing exists — so this page does not claim one, and you should not wait for a truck. What is certain: curbside garbage, recycling or bulk cannot take any e-waste component — not CRT glass, not a screen, not a battery. If you want to be told directly, call ATL311 at 404-546-0311.

Check your jurisdiction before anything else

Everything on this page applies to City of Atlanta residents inside the city limits, which lie in Fulton and DeKalb counties. It does not extend to unincorporated Fulton or DeKalb, or to Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Decatur, East Point, South Fulton and other neighbouring cities, which run their own programs and have their own contracts.

The residency rule for CHaRM is unresolved in the official pages, so treat it as a phone question:

• ATL311 states that "City of Atlanta residents may drop off items at CHaRM."
• Live Thrive's own pages describe resident versus business pricing without stating a hard city-residency restriction, and do not limit the DeKalb location to DeKalb residents.

Call (404) 600-6386 before driving if you live outside the city limits. Businesses must register before booking and pay different rates.

The primary route: CHaRM by appointment

CHaRM is operated by the nonprofit Live Thrive, and the city routes residents there. Live Thrive sets the fees, hours, accepted list and closure dates, and can change any of them without the city updating its own page. The facilities are described as Atlanta's only permanent sites where residents and businesses can drop off household hazardous waste and hard-to-recycle materials; operations are paid for from grants, sponsorships, donations and recycling fees.

Both sites also take sorted single-stream recyclables, so a load of bottles and cans can ride along.

Appointments are required at both locations and are used to track statistics for funding. Book through the Live Thrive CHaRM app (App Store or Google Play) or the web version. Confirmations are no longer sent by email — find your appointment under "Appointment Check-In" and show the QR code, or be ready to give the account email, at check-in.

What CHaRM accepts — and what it refuses

The definition is broad on purpose: any item that requires electricity or charging. That covers TVs and monitors; computers, laptops and tablets; cell phones; printers; microwaves, coffee makers, mixers and vacuums; DVRs; cables, wiring and chargers; Christmas lights; and small consumer electronics. Do not narrow it to computers and TVs — the dead microwave belongs on the same trip.

Batteries accepted at no fee: button, NiMh, lithium, carbon zinc, Ni-Cad and rechargeable. Tape all battery ends and any exposed wire.

Refused: alkaline batteries, car (lead-acid) batteries and propane tanks of any size. A refused item at the gate means a second trip.

Live Thrive states that only the items listed on livethrive.org are accurate, so check that list — not a third-party summary — before your appointment.

Fees and payment: $25 per TV or monitor, and no cash

Businesses must register with CHaRM before booking.

No cash — Venmo, credit card, debit card and Apple Pay only. A cash-only visitor cannot pay the TV or monitor fee.

Treat these figures as a snapshot, not a permanent price. They are set by a nonprofit and have changed before — Live Thrive previously showed a lower TV fee. Verify at livethrive.org/charm/items-we-accept before you load the car. No per-item cap is published for CHaRM electronics; the only published caps in this space are Best Buy's, below.

Book it, then prep: the order that saves a trip

1. Book first. The app or the web version — required at both locations.
2. Have the QR code or your account email ready. Check-in lives under "Appointment Check-In."
3. Sort and separate items, and keep recyclables clean and dry.
4. Expect $25 per TV or monitor. Bring a card or phone, never cash.
5. Tape battery ends and any exposed wire.
6. Leave alkaline batteries, car batteries and propane tanks at home.
7. Check the closure dates below before you book around them.
8. Wipe personal data from every device.
9. Do not assume on-site shredding. Document shredding runs only on announced Shredding Event days; pre-shredded documents are accepted any time.

Published 2026 closures: September 5, October 22, November 25 (closing early), November 26–28, December 24–28, December 31 and January 1. These are Live Thrive's dates — confirm at livethrive.org or (404) 600-6386, especially in November and December when the calendar is tightest.

The DeKalb County route: Seminole Road Landfill

DeKalb's curbside single-stream recycling does not accept electronics. "Computers and phones," "TVs and monitors" and "Batteries" all sit under Not Accepted, and the county directs residents to its e-recycling drop-off plus a Best Buy partnership.

Seminole Road Landfill — 4203 Clevemont Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294. Phone 404-687-4040. Hours Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. County-listed services: resident disposal and electronics recycling. DeKalb Sanitation's Customer Experience Call Center is 404-294-2900.

County residency or proof may be required — the county page does not state the rule — so call before driving to Ellenwood, which is well outside the city. These details come from DeKalb's official contact page; confirm what the site currently takes by phone.

The retailer route: Best Buy in store and paid haul-away

Best Buy takes consumer electronics from residents only; products from businesses or organizations are refused. No appointment and no receipt are required, and all U.S. stores accept consumer electronics regardless of where you bought it. Outlet stores do not participate.

Free in store: desktops, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners and fax machines, cables, mice and keyboards, hard drives, ink and toner, phones, and small electronics. Limits: three items per household per day, and two TVs per household per day.

$29.99 per item in store: flat-panel TVs (LCD, plasma or LED) 50 inches and smaller, tube TVs 31 inches and smaller, and monitors 50 inches and smaller. Insignia and Dynex units 50 inches and smaller are free.

Not accepted in store: large appliances, and TVs or monitors over 50 inches.

Paid pickup (haul-away): $49.99 when a replacement product is delivered, or $199.99 standalone for up to 2 large products.

These are retailer terms that can change — confirm them at the specific store. The haul-away prices are the only sourced pickup prices in this guide; no amount is published here for private recyclers or junk removal, so get written quotes and compare them against the free CHaRM drop-off first.

If you live outside the city limits

Residents outside the city limits use their own city or county program.

Fulton County runs municipality-specific services rather than a single county program, and offers periodic Household Hazardous Waste pollution-prevention days rather than a permanent resident e-waste drop-off. It directs residents to a recycling center near them and warns that automotive fluids, paint, pesticides and cleaners must never be flushed or poured into storm drains. Call Fulton County Public Works at (404) 612-4000. No event dates appear here because none were verified.

The Merk Miles Transfer Station, (404) 629-1700, open Monday–Saturday 8:00–4:30 and closed Wednesday and Sunday, is a county convenience center for household municipal solid waste. It is not a confirmed e-waste drop-off — do not plan a trip there for a television.

Does Georgia ban e-waste from landfills?

You may read that Georgia bans e-waste from landfills or requires manufacturer take-back. Do not treat either as settled. No official Georgia state source — no Georgia EPD page, no state code page — was found confirming or denying a statewide e-waste landfill ban or a manufacturer take-back requirement. A secondary source says Georgia has no such law, but that is not an official citation, so this page will not assert one.

That gap helps explain why Atlanta's route is nonprofit, retailer and scrap based rather than state-mandated. If the legal position matters for compliance, confirm it with Georgia EPD rather than relying on any guide.

Where each item goes

Routes compared

The short read: CHaRM is the primary route with the broadest accepted list and free batteries; Best Buy is the walk-in option with the tightest limits; DeKalb's landfill is the county answer for unincorporated DeKalb; the cart is never an answer.

Apartments, renters and buildings of six or more units

Renters have no city pickup channel. City bulk collection is not available for materials from rental properties, and electronics were never an accepted bulk material anyway. Both blockers apply at once.

Buildings of six or more living units. Under City Code Section 130-38, owners of multi-family dwellings (including public housing) and condo or townhouse associations with six or more units must furnish commercial recycling containers — at least three gallons per living unit — and contract their own hauler. The city provides no recycling service to multi-family properties. That arrangement covers recyclables only and creates no e-waste service; ask your property manager whether the contracted hauler takes electronics.

Can a renter use CHaRM? It is an individual drop-off, and no official source restricts it to single-family households — but none publishes a definitive rental rule either. A renter dropping off personal household e-waste is a "resident" user on Live Thrive's pricing and can typically book and self-haul. Confirm at (404) 600-6386.

Pooled or contractor waste. Items pooled by a property manager for residents, or contractor-generated waste, count as business material — registration plus the business rate of $25 per TV or monitor and $0.55 per pound for additional items.

No car. No official source addresses CHaRM access without a vehicle, and there is no building-level e-waste pickup. The sourced options are a friend's vehicle for a booked drop-off, or the paid Best Buy haul-away.

Lease deadlines and shared areas. Never stage a TV beside a dumpster, in an alley or in a shared trash area. It is not a legal route, your data is exposed, and property or HOA rules may treat it as illegal dumping.

Common situations

The TV that died this weekend. Book CHaRM and bring a card for the $25 fee. If it is 50 inches or smaller and you are buying a replacement, Best Buy's $29.99 drop-off is the shorter trip; over 50 inches, Best Buy refuses it in store.

The drawer of cables, chargers and dead phones. All free at CHaRM — bundle it with the TV in one appointment.

The cleanout with a microwave, coffee maker, vacuum and mixer. All count as electronics at CHaRM, with no fee.

The renter moving out on Friday. No curbside and no bulk answer — book CHaRM now, or use Best Buy in store or the paid haul-away.

The bag of batteries. Rechargeable, button, lithium, NiMh, Ni-Cad and carbon zinc go to CHaRM free with the ends taped. Alkaline batteries do not — ask ATL311.

The unincorporated DeKalb resident. Curbside recycling will not take electronics — call Seminole Road Landfill at 404-687-4040 before hauling.

The Fulton resident outside the city. Your route is your municipality's service or a periodic county HHW day; call (404) 612-4000. Do not assume Merk Miles takes electronics.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Setting a TV, printer or computer out with the trash or on a bulk pile and expecting pickup.
2. Assuming curbside bulk or recycling can take CRT glass, screens or batteries.
3. Driving to CHaRM without an appointment.
4. Waiting for a confirmation email that is no longer sent.
5. Bringing cash for the TV or monitor fee.
6. Loading alkaline batteries, a car battery or a propane tank and losing the visit at the gate.
7. Assuming on-site document shredding runs on a normal drop-off day.
8. Assuming a Georgia landfill ban or take-back law exists.
9. Expecting a building or the city to collect electronics from an apartment.
10. Quoting a private recycler or junk-removal price you were never given — ask for it in writing.

Safety warnings

• Wipe or remove storage media — drives, SSDs, phones, tablets — before hand-off. No route here guarantees data destruction on your behalf.
• CRT televisions and monitors are heavy and front-weighted. Use two people or a hand truck, never carry one alone down stairs, and secure it so it cannot shift in the vehicle.
• Never break open a CRT or flat-panel screen. The glass, phosphors and backlight components inside are why e-waste has its own route.
• Treat damaged lithium batteries as a fire risk. Keep them out of a loose mixed pile, never puncture, crush or charge a damaged battery, and tape ends and exposed wire.
• Secure a self-hauled load with straps. Shifting electronics are a common cause of transit damage and gate refusal.
• Never leave e-waste beside a dumpster, in an alley or in a shared trash area.

Verify before you act

1. Confirm your jurisdiction — city limits, unincorporated Fulton or DeKalb, or a neighbouring city.
2. Confirm there is no curbside route for you — call ATL311 at 404-546-0311.
3. Book the CHaRM appointment first — required at both locations; no email confirmation.
4. Re-check the accepted list and fees at livethrive.org/charm/items-we-accept.
5. Confirm the residency rule at (404) 600-6386.
6. Confirm hours and closures — Atlanta Tue/Thu 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and Sat 8 a.m.–2 p.m.; DeKalb Wed 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and Sat 8 a.m.–2 p.m.; closures September 5, October 22, November 25 (early close), November 26–28, December 24–28, December 31 and January 1.
7. Confirm your item is accepted — electricity or charging items and rechargeable, button or lithium batteries yes; alkaline, car batteries and propane no.
8. Confirm payment — no cash.
9. In unincorporated DeKalb, confirm the drop-off and any residency proof at 404-687-4040 or 404-294-2900.
10. Outside the city limits, confirm your own program; Fulton residents call (404) 612-4000.
11. For Best Buy, confirm the accepted list, the three-item and two-TV daily limits, the $29.99 fee and the haul-away pricing at the store.
12. Wipe your data, and check CHaRM's shredding rules if you also have documents.
13. Do not quote a Georgia landfill ban or manufacturer take-back law. Confirm with Georgia EPD if it matters.

Frequently asked questions

Will Atlanta pick up my old TV, computer or printer at the curb? No. Electronics are listed under Bulk Materials Not Accepted, and no City of Atlanta e-waste pickup program is documented on the city's pages.

Where do City of Atlanta residents take e-waste? To CHaRM (Live Thrive), by appointment only — 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta 30315 or 1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur 30032.

What does a TV or monitor cost at CHaRM? $25 each for residents. All other accepted electronics and the batteries are free.

Can I pay cash at CHaRM? No — Venmo, credit card, debit card and Apple Pay only.

Do I need an appointment? Yes, at both locations. Check in with the QR code under "Appointment Check-In," or give the account email.

Do rechargeable batteries go to CHaRM? Yes — button, NiMh, lithium, carbon zinc, Ni-Cad and rechargeable batteries, free, with the ends taped. Alkaline and car batteries are not accepted.

Can I take a propane tank to CHaRM? No. Propane tanks of any size are refused.

I live in unincorporated DeKalb — can I use the county drop-off? DeKalb directs residents to Seminole Road Landfill plus a Best Buy partnership; curbside single-stream does not take electronics. Residency proof may be required — call 404-687-4040 or 404-294-2900 first.

Can I just drop a TV at Best Buy? Most consumer electronics are free in store for residents, with three-item and two-TV daily household limits. Flat-panel TVs 50 inches and smaller, tube TVs 31 inches and smaller, and monitors 50 inches and smaller cost $29.99 each; Insignia and Dynex up to 50 inches are free. TVs and monitors over 50 inches, and large appliances, are not accepted in store.

Someone needs to collect it from my home — what does that cost? The only sourced pickup prices are Best Buy's haul-away: $49.99 with a delivered replacement, or $199.99 standalone for up to 2 large products. No city or nonprofit pickup price exists because no such program is documented.

I rent and I am moving out — can I leave the TV by the dumpster? No. It is not a legal route, and renters have no city pickup channel. Book CHaRM, use the county site if you qualify, or use a retailer.

Does Georgia ban e-waste from landfills? Unconfirmed. No official state source was found confirming or denying a ban or a manufacturer take-back requirement. Confirm with Georgia EPD.

Contacts

• CHaRM / Live Thrive: (404) 600-6386 · livethrive.org/charm
• ATL311 (City of Atlanta): 404-546-0311 · www.atl311.com
• DeKalb County Sanitation: 404-294-2900 · Seminole Road Landfill: 404-687-4040
• Fulton County Public Works: (404) 612-4000 · Merk Miles Transfer Station: (404) 629-1700
• Georgia EPD: for state-law questions about e-waste

Next actions: confirm your jurisdiction, book the CHaRM appointment, re-check the fees and accepted list on the Live Thrive page, and wipe your data before hand-off.

Sources

1. CHaRM, ATL311 Knowledge Article KB0011610 — City of Atlanta: https://www.atl311.com/knowledgearticle/?code=KB0011610
2. Items We Accept — Live Thrive (CHaRM): https://livethrive.org/charm/items-we-accept/
3. Book an Appointment — Live Thrive (CHaRM): https://livethrive.org/charm/book-an-appointment/
4. CHaRM — Live Thrive: https://livethrive.org/charm/
5. Bulk Waste Collection — City of Atlanta: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/bulk-waste-collection
6. Multi-family Recycling, City Code Sec. 130-38 — City of Atlanta: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/recycling-program/multi-family-recycling
7. Recycling Program — DeKalb County Sanitation: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/public-works/sanitation/recycling-program
8. Contact Us — DeKalb County Sanitation: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/public-works/sanitation/contact-us
9. Electronics and Appliances Recycling — Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/services/recycling/pcmcat149900050025.c?id=pcmcat149900050025
10. Recycling FAQ — Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/recycling/recycle-faqs/pcmcat174700050009.c?id=pcmcat174700050009
11. Pollution Prevention — Fulton County: https://fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/public-works/public-education-and-outreach/pollution-prevention
12. Solid Waste and Recycling — Fulton County: https://fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/real-estate-and-asset-management/services/solid-waste-and-recycling

Related guides: appliance disposal in Atlanta, mattress disposal, furniture disposal.

Verify before you act. Accepted items, fees, hours, closure dates and retailer terms were checked against official City of Atlanta, Live Thrive, DeKalb County, Fulton County and Best Buy pages in September 2026, and all of them can change. CHaRM is a nonprofit, not a city facility, so its list and prices are set by Live Thrive — confirm at (404) 600-6386 or livethrive.org before you load a vehicle. Where the official pages leave a question open — the CHaRM residency rule, DeKalb's proof-of-residency requirement, whether any city e-waste collection event exists, and Georgia's state-law position — this guide says so rather than guessing.