E-Waste Disposal in Detroit, MI (2026): Free HHW Drop-Off

Item: Household electronic waste — computer monitors, computer terminals, laptops, keyboards, mice, printers, fax machines, scanners, cable boxes, cell phones, typewriters, televisions, DVD/VCR players, gaming units and microwaves Jurisdiction: City of Detroit, Michigan — DPW service area. The City drop-off at 2000 E. Ferry Street is open to Detroit residents ONLY; suburban Wayne County cities and townships (Dearborn, Livonia, Westland, Taylor, Canton and others) use the county program instead. Michigan's manufacturer take-back is open to any Michigan resident Official sources: City of Detroit DPW (Recycle Here! Drop-off Facility, Household Hazardous Waste Information, the HHW Receiving Facility page, the Recycling FAQ, Bulk & Yard Waste, Refuse Collection), Recycle Here!, Michigan EGLE (e-waste hub, take-back program, consumer disposal guide, the 2026 Registered Electronics Manufacturers list), Wayne County, Best Buy, Staples and Goodwill of Greater Detroit Last verified: September 2026 · Next review: December 2026

Quick answer

Detroit does not collect electronics curbside, and there is no City e-waste pickup to schedule. E-waste is not a trash, blue-cart, bulk or yard-waste item.

Recycle Here! at 5960 Lincoln St is free for all Detroit residents but refuses electronics, batteries, light bulbs and ink cartridges. Since April 19, 2021 it has redirected those items to the City's Household Hazardous Waste facility.

The City route is the DPW Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Receiving Facility, 2000 E. Ferry Street (near I-75 and I-94), (313) 923-2240: Thursdays 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and fourth Saturdays 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Detroit residents only, no charge. Appliances and air conditioning units are refused there.

The City does not publish what proves Detroit residency, so call before you load. The free route most residents miss is the state one: Michigan requires manufacturers of covered computers, printers and video display devices to offer free, convenient recycling, including mail-back, to Michigan residents and small businesses.

Quick facts

Why Recycle Here! will turn you away

Recycle Here! takes Styrofoam, film plastics (#2 and #4), hard plastics (#1–7 excluding #3), metal, glass (no window, treated or Pyrex), paper, cardboard, aseptic cartons and books; materials must be clean and empty and boxes flattened.

Its Not Accepted list is where wasted trips happen: "Electronics, batteries, light bulbs, ink cartridges. Please take these items to take to the City's Household Hazardous Waste facility." The recycling FAQ repeats the redirect and pins the date: as of April 19, 2021, those materials go to HHW at 2000 E. Ferry.

If you also drop other materials there, the City publishes Monday/Wednesday 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Confirm those hours before you go: the City page and Recycle Here!'s own site use different web addresses, and the operator's site does not always show its hours. The electronics refusal is unaffected — Recycle Here! turns electronics away either way.

The HHW Receiving Facility — address, hours, eligibility

• Address: 2000 E. Ferry Street, Detroit (near I-75 and I-94). Phone: (313) 923-2240.
• Hours: Thursday 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; fourth Saturday of the month 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Eligibility: "This facility is open to Detroit residents ONLY!"
• Cost: "There is no charge!"

No ZIP code, residency-document requirement or quantity, weight and size limit is published. Call (313) 923-2240 rather than assuming an answer either way. Keep the numbers straight: (313) 876-0004 is the DPW Solid Waste line for refuse and bulk, not HHW. Contractors: Priority Waste, (855) 927-8365, East and Southwest Detroit; Waste Management, (844) 233-8764, Westside. Pickup reminders: text your street address to (313) 800-7905.

If neither window works, use manufacturer mail-back rather than waiting for a curbside pickup that does not exist.

What the City accepts as Home Toxics/Electronics

The City's accepted list is headed "Acceptable Items (Home Toxics/Electronics)": computer monitors, keyboards, microwaves, mice, computer terminals, laptop computers, printers, fax machines, scanners, cable boxes, cell phones, typewriters, televisions, DVDs/VCRs and gaming units. The same trip takes paint and paint products, aerosols, pesticides and herbicides, batteries (alkaline and auto), fluorescent tubes, propane cylinders, mercury, corrosives, medical sharps, over-the-counter medicine, gasoline, lighter fluid, kerosene, oil, antifreeze, fuel, pool chemicals, oxidizers, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors.

The refusals matter more: commercial waste, air conditioning units, ammunition or explosives, appliances, construction materials and debris, controlled substances, lab chemicals, car parts, non-standard gases, radioactive material, shock-sensitive materials, household trash, yard waste and unknown gases.

A refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher or window AC unit is not an HHW item and not an e-waste item in Detroit. An electric range looks like the same category as a microwave, and the City treats them differently — the microwave is accepted, the range is refused.

The City also states that poisons, solvents, heavy metals and other toxic products "should never be poured down a drain or thrown into the trash." Bulk and yard waste is a separate stream — 2026 season March 31–December 19, with free drop-offs at Southfield Yard (12255 Southfield Service Drive), Davison Yard (8221 W. Davison) and J. Fons Transfer Station (6451 E. McNichols) — and electronics appear in none of those lists.

Batteries, light bulbs, ink cartridges and smoke detectors

• Batteries: accepted at HHW as "Batteries – Alkaline, Auto."
• Fluorescent tubes and smoke detectors: accepted at HHW.
• Light bulbs and ink cartridges: named in the Recycle Here! refusal that redirects to HHW.
• Sharps and over-the-counter medicine: accepted, with their own prep rules below.

Follow EGLE's lithium-ion guidance: remove or tape lithium-ion batteries for transport, keep them out of a hot vehicle, and never put a damaged or swollen battery in a retail bin. Retail battery bins are a weaker route than readers expect — the national battery drop-off programme is rebranding, and store-level acceptance rules are not published by the City or the state, so check a bin's own rules before relying on it. The official Detroit route for household batteries is HHW.

Michigan's free manufacturer take-back

Michigan's electronic recycling law passed in 2008 as an extended producer responsibility law. The statute is Part 173 of the 1994 Public Act 451, as amended. As EGLE states: "Manufacturers shall establish a convenient takeback program for consumers to return the devices to the manufacturer or their representative at no charge."

EGLE summarises the obligation plainly: manufacturers who sell computers, televisions and printers in Michigan must provide free and convenient recycling options to Michigan residents and small businesses. Covered devices include desktop computers, laptops, monitors, tablets, televisions and printers. Recyclers accepting covered devices must register annually, and retailers may not sell covered devices unless the brand owner is compliant.

EGLE's own list of what can move through these programmes is broad: "Cell phones, computers, TVs, monitors, printers, external hard drives, e-readers, tablets, DVD players, cables, cords, wires, and many more" — check the programme's acceptable-items list before you ship. The state route does not depend on which city collects your garbage or on a Thursday window, and it often arrives as a box with a prepaid label.

Finding your brand on EGLE's registered-manufacturers list

Check the brand against EGLE's 2026 Registered Electronics Manufacturers list — valid October 30 through October 29 of the following year, reachable via michigan.gov/EGLEewaste. Sourced examples: Dell Marketing LP (dell.com/recycle), Lenovo (lenovo.com/recycling), JVCKENWOOD (mrmrecycling.com) and Better Workspaces (mailback.eridirect.com); also registered are Google LLC, Elo Touch Solutions, Hisense USA and Kyocera Document Solutions. Programme contact: Steve Noble, NobleS4@Michigan.gov, 517-449-6153.

If your brand is not listed, use the City HHW facility or a retailer. One trap: EGLE's Michigan Electronics Recycling Facilities web map is a directory, not a drop-off list — EGLE warns those facilities "are not necessarily open to the public to drop off material."

Retailer routes — Best Buy and Staples

Best Buy. Free in-store categories, three items per household per day. Published fee: $29.99 per item for tube TVs 31 inches and smaller, portable TVs, flat-panel TVs 50 inches and smaller, and monitors 50 inches and smaller (Insignia and Dynex 50 inches and smaller are free). A two-TV-per-day sub-limit applies, and out-of-size TVs must use haul-away. Best Buy's state-specific note says stores in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan accept TVs 50 inches and smaller with the $29.99 drop-off fee and give a $30 Best Buy Gift Card as reimbursement, with the same wording for monitors — so the published Michigan policy makes TV and monitor drop-off effectively free. Confirm at the counter; the retailer's item limits are inconsistent across its own pages. Stand-alone batteries, software and office furniture are refused. Haul-away is available and priced in store, so ask at the counter rather than budgeting from a published figure.

Staples. Free in-store tech items including adapters and hubs. Published fees: printers and multifunction devices $9.99, monitors up to 49 inches $29.99, rechargeable and single-use batteries $2.99 per visit, shredding by the pound. Staples lists fee-exemption states and Michigan is not among them, so those fees apply here — confirm at the store. Refused: televisions, large electronics, air conditioners and appliances, lamps and bulbs, smoke detectors, and wet-cell or heavy batteries over 11 lb.

Donation and reuse first

If a device still works, keep it in use; EGLE lists donate-or-resell among its options. Goodwill of Greater Detroit accepts donations at 3111 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48208, but its published Electronics list names cameras, clocks, kids' educational toys, MP3 players and accessories, and video and computer games only — computers, laptops, televisions and monitors are not named. Call (313) 557-8773 first, never leave equipment at a donation door outside staffed hours, and wipe the device before hand-off.

Prep — back up, wipe, remove SIM cards

1. Back up anything you want to keep.
2. Wipe the storage: factory-reset phones and tablets; securely erase hard drives and SSDs. EGLE publishes a data-destruction FAQ item, and a registered recycler is required to wipe data from equipment it recycles.
3. Remove SIM and memory cards; sign out of accounts.
4. Match item to route: household electronics to HHW; appliances and AC units elsewhere; oversized TVs to a retailer with haul-away or a manufacturer programme.
5. Check the day: HHW is Thursday 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. or the fourth Saturday only.
6. Call (313) 923-2240 about residency documents and any per-visit limit before a large cleanout.
7. Keep prohibited items out of the load: no commercial waste, appliances, AC units, ammunition, construction debris, car parts or yard waste.
8. Tape or remove lithium-ion batteries and keep them out of a hot vehicle.
9. If medicines or sharps go too: empty pills into a zip-lock bag, remove personal information from pill containers, and put needles and lancets in a rigid sealed container such as a hard-plastic detergent bottle.
10. For mail-back, follow the brand's packing steps; at a retailer, stay inside the published limits.

Handle CRT televisions and monitors with two people or a hand truck — they are heavy and front-weighted — and do not break open a screen: the leaded glass and phosphors are why this material has its own route.

Apartments, renters and shared trash areas

Renters are eligible for HHW on the same basis as homeowners: the only stated restriction is Detroit residency, not property ownership or building type. The City does not publish what proves residency, so call (313) 923-2240 before you drive.

What renters lack is a building-level service. Detroit's free curbside recycling covers single-family homes and residential buildings with one to four units and is voluntary. For larger buildings the City's FAQ points residents to Recycle Here!, which refuses electronics. No City page creates an e-waste service for apartment buildings or a landlord obligation for electronics.

Never leave electronics beside a shared dumpster, in a compactor bay, in a shared trash room or in an alley: the blue cart refuses batteries, bulbs and chemicals, and the City states toxic products should never be thrown into the trash. HOA and property-management rules can also restrict shared staging areas.

Three renter-friendly routes need nothing from the building: the free manufacturer take-back and mail-back programmes for registered brands; free Best Buy and Staples in-store categories; and HHW on Ferry Street. If a landlord or private hauler offers collection, treat it as a private arrangement — no City or state price list for private pickup exists, so never budget from a quoted rate you cannot verify.

Route decision table

Routes compared

• City HHW drop-off (free, primary). Full electronics list plus batteries, tubes, mercury, corrosives, sharps and medicines in one trip. Detroit residents only; two narrow windows a month; no published residency document or quantity limit; appliances and AC units refused. Verify at (313) 923-2240.
• Michigan manufacturer take-back (free, state-mandated). Free by law for covered computers, printers and video display devices; open to any Michigan resident; often a prepaid mail-back box. Limited to covered categories and registered brands, and packing is yours.
• Best Buy. Walk-in, free categories, three items per household per day, and the published Michigan $29.99 TV or monitor fee is reimbursed with a $30 gift card. Catch: two-TV daily sub-limit, out-of-size TVs need haul-away, no stand-alone batteries or office furniture.
• Staples. Free tech items; printers $9.99, monitors up to 49 inches $29.99, batteries $2.99 per visit, shredding by the pound. Refuses televisions, appliances, lamps and bulbs, smoke detectors, batteries over 11 lb.
• Donation — Goodwill of Greater Detroit. Keeps working equipment in use at 3111 Grand River Avenue. Confirm by phone and wipe your data first.
• Wayne County HHW (suburban residents only). Four collections a year accepting computers, printers, scanners, TVs, cell phones, fax machines and CRT televisions and monitors, plus a five-day-a-week voucher drop-off at the contractor's Livonia site. County residents only; appliances refused.
• Paid haul-away or a private recycler. No City pickup exists; Best Buy's haul-away price is quoted in store; no City or state price list exists for private recyclers, ITAD firms or junk removal. Get a written quote and compare it with the free routes.
• Not routes at all: garbage, blue cart, bulk pile, Recycle Here!

Jurisdiction check — Detroit vs suburban Wayne County

The City HHW facility at 2000 E. Ferry Street serves City of Detroit residents only — the most important thing to check before you drive. Suburban Wayne County residents (Dearborn, Livonia, Westland, Taylor, Canton and others) are not City of Detroit customers.

Wayne County's Department of Public Services hosts four Household Hazardous Waste collections a year for County residents, taking household chemicals for disposal and electronics for recycling — old computers, printers, scanners, TVs, cell phones, fax machines, and CRT televisions and monitors. Only household-generated products from county residents are accepted; appliances, commercial or industrial waste, ammunition or explosives, 55-gallon drums, radioactive materials, unknown or unlabelled waste, shock-sensitive materials and household trash are refused.

The county also runs a voucher programme with five-day-a-week drop-off at the contractor's Livonia site; vouchers are collected in person at 3600 Commerce Court, Building E, Wayne, MI 48184, Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., first come first served. Collection arrangements and dates change every year, so take the current schedule from the county's own page or call (734) 326-5708. Michigan's free manufacturer take-back is open to any Michigan resident regardless of which city hauls their garbage.

Resident scenarios

A dead 55-inch flat-screen and a Tuesday off. HHW is free but closed Tuesday. Check the brand on EGLE's registered list first; a mail-back for a covered TV may avoid the drive. Otherwise plan the next Thursday or fourth Saturday and call ahead.

Clearing a house in one weekend. This is the cleanout case the trip was built for — monitors, terminals, laptops, printers, scanners, cable boxes, phones, typewriters, DVD players, gaming units and a microwave, plus tubes, batteries, aerosols, paint, pool chemicals and smoke detectors. Leave the refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer and window AC unit out. No limit is published, and nothing promises it all fits one visit — ask when you call.

A renter on a lease deadline with a TV in the hallway. Do not leave it by the dumpster or in the compactor bay. Start a mail-back if the brand is covered; otherwise a retailer is open Saturday and HHW opens on the fourth Saturday. If neither fits, tell the landlord rather than abandoning the item.

A small business with a dozen retired desktops. The City HHW programme is residential — commercial waste heads its Unacceptable list. Michigan's take-back is open to small businesses only for registered brands; anything else is private-recycler territory, where no official price list exists.

A drawer of phones and a swollen battery. Back up and wipe the phones, remove SIM cards, and tape the batteries. A swollen cell goes in neither a retail bin nor a hot car.

Mistakes to avoid

• Setting electronics out for curbside collection or putting them in the blue cart and waiting for a pickup that will not come.
• Losing the drive to Recycle Here! at 5960 Lincoln St, which has refused electronics since April 19, 2021.
• Bringing an appliance or window AC unit to HHW, where both are refused.
• Guessing the residency-document rule in either direction — nothing is published; call (313) 923-2240.
• Assuming a cleanout fits one visit when no limit is published.
• Calling (313) 876-0004 for HHW questions — that is the refuse and bulk line.
• Quoting a Best Buy haul-away price or a private recycler rate; neither is published officially.
• Donating a computer or TV without calling Goodwill first — its list does not name them.
• Leaving electronics by a dumpster, compactor or shared trash room on move-out day.
• Handing over a device without wiping it; the recycler's wipe obligation does not cover what left your hands unprepared.
• Treating landfill disposal as a crime: Michigan exempts residential generators from hazardous-waste regulations and does not ban household electronics from landfill. Detroit routes e-waste to HHW, and the state strongly recommends recycling.

FAQ

Will Detroit pick up my old TV at the curb? No — there is no City e-waste pickup to schedule.

Where do Detroit residents drop electronics free? The DPW HHW Receiving Facility, 2000 E. Ferry Street (near I-75 and I-94), Thursdays 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and the fourth Saturday 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Detroit residents only; no charge.

Can I take my TV to Recycle Here!? No — electronics, batteries, light bulbs and ink cartridges have been refused there since April 19, 2021.

What do I bring to prove I live in Detroit? Not published officially; the City says Detroit residents only but names no document. Call (313) 923-2240.

Is there an item limit? None is published, and appliances and AC units are refused.

My TV is a Dell or Lenovo. Is there free shipping? Possibly — covered computers, printers and video display devices must have free, convenient recycling, including mail-back. Check EGLE's 2026 registered list first.

What does Best Buy charge for a TV in Michigan? A published $29.99 per item for covered TVs and monitors 50 inches and smaller, reimbursed by a $30 Best Buy Gift Card under its Michigan note. Confirm at the store.

Will Staples take my television? No. It takes printers ($9.99), monitors up to 49 inches ($29.99) and batteries ($2.99 per visit) for published fees, since Michigan is not on its fee-exemption lists.

I live in Livonia or Dearborn. Can I use Ferry Street? No — Detroit residents only. The free manufacturer take-back is open to any Michigan resident.

Is it illegal to put electronics in the trash in Michigan? Do not treat it as a criminal matter — Michigan exempts residential generators from hazardous-waste regulations and does not ban household electronics from landfill. Detroit routes e-waste to HHW and the state strongly recommends recycling.

Official verification checklist

1. Confirm you are a City of Detroit resident; the Ferry Street facility is Detroit residents only.
2. Ask what proves residency before you drive — nothing is published. Call (313) 923-2240.
3. Confirm the item is a household electronic, not an appliance or AC unit.
4. Confirm the day: Thursday or fourth Saturday, and that the facility is open then.
5. Ask about quantity, weight and size limits on the same call before a large cleanout.
6. Confirm current Recycle Here! hours if you also drop other materials there.
7. If using Best Buy, confirm the three-item daily limit, the size and fee rule and the Michigan gift-card policy at the store.
8. If using manufacturer take-back, check the brand on EGLE's 2026 registered list and confirm the programme before shipping.
9. If you live in Wayne County outside Detroit, confirm your city is covered with the county page or (734) 326-5708.
10. Wipe your data and remove SIM cards before any hand-off.

Contacts and next actions

• HHW Receiving Facility: (313) 923-2240 — 2000 E. Ferry Street, Detroit (near I-75 and I-94); Thursday 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., fourth Saturday 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Detroit residents only; no charge.
• Recycle Here!: 5960 Lincoln St — free for Detroit residents; no electronics, batteries, light bulbs or ink cartridges.
• DPW Solid Waste Division: (313) 876-0004 — refuse and bulk only. Contractors: Priority Waste (855) 927-8365 (East and Southwest); Waste Management (844) 233-8764 (Westside). Pickup reminders: text your address to (313) 800-7905.
• Michigan EGLE e-waste programme: NobleS4@Michigan.gov, 517-449-6153.
• Wayne County HHW: (734) 326-5708; vouchers at 3600 Commerce Court, Building E, Wayne, MI 48184, Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Goodwill of Greater Detroit: (313) 557-8773; 3111 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48208.

Next actions: identify which route fits the item, confirm the day and your eligibility by phone, then back up and wipe the device before it leaves your hands.

Official sources

• City of Detroit — Recycle Here! Drop-off Facility: https://detroitmi.gov/departments/department-public-works/refuse-collection/detroit-recycles/recycle-here-drop-facility
• City of Detroit — Household Hazardous Waste Information: https://detroitmi.gov/departments/department-public-works/refuse-collection/household-hazardous-waste-information
• City of Detroit — DPW HHW Receiving Facility: https://detroitmi.gov/node/6481
• City of Detroit — Recycling FAQ: https://detroitmi.gov/recycling_faq
• City of Detroit — Bulk & Yard Waste: https://detroitmi.gov/departments/department-public-works/refuse-collection/bulk-yard-waste
• City of Detroit — Refuse Collection: https://detroitmi.gov/departments/department-public-works/refuse-collection
• Recycle Here! — Detroit's Recycling Hub: https://recycleheredetroit.org/
• Michigan EGLE — Electronic Waste hub: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/ewaste
• Michigan EGLE — Takeback Program: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/ewaste/takeback-program
• Michigan EGLE — Electronics takeback FAQ: https://michigan.gov/egle/faqs/recycling/electronic-takeback
• Michigan EGLE — Dispose of old TVs, computers and electronics: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/ewaste/disposal
• Michigan EGLE — 2026 Registered Electronics Manufacturers List (PDF): https://michigan.gov/egle/-/media/Project/Websites/egle/Documents/Programs/MMD/Electronic-Waste/2026-Registered-Manufacturers.pdf
• Wayne County — Household Hazardous Waste Program: https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Government/Departments/Environmental-Services/Land-Resource-Management/Materials-Management-Planning/Household-Hazardous-Waste-Program
• Best Buy — Electronics and Appliances Recycling: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/services/recycling/pcmcat149900050025.c?id=pcmcat149900050025
• Staples — Recycling Services: https://www.staples.com/stores/recycling
• Goodwill of Greater Detroit — Donate Goods: https://goodwilldetroit.org/get-involved/donate-goods

Facility details, accepted items, eligibility, fees and programme terms were verified against City of Detroit, Michigan EGLE, Wayne County and provider pages in September 2026. Confirm the facility, its current hours, its accepted items and any quoted fee with the City, the county or the provider before you load a vehicle.