Pennsylvania’s Covered Device Recycling Act bans computers, televisions, monitors, and certain peripherals from the trash and requires the manufacturers that sold those products to pay for recycling them, at no cost to you. The landfill ban has been in force since January 24, 2013, and it applies to every person in the Commonwealth, not just businesses or waste haulers.1Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) Frequently Asked Questions If you have an old laptop, desktop, monitor, or TV in a closet, you cannot legally put it in the household trash. You can drop it off, free, at a collection site funded by the manufacturers.
Which Devices Are Covered
The law covers a narrow, deliberate list. Covered computer devices include desktops, laptops, and computer monitors of any display technology, plus peripherals built for use with a computer: keyboards, mice, printers, and multifunction print/scan/copy machines.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act
Covered televisions are any display four inches or larger (measured diagonally) capable of receiving broadcast, cable, or satellite programming. CRT, plasma, LCD, and LED sets all qualify.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act
What the Law Does Not Cover
Several items most people would assume are covered are not. Cell phones, tablets, personal digital assistants, handheld calculators, and GPS devices are explicitly excluded.1Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) Frequently Asked Questions Manufacturers of those products have no obligation under the CDRA to recycle them for free, though many retailers and wireless carriers run voluntary take-back programs.
Appliances with built-in screens are also out. The statute lists washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, dishwashers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and exercise equipment. Components built into motor vehicles, industrial equipment, medical devices, and security or emergency systems are also excluded.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act
The Landfill Ban and What It Costs to Violate It
Since January 24, 2013, no person in Pennsylvania may place a covered device, or any of its components, in municipal solid waste bound for a landfill.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act That means tossing an old laptop into the kitchen trash is a violation, not a workaround.
Penalties are tiered. A person or retailer who violates any requirement of the Act faces up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $2,000 for each subsequent violation, on top of any other fees the law requires.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act
Free Recycling: Who Qualifies
No manufacturer or retailer may charge a consumer for the collection, transportation, or recycling of a covered device. The one exception is when the company provides a financial incentive, such as a coupon or rebate, of equal or greater value at the same time.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Covered Device Recycling Act
“Consumer” is broader than it sounds. Home-based businesses qualify. Small businesses also qualify if they are independently owned, employ 50 or fewer people, bought or leased the device from a manufacturer or retailer, and have no other access to an electronics recycling program.1Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) Frequently Asked Questions Larger businesses and commercial operations are outside the manufacturer-funded system and generally have to arrange and pay for their own recycling.
One practical caution. Manufacturer programs must be free, but some municipal or county collection events are run independently and may charge a nominal fee, particularly for heavy CRT televisions and monitors. Confirm the cost before you load a 90-pound set into your car.
Finding a Collection Site or Event
The Department of Environmental Protection keeps a county-by-county listing of ongoing collection programs and one-time recycling events. The listing is organized by county and operator and is updated based on information submitted by program operators. DEP cautions that it cannot guarantee the accuracy of the listed information, so call before you drive.3Department of Environmental Protection. Electronics Collection Programs
Four things worth confirming by phone:
- Residency requirements. Most municipal programs are limited to residents of a specific county or township, and you may need a driver’s license or utility bill as proof.3Department of Environmental Protection. Electronics Collection Programs
- Accepted items. Not every site takes every device type; some refuse televisions, some take only certain peripherals.
- Fees. Free under manufacturer programs, but municipal events may charge for CRTs.
- Hours and capacity. Many sites have limited schedules, and some stop accepting items once they hit their funded capacity for the year.
Your county recycling coordinator is often the fastest way to a local answer, especially in rural areas with fewer permanent sites.
Wipe Your Data First
The CDRA says nothing about the data on your device. That falls on you, and it is the step most people skip. An old computer can hold years of saved passwords, tax returns, financial records, and medical information. Nothing in the law requires the recycling facility to wipe it for you.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology publishes guidelines (SP 800-88) that describe three levels of data sanitization:4National Institute of Standards and Technology. Guidelines for Media Sanitization (NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1)
- Clear. Overwrite the drive with new data (such as all zeros) using standard software. NIST considers a single overwrite pass sufficient; multi-pass is optional. This is enough for most home users.
- Purge. Use the drive’s built-in secure erase command or cryptographic erase to make data unrecoverable even with laboratory tools. The drive stays usable. Appropriate for devices that held sensitive financial or medical records.
- Destroy. Physically shred, pulverize, or incinerate the storage media. The drive is no longer usable. The right choice for damaged drives, obsolete drives, or drives that held highly sensitive information.
For most home computers, a single-pass overwrite using a free disk-wiping tool is enough. If the computer will not boot, pull the hard drive and either destroy it yourself or take it to a certified recycler that offers witnessed destruction. Some certified facilities include data destruction in their intake process. Many do not. Ask first.
Choosing a Certified Recycler
Not every facility that accepts electronics handles them responsibly. Some strip out valuable metals and ship the rest overseas, where it can end up in unregulated dumps. A certified recycler is the clearest way to verify responsible processing.
The EPA recognizes two third-party certification standards: the Responsible Recycling (R2) Standard and the e-Stewards Standard. Both require certified facilities to destroy all data on devices they receive, to minimize environmental and health impacts from processing, and to track materials through the full downstream chain so nothing ends up in an unregulated facility.5U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Certified Electronics Recyclers Certified facilities are audited regularly by independent, accredited third parties to keep their status.
Certification is not a guarantee of compliance with every applicable law; it means the facility has met the requirements of the certification program. You can search for R2-certified facilities at sustainableelectronics.org and e-Stewards-certified facilities at e-stewards.org. A location on the DEP list may or may not hold either certification, and a certified facility may accept devices outside manufacturer-funded programs. Checking both the DEP list and a certification directory gives you the fullest picture of what is near you.