RECYCLING SERVICES

Staples accepts a wide range of electronic items for free recycling every day. No purchase is necessary and we accept all brands of items regardless of where purchased.

We’ll gladly accept and responsibly recycle the following:

• Accessories/adapters/cables
• All-in-one computers
• Cable/satellite receivers
• Calculators
• Camcorders
• CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
• Coffee Brewers (less than 40 lb.)
• Computer speakers
• Connected home devices
• Copiers
• Cordless phones
• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Digital projectors
• eReaders
• Fax machines
• Flash drives
• Gaming consoles/handhelds
• GPS devices
• Hard drives
• iPod®/MP3 players
• Keyboards and mice
• Laptops
• Mobile phones
• Modems
• Monitors (including CRT, LED/LCD, plasma)
• Printers/multifunction devices
• Routers
• Scanners
• Shredders
• Small servers
• Stereo receivers
• Tablets
• UPS/battery backup devices
• Video streaming devices (Apple TV, Roku Player, etc.)
• Webcams

Additionally, rechargeable batteries are accepted in Staples stores, but they are handled through our Call2Recycle program, which is separate from our electronics recycling program.

Staples has a small list of prohibited items that cannot be accepted for recycling in our stores. We’re unable to accept the following:

Alkaline batteries (except in certain states/municipalities where retail collection is required, such as Vermont)
Appliances
Floor-model printers and copiers
Kitchen electronics (other than coffee brewers)
Lamps or bulbs
Large servers
Large speakers
Non-rechargeable lithium batteries
Smoke detectors
Televisions

Store management has the right to refuse to accept items that may pose a health or safety risk (e.g., broken monitors not packed in a box, laptops with damaged batteries, etc.). If you are unsure whether an item is acceptable, please contact your local Staples with questions.

Staples has a limit of 7 items per customer per day. Certain stores may, at the general manager’s discretion, accept a larger number of items on a case-by-case basis.

No, you do not need to be a Staples Rewards member to recycle or trade in items at Staples.

Staples accepts eligible items from any customers whether they are for personal or business use. However, employees of businesses or other organizations should confirm with their information technology team about recycling any company devices. There may be specific requirements that need to be met before recycling items.

Staples takes steps to protect customer information and can erase customer computers prior to recycling as part of our technology services, but we do not provide asset tracking, certificates of destruction or certificates of erasure through our retail store program. Staples does offer mail-back box programs and pick up of electronics for businesses with 10+ employees through our Staples Business Advantage division.

All Staples stores except for our smaller-format stores in New York City and Washington, D.C. accept electronics for free recycling every day they are open. Find a Staples near you.

Simply bring your electronic items up to the customer service desk and a Staples® associate will take care of recycling them for you. Don’t forget that you can earn a Staples eCash Card when you trade in eligible tech devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Confirm the trade-in eligibility of your devices in store at the Staples Tech Services desk or online.

The average American household has 24 electronic devices, not to mention all the electronics used by businesses. Hundreds of millions of these devices become obsolete each year. That is one reason why electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the United States.

Recycling electronics helps ensure that the precious metals, aluminum, steel, plastics and other materials are recycled. For example, there is 324 times more gold, 13 times more copper, and 6.5 times more silver in one pound of smartphones than a pound of ore found in typical mining operations. Recycling supports the recycling industry and helps create jobs in the United States and diverts hazardous materials like lead, mercury and cadmium from the air, water and soil.

Unlike many municipal programs, some other national retailers, and other local recyclers, recycling all eligible items at Staples is always free and convenient. Plus, our national recycling partner, ERI Direct, processes all material in the US and is certified to the most rigorous standards. Staples received the highest score (B+) out of all retail recyclers in the Electronic Retailers Electronic Recycling Report Card, which evaluated retailers on convenience and use of certified recycling partners among other factors.

Materials Staples collects from customers are kept in an employee-only area of the store for a short time until sufficient material has been collected to backhaul to our Staples® warehouse locations. The Staples warehouses consolidate the electronics into full truckloads and ship the material to the facilities of our national recycling partner, ERI Direct. There, the material is triaged based on potential for remanufacturing or parts harvesting. Items that can be refurbished or that may have parts that can be reused are separated and processed separately.

Any computers, phones or other data-containing devices with hard drives entering the reuse market are wiped to Department of Defense specifications or the hard drives/memory cards are destroyed. Older electronic items are pre-processed and then run through a large shredder to separate various metals, plastics and glass for sending to different, downstream recycling facilities.

Staples is an e-Stewards Enterprise, which means that we have committed to using certified e-Stewards recyclers whenever possible to handle the materials we collect. ERI Direct, a certified e-Stewards Recycler, is our primary recycling partner for electronics and therefore must be audited against stringent standards and disclose their downstream processing partners to ensure that they are using responsible e-waste recycling practices and not exporting or otherwise improperly handling electronic materials.

Staples only accepts rechargeable Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), and Nickel Zinc (Ni-ZN) batteries that are 11 pounds or less. We do not accept automotive/wet-cell batteries or alkaline or lithium batteries. All collected batteries are recycled through a program with Call2Recycle.

Staples currently accepts coffee brewers weighing less than 40 pounds. No other appliances are currently eligible for recycling at this time.