LifeSpan Technology Recycling

LifeSpan Technology Recycling is one of the recycling services tracked by eCycling Central in Caminito Empresa La Jolla, CA, accepting consumer electronics and other e-waste.

Services offered

Recycling Resale

What it costs

This is a national program drop-off. National programs typically accept the manufacturer's own brand free of charge, with fees on third-party items or oversized goods (CRT monitors, large appliances). Confirm pricing with the location before drop-off.

California e-waste law

California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 (SB 20/SB 50) (2003) governs how electronics must be disposed of in this state. The law uses an advance recycling fee (ARF) and covers video display devices >4 inches: TVs, monitors, laptops, tablets, e-readers.

Fee structure: ARF $5-7 per unit at point of sale, paid by consumer, funds collection program

Penalty for illegal disposal: Up to $25,000 per violation per day for illegal disposal of CEDs

Key requirements: Banned from landfill since 2006. Free drop-off mandated at collection sites. Manufacturers must register annually.

Source: CalRecycle (California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery).

What can be recovered from your e-waste

Material composition varies by device, but the typical recoverable yields look like this:

• Smartwatch / wearable (55g typical) - recoverable: 0.011g gold, 0.1g silver, 4.5g copper, 8g aluminium
• Headphones / earbuds (220g typical) - recoverable: 0.005g gold, 0.05g silver, 9g copper, 12g aluminium
• Bluetooth speaker (950g typical) - recoverable: 0.02g gold, 0.15g silver, 65g copper, 35g aluminium

Source: Cucchiella et al. (2015) Recycling of WEEEs; Umicore Precious Metals Recovery datasheets; UNEP Recycling From E-Waste to Resources.

Before you visit

**Before you visit:** call ahead to confirm current accepted items and opening hours. Wipe personal data from any device with a hard drive or storage chip. Remove batteries from devices where possible. Some sites charge fees for CRT TVs, large appliances, or commercial-quantity drop-offs.

Modern integrated smelters (Aurubis, Umicore, Boliden) can recover the precious metals embedded in circuit boards. Drop-off sites like this one are the first link in that recovery chain.

Related listings and tools

All recycling locations in California · Recycler directory · Find recycling near me · Scrap value calculator

Listing reviewed: April 2026 - sourced from eCycling Central's directory of US recycling locations.