Indianapolis residents have three free routes for old electronics: the city's Saturday ToxDrop sites (Marion County residents, up to five computer systems per visit, TVs up to 27 inches), Green Wave Computer Recycling's weekday public drop-off on E 30th Street (free for almost everything, fees only on larger TVs and microwaves), and Best Buy or Staples for small items. RecycleForce and Technology Recyclers also take walk-ins, with a $20 to $25 charge on TVs and monitors. Indiana has banned electronics from household trash since 1 January 2011. Every address, hour and fee below was checked against the source on 25 August 2026.
ToxDrop: the city's free Saturday sites
The Department of Public Works runs ToxDrop for Marion County residents only; no commercial waste. Both sites take household hazardous waste and electronics, 9 am to 2 pm.
| Site | Address | When |
|---|
| Traders Point Collection Facility | 7550 N. Lafayette Rd | First Saturday of each month |
| Perry Township Government Center | 4925 S. Shelby St | Second and fourth Saturday of each month (fourth-Saturday service began August 2026) |
Rules that catch people out: the sites are closed on third and fifth Saturdays and major holidays; leaving material at a closed gate counts as illegal dumping with fines up to $2,500; you may bring up to five computer systems per visit; and the TV limit is 27 inches or smaller, flat-screen included. Larger TVs go to the recyclers below. Bring items in boxes or crates you can see into; waste in trash bags may be refused.
Electronics accepted at ToxDrop: desktop and laptop computers, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, fax machines, modems, hard drives, USB and external drives, circuit boards, DVD and VHS players, DVR and cable or satellite boxes, gaming systems and accessories, cameras and camcorders, e-readers, MP3 players, GPS units, PC speakers, UPS batteries, and TVs up to 27 inches. AA and AAA batteries, lead-acid batteries, CFL and LED bulbs and fluorescent tubes are taken on the hazardous-waste side. Call (317) 327-4000 to confirm before a special trip.
Green Wave Computer Recycling: free weekday drop-off
| Detail | |
|---|
| Address | 6555 East 30th Street, Suite D, Indianapolis, IN 46219 |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday 7 am to 3 pm; Friday 7 am to 2 pm; closed weekends |
| Phone | (317) 899-0000 |
| Appointment | Not needed; staff unload your vehicle |
Green Wave (R2 certified) lists unlimited free drop-off of computers, laptops, tablets, phones, all batteries, printers and copiers, LCD monitors, servers, cables, stereo and audio-visual gear, vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and even metal scrap and solar panels with pre-approval. Data on every drive is destroyed.
Green Wave's public drop-off fees: CRT monitors and TVs under 32 inches $25; LED or LCD TVs over 32 inches $50; projection or wooden-cabinet TVs $90; microwaves $20; anything containing wood $15. Green Wave's site lists CRT sets in both the free column and the $25 column, so ask at the gate. Note the address: older directories still show Green Wave at 9208 E 33rd Street; it is now on E 30th.
RecycleForce and Technology Recyclers
| Recycler | Address | Hours | TV and monitor charge |
|---|
| RecycleForce (nonprofit, RIOS certified, Indiana E-Waste Registered Recycler 49-25) | 816 N. Sherman Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46201, (317) 532-1367 | Weekday hours, call first | Requested donation $25 for CRT monitors, flat-screen and projection TVs; $20 for fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Computers, phones, printers, consoles free |
| Technology Recyclers | 8401 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219, (800) 237-3887 | Monday to Friday 9 am to 3 pm; check in at the office before unloading | $20 per TV or monitor of any size; $30 for anything with refrigerant or full-size copiers; $10 whiteboards. Most other electronics free |
RecycleForce is an employment social enterprise that trains people leaving prison; the city's own ToxDrop page points residents there for items ToxDrop cannot take. It accepts anything with a cord, plus car seats and residential styrofoam, but not smoke detectors, vapes or ordinary trash.
Retail drop-off in Indianapolis: Best Buy, Staples, Home Depot
| Store | Takes | Cost | Limits |
|---|
| Best Buy | Flat-panel TVs and monitors up to 50 inches, laptops, desktops, phones, cables, hard drives, battery backups, stick and robot vacuums, fans, space heaters | Most items free; Best Buy says "some items may incur a recycling fee" and lists TV and monitor terms by state | Best Buy's page currently states both "up to ten items per household per day" and "limit three items per household per day" in different sections. Residents only, no business equipment, no recalled products |
| Staples | Computers, laptops, tablets, phones, hard drives, routers and modems, small servers, shredders, gaming consoles, cables, ink and toner | Free | No TVs on the accepted list |
| Home Depot and Lowe's | Rechargeable batteries and power-tool packs through Call2Recycle bins | Free | Not a drop-off for computers or TVs |
What Indiana law says
Since 1 January 2011, Indiana's E-Cycle law (administered by IDEM) has prohibited households, public and charter schools and small businesses from putting these items in the trash: televisions, computer monitors, computers including laptops and tablets, e-readers, fax machines, computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, external drives, printers, all-in-ones and projectors, DVD players and DVD-playing game consoles, digital photo frames, digital media players and MP3 players, cameras and camcorders, DVR, cable and satellite boxes, and portable GPS units. Manufacturers registered with Indiana E-Cycle (Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Best Buy and others) run take-back programs, and IDEM publishes a county-by-county PDF of registered collectors. IDEM itself takes no electronics.
TVs in Indianapolis
- 27 inches or smaller: ToxDrop, free, on the Saturday schedule above.
- Flat-screen up to 50 inches: Best Buy (fee may apply); Technology Recyclers $20; RecycleForce $25 donation; Green Wave $50 if over 32 inches.
- CRT or projection set: Technology Recyclers $20 any size is the cheapest published rate; Green Wave charges $25 for CRTs under 32 inches and $90 for projection or wooden-cabinet sets.
- Working TV: sell or donate it first.
Before you drop off a computer or phone
IDEM's advice is blunt: simply deleting files does not remove them. Sign out of Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung accounts, back up, then factory reset. On an old spinning hard drive, overwrite it with a wipe tool or pull the drive and keep it. Green Wave, RecycleForce and Technology Recyclers all destroy data as standard; ToxDrop makes no such promise. Our factory reset guide covers every major device.
Is it worth money instead?
A working phone, tablet or laptop under about six years old usually has a buyer. Check this month's buyback prices in the Trade-In Price Index or run your model through the Device Value Checker before recycling it. Broken devices can be priced with the Scrap Value Calculator.
Nearby cities
Sources
- City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Household Hazardous Waste (ToxDrop) Drop-off Sites (indy.gov/activity/hazardous-waste-dropoff-sites), sites, schedule, limits, accepted electronics and dumping penalty, checked 25 August 2026
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Recycle Indiana: Electronic Waste, How Do I Get Rid of Electronic Waste, and Indiana Regulations Affecting Electronic Waste (in.gov/idem/recycle/electronic-waste), checked 25 August 2026
- Green Wave Computer Recycling, Services page (gwcri.com/services.php), public drop-off hours, address, free and chargeable item lists, checked 25 August 2026
- RecycleForce, Materials We Recycle and contact pages (recycleforce.org), checked 25 August 2026
- Technology Recyclers, Drop-offs page (tech-recyclers.com/drop-offs), checked 25 August 2026
- Marion County Wellfield Education Corporation, Marion County ToxDrop Schedule (mcwec.org), cross-check of sites and times, checked 25 August 2026
- Best Buy, Electronics and Appliances Recycling program page, checked 25 August 2026
- Staples, Recycling Services in-store accepted items list, checked 25 August 2026
