Kansas City's regional household hazardous waste program takes paint, chemicals and batteries but explicitly excludes electronics, so e-waste here runs through a non-profit and public events: The Surplus Exchange at 518 Santa Fe Street, one of the first five e-Stewards certified recyclers in the world, is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday with a small fee on CRTs, and the City of Kansas City, MO co-hosts free electronics recycling events with MRC Recycling, the next on Saturday 29 August 2026 at 2130 Jefferson Street and Saturday 19 September at 9400 Ward Parkway. Best Buy and Staples take small items free any day. Missouri's 2008 law makes computer makers file recovery plans but bans nothing from the trash. Every address, hour and rule below was checked against the source on 25 and 26 August 2026.
The Surplus Exchange: public drop-off five days a week
| Detail | |
|---|
| Address | 518 Santa Fe Street, Kansas City, MO 64105, (816) 472-0444 |
| Hours | Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm |
| Who | Open to the public; free pickup for businesses; runs more than a dozen community e-waste events a year and also collects at the Overland Park Recycle Center |
| Certification | e-Stewards, the first in the city and region; its executive director helped write the original standard |
| Fees | Most electronics free; the last published change (2023) set CRT monitors at a flat $10 each and CRT or rear-projection TVs at $0.25 per lb; ask for the current schedule when you arrive |
The Surplus Exchange disassembles non-working electronics for scrap on site, resells working equipment in its TechShop and furniture store, and treats data-bearing devices under the e-Stewards standard.
City of Kansas City electronics recycling events (free)
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|
| Saturday 29 August 2026 | 8 am to 12 pm | KC Unidos Federal Credit Union parking lot, 2130 Jefferson Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 |
| Saturday 19 September 2026 | 8 am to 12 pm | Burns & McDonnell parking lot, 9400 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64114 |
Events are listed on RecycleSpot, the Mid-America Regional Council's directory, and run by MRC Recycling (R2 and RIOS certified, Missouri DNR Level 4), whose staff unload your car. MRC's policy is zero landfill except the wood from console TVs. Check the event listing for any screen fee before you go.
Household hazardous waste: not for electronics
The Regional HHW Collection Program serves residents of Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte and Ray counties at the Kansas City, MO HHW Facility, 4707 Deramus Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64120, (816) 513-8400, participating communities only, no appointment, proof of residency required; Lee's Summit residents and non-participating communities (for a fee) use the Lee's Summit Resource Recovery Park at 2101 SE Hamblen Road. RecycleSpot's definition of HHW includes paint, automotive fluids, fluorescent bulbs and batteries and explicitly excludes electronic waste (TVs, computers, small appliances) and appliances. Kansas-side residents of Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Miami counties have their own county facilities; Johnson County's at 11231 Mastin Street, Overland Park, needs an appointment.
Retail drop-off in Kansas City: 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 |
Other recyclers
Forerunner Recycling (8240 E. Bannister Road) offers free pickup for business computer recycling and is not a household walk-in. Evolve Recycling at 100 W 18th Avenue is a mail-in ink and toner cartridge buyback for organisations, not an e-waste drop-off. Older directories list EPC, Office Products Recycling Associates, ArtsTech and Bridging the Gap's Midtown Community Recycling Center; none could be verified as a current public electronics drop-off, and Bridging the Gap's site blocked our check.
What Missouri law says
Missouri's Manufacturer Responsibility and Consumer Convenience Equipment Collection and Recovery Act (RSMo 260.1050, 2008) requires manufacturers of computers, peripherals and video display devices sold in the state to file recovery plans with the Department of Natural Resources and offer collection, with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day for non-compliance. There is no landfill ban, so recyclers may charge for screens, and the Surplus Exchange's CRT fees are legal and typical. Kansas has no electronics recycling law either.
TVs in Kansas City
- Flat-screen: a City of Kansas City electronics event, free; Best Buy up to 50 inches, fee may apply.
- CRT or rear-projection: The Surplus Exchange at roughly $0.25 per lb (a 60 lb tube set is about $15), or an MRC event.
- Working TV: sell or donate it; the Surplus Exchange resells working equipment.
Before you drop off a computer or phone
Sign out of Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung accounts, back up, then factory reset; pull or overwrite an old spinning hard drive. The Surplus Exchange and MRC process data-bearing devices under audited standards, but the safe habit is to wipe first. 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. Broken devices can be priced with the Scrap Value Calculator.
Nearby cities
Sources
- The Surplus Exchange, Recycling and Community Recycling pages and 2023 fee-schedule notice (surplusexchange.org), address, hours, certification and CRT fees, checked 25 and 26 August 2026
- RecycleSpot (Mid-America Regional Council), Household Hazardous Waste, HHW Facilities and City of Kansas City, MO Electronics Recycling Event listings for 29 August and 19 September 2026 (recyclespot.org), checked 26 August 2026
- MRC Recycling, Electronics Recycling Events page (mrcrecycling.net), certifications and event policy, checked 25 August 2026
- eCycling Central state e-waste law dataset, Missouri entry (RSMo 260.1050, 2008), checked 25 August 2026
- Forerunner Recycling and Evolve Recycling websites, checked 26 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
