California Recycles

California Recycles is one of the recycling services tracked by eCycling Central in Cotner ave. los angeles, CA, accepting consumer electronics and other e-waste.

Services offered

Donation Program Recycling Refurbishment Resale

What it costs

Municipal drop-offs are usually free for residents within the served jurisdiction, with proof of residency required (driver's licence, utility bill). Commercial-quantity drop-offs and certain devices (CRT TVs, refrigerators) may incur fees.

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:

• Electric toothbrush (195g typical) - recoverable: 0.002g gold, 0.02g silver, 18g copper, 5g aluminium
• Power tool (2200g typical) - recoverable: 0.01g gold, 0.1g silver, 195g copper, 80g aluminium
• Household batteries (250g typical) - recoverable: 0.0g gold, 0.0g silver, 3g copper, 8g aluminium

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

Before you visit

**Preparing your e-waste:** factory-reset phones, tablets, and laptops before drop-off (most facilities will not perform data wiping for you). Bag loose batteries separately. Bring proof of residency if the program is municipality-funded. Check whether the site accepts the specific item you're bringing - acceptance varies widely.

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.