Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It's hard to know where to recycle those items, or it seems costly and inconvenient.
The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the United Nations' most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 137 billion pounds (62 million metric tons) of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22% of it was properly recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is recycled in the U.S. each year.
Keeping e-waste out of landfills is important because the devices contain materials that can harm the environment. Electronics can also contain precious metals and rare earths that are hard to source, making recycling valuable to businesses.
“The way that we’re creating and using and disposing of these devices has generated this completely unsustainable waste stream,” said Rick Neitzel, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of Michigan. “And there’s no signs of that abating at all. In fact, the trend continues to accelerate.”
Experts say that if more consumers recycle their e-waste, it could even drive down the cost of some electronics. Here are some tips.
While all recycling comes with challenges, it is often more confusing to recycle e-waste than a plastic bottle or cardboard box. Common containers can be recycled curbside or in public bins, but it often takes some research to figure out where to take an electronic device.
“Cardboard comes in many shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, it’s still cardboard,” Neitzel said.
Electronics, on the other hand, can range from a small earbud to a large refrigerator, each with different materials inside, he said. Recyclers need to be able to extract each component and material efficiently. That is a complex, energy-intensive and expensive process.
But the efforts are worth it. Components such as steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics and even glass, can be recovered and reused, said John Shegerian, founder of Electronic Recyclers International.
Keeping harmful materials out of landfills is another incentive.
“These electronics — which could and have historically ended up in our landfills or in other inappropriate places — can leak all the stuff that’s contained there within: Mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, arsenic. All these things are horrible if they get into our environmental ecosystem,” Shegerian said.
Experts say recovering precious metals from devices also helps the environment by lowering the need to mine more of those resources.
Some consumers may be hesitant to recycle devices because of the personal data stored on them. Experts say that in order to protect your data, start with a factory reset — not just deleting files.
Resets restore the device to its original settings and thoroughly remove data. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidance, as each device has different steps. Wiping an Android phone, for example, requires different steps than wiping an iPhone. The Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency provides guidance on data protection, including where to look for manufacturer instructions.
Even factory resets may leave traces of data, so some recyclers will go as far as shredding a device's hard drive — and verify it's been destroyed. What's left goes through the recycling process.
If an item is newer and still in working condition, manufacturers may refurbish and resell it. Some charities and recyclers can also refresh devices so they can be given to those in need.
Look for major electronics and computer manufacturers that allow for their old equipment to be shipped back as part of buy-back offerings, or dropped off at a partnering site. Apple, for example, offers a credit toward a future purchase if your trade-in is current enough. Otherwise, they provide free recycling for older models.
Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries have donation programs that accept some used electronics, but it is important to check with your store to find out exactly what they need. Consumers should avoid inundating places with items that can’t be sold or disposed of properly.
Even if a device can't be refurbished, manufacturers are still a good first place to check, experts say.
“The manufacturers are where we want this stuff to end up because they know their products, they know best and most efficiently how to recycle them,” Neitzel said.
Retailers such as Best Buy and Staples accept devices big and small for recycling. Best Buy will also haul away televisions and larger appliances for a fee when new models are purchased, then work with electronics recyclers.
While local governments typically don't accept electronics in curbside recycling, many have drop-off locations that can be researched on their websites.
“Typically, if you’re dropping them off at a government-run electronic waste collection station, you can be confident in that," Neitzel said.
Recycle Nation allows consumers to look specific items up and find locations in their zip code that will take those items.
Other mail-in options include Amazon and Waste Management. Consumers can order boxes to their home, fill them up with their items, and ship it back.
Some programs charge small fees. Some return sites, for example, charge a few-dollar processing fee — such as $5 per monitor, or a set cost per the weight of returns or by the car-load if you drop off in person.
And even when a device can't be refurbished, recycling is important for the domestic supply chain of minerals and rare earths, said Terence Musho, an associate professor of engineering at West Virginia University.
He said improving the mineral recovery process and boosting recycling rates can also help consumers in another way: “It can also potentially bring down the price of your future electronics.”
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FILE - A sea of electronic waste, consisting mostly of televisions, microwaves and computers, cover the landscape at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling, in Unity, Pa., March 24, 2017. (Dan Speicher/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via AP, File)
FILE - Used charging cables and power adapters are piled up at a shop in Nhat Tao market, the largest informal recycling market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration airport workers who are going without pay. The deal would exclude U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's removal operations, which have been core to the dispute.
As U.S. airports remain jammed with long lines due to short staffing at TSA, President Donald Trump ordered ICE officers to provide airport security, alarming some lawmakers.
DHS is now being overseen by Markwayne Mullin, whose nomination the Senate approved on Monday. Mullin has tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page of the news.
Here's the latest:
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport confirmed that CLEAR and TSA PreCheck were not available at its checkpoints on Tuesday. George Bush Intercontinental saw some of the most significant disruptions, with wait times for general screenings averaging about four hours as of midday.
Other airports have narrowed the availability of priority screenings.
Miami International Airport, for example, noted on its website that several of its priority and PreCheck lanes were also closed at certain checkpoints on Tuesday — but those options were still available at other entries.
Airport conditions have become increasingly unpredictable as the shutdown drags on, with staffing shortages driving uncertain wait times.
Complicating matters, the airport wait times listed in the MyTSA mobile app and third-party trackers may be outdated right now because TSA isn’t actively updating its websites during the shutdown.
So what can travelers do in the meantime?
Travel industry analysts recommend checking an airport’s website and social media feeds. Many airports have been posting timely updates and guidance on the social platform X, often including terminal-specific information.
Even so, conditions can change quickly. Travelers should check early and often, not just before leaving for the airport. Build extra buffer time into travel plans and have backup options in place, such as renting a car or flying out of nearby airports.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport suggested travelers should find a bathroom before getting into security lines, where the wait could last as long as four hours Tuesday.
The airport said lines could stretch down to the subway tunnel, which was “not designed for queuing and does not have restrooms or food options.”
Faster security options, known as CLEAR and TSA PreCheck, were not available for travelers at terminals A and E. People were moving slowly in at least eight lines at times.
Travelers headed to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York — as well as Newark Liberty International in neighboring New Jersey — still couldn’t check online TSA wait times Tuesday morning.
All three airports said this week that they had temporarily suspended the live security wait times they typically provide on their websites, due to “rapid” changes in passenger volumes and TSA staffing.
Beyond TSA waits, LaGuardia saw additional delays and cancellations after it temporarily shut down following Sunday night’s fatal collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck on the airport’s runway.
“Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight,” the airport wrote on social media Monday.
Nationwide on Sunday, 11.8% of TSA agents missed work — the highest rate of the shutdown so far — with over 3,450 officers calling out, according to DHS. More than 400 officers have quit during the shutdown, the department said.
Some have accused the government of using TSA workers as pawns in the ongoing budget fight. And aviation unions have raised additional safety concerns in light of the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE officers.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations would be funded, as well as Customs and Border Protection — but with new guardrails to position officers from those divisions in their traditional roles, rather than as they have been used more recently in immigration roundups.
It would also include immigration operations changes that Democrats have demanded, including mandating officers to wear body cameras and identification.
Since so much of ICE is already funded through Trump’s big tax breaks bill, and immigration officers are still receiving paychecks during the partial government shutdown, senators said the new restraints also would be imposed on operations that rely on that funding source.
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A National Transportation Safety Board specialist who was trying to get to New York’s LaGuardia Airport to help investigate a deadly collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck ran into wider airport delays on Monday.
The air-traffic control specialist, who was flying from Houston, “was in line with TSA for three hours,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a news conference Monday evening. The NTSB called officials there to “beg” to get her through, Homendy said.
Routine funding for the department has lapsed since Feb. 14, leading to long waits at U.S. airports as Transportation Security Administration agents call out rather than work without pay.
Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration make changes in immigration enforcement operations following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during protests this year in Minneapolis. Trump has refused the latest proposal, and talks have stalled.
A day after the Trump administration began deploying federal immigration officers at some airports’ security checkpoints, long lines and hourslong waits persisted.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport said wait times at standard security checkpoints ranged from three and a half to four hours Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International urged travelers to allow at least four hours for both domestic and international screenings.
Baltimore-Washington International advised passengers to arrive three hours before their flights, noting that while wait times were “currently minimal,” that could change.
After weeks of missed paychecks, many TSA agents have called in sick or even quit their jobs under the financial strain. That’s forced some airports to close checkpoints at times, with wait times swinging dramatically.
Some airports are reporting shorter wait times — including Los Angeles International and Detroit Metro Airport, whose online trackers showed average waits of just several minutes early Tuesday.
Federal law enforcement officers are a routine presence at international airports. Customs and Border Protection officers screen arriving passengers, and Homeland Security Investigations agents conduct criminal inquiries tied to cross-border activity.
But immigration agents are rarely visible at TSA checkpoints, the front line of domestic air travel.
On Monday, Associated Press journalists observed ICE officers and agents patrolling terminals and lingering near long lines of passengers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International, John F. Kennedy International in New York, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston and Louis Armstrong International outside New Orleans.
A handful of other airports — including Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International — also confirmed ICE would be on-site.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office was monitoring the deployment of federal officers at O’Hare International.
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“All I can say is that the discussions have been very positive and productive, and hopefully headed in the right direction,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters late in the evening: “Both sides are working in a serious way.”
Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration airport workers who are going without pay, but excluding ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, which have been core to the dispute.
The potential breakthrough came after a group of Republican senators headed to the White House late Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. Senators said they expected the negotiators to work through the night, hammering out the details and present written proposals for both parties to discuss Tuesday at their weekly caucus lunches.
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Air travelers progress through the long lines for the TSA security checkpoint in Terminal C at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Federal immigration agents walk through Terminal A at Newark International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
People wait in a TSA security line at Terminal A of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, N.J., U.S., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
