E-Waste Disposal in Sydney: What to Do With Old Electronics
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Old TVs, computers, laptops, phones and screens don't belong in any household bin. NSW doesn't have a statewide ban on binning e-waste (Victoria does), but anything with a battery can start a fire in the garbage truck, and TVs and computers can be recycled for free through the national scheme — here's what the law actually says. The right place is a licensed recycler, and there are three ways to get them there: drop them at a council or national-scheme drop-off point, use a retailer take-back scheme, or book a collection that takes the pile away for you.
What counts as e-waste?
Broadly, anything with a plug, a battery or a circuit board. The items we're asked about most in Sydney:
- TVs, computer monitors and screens
- Desktop computers, laptops and tablets
- Phones and smart devices
- Printers, scanners and fax machines
- Servers, networking gear and hard drives
- Cables, chargers, power boards and adaptors
- Game consoles, stereos, DVD and set-top boxes
Batteries need to be separated and recycled through their own stream — most supermarkets and hardware stores now have a battery drop-off bin at the front. Never put a lithium battery in a kerbside bin; they're the leading cause of fires in waste trucks and sorting facilities across Australia.
Why e-waste shouldn't go in the bin
Electronics are full of valuable material — copper, aluminium, steel and small amounts of gold, silver and palladium in circuit boards — and also things you don't want in the ground, like lead in older CRT screens, mercury in older LCD backlights and brominated flame retardants in the plastics. More on what's inside e-waste.
Then there's fire: batteries built into phones, laptops and cordless tools can ignite in garbage trucks and waste facilities. NSW doesn't have a statewide ban on binning e-waste (Victoria does, and a 2025 NSW bill to create one was voted down), but between the fire risk and free recycling for TVs and computers, the bin is the wrong place either way. What the NSW rules actually say.
Wipe your data before anything leaves the house
This is the step people skip, and it's the one that actually bites. A recycler will destroy the drive, but the safe assumption is that anything leaving your control is readable until you've made it otherwise.
- Phones and tablets: sign out of your Apple or Google account first, then factory reset. Resetting without signing out leaves the device activation-locked and worthless to a refurbisher.
- Laptops and desktops: sign out of accounts, deauthorise any licensed software, then do a full reset with the "remove everything" option rather than a quick reset.
- Anything with a separate hard drive: if it held anything genuinely sensitive, pull the drive and keep it, or ask for physical destruction.
- Printers and copiers: business machines often store scanned documents on an internal drive. Worth checking before it goes.
- Don't forget: smart TVs hold your streaming logins. Factory reset those too.
Your e-waste options in Sydney
1. Council e-waste drop-off
Most Sydney councils run permanent e-waste drop-off points or periodic collection events, usually free for residents. Genuinely the cheapest option — but you transport it yourself, there are often limits on quantity and item type, and opening hours are narrow. Fine for a laptop, painful for a 65-inch TV and four monitors.
2. Retailer and manufacturer take-back
Officeworks, some major electronics retailers and several manufacturers run free take-back programs for specific categories — typically small IT, phones, cartridges and batteries. TVs and computers are covered by the national scheme below. Great for small items; rarely covers everything you've got.
3. Book a collection
The practical option when you have a pile, heavy screens, or no way to transport it. We collect from the kerbside and send everything to licensed e-waste recyclers. Please arrange for items to be safely placed outside at the kerbside before pickup; our team does not carry items from inside homes, on stairs or from apartments. A normal household amount is a flat $80 per load, so you know the number before we arrive.
The national TV and computer recycling scheme (TechCollect)
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme is a free, industry-funded program for recycling TVs, computers, printers and computer products, and the NSW Government supports it. Manufacturers and importers of TVs and computers fund it through approved industry programs — TechCollect is one of them — and householders and small businesses drop items off at designated access points: permanent collection sites, take-back events, or in some cases a mail-back option (NSW EPA, checked 27 Sep 2026). Those collection points can be run by councils, retailers or recyclers.
It covers TVs, computers, printers and computer products. Anything else depends on what your council or local recycling centre accepts.
Free drop-off or $80 pickup?
Free options are good value when your time and transport are free too. A quick way to decide:
| Option | Cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Council drop-off or event | Usually free for residents | You have a car, a few items, and the date suits |
| National scheme drop-off | Free | It's a TV, computer, printer or computer product you can carry |
| Retailer take-back | Free | Small items: phones, small IT, cartridges, batteries |
| Council kerbside pickup | Free where your council takes e-waste | Your council accepts it at the kerb and you can wait for a booked date |
| Our pickup | $80 flat per household load; TVs from $80 ($150 large) | Heavy screens ready at the kerbside, no car, or a whole household of old tech |
Council pickups are free but run on the council's terms: some take TVs and computers in a booked collection, others exclude e-waste entirely, and you can only put items out once you have a booked date. Ours costs $80 for a normal household load, collects from the kerbside Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm — often same-day if you book before noon, otherwise usually within 24–48 hours — and takes the whole lot in one visit.
What does e-waste removal cost in Sydney?
For a normal household amount, e-waste is a flat $80 per load, collected in one pickup rather than priced per item. A very large load — a garage full of old monitors, say — may be priced separately, and we always confirm before charging more. Old TVs are the exception: from $80 ($150 for a large TV) — more on getting rid of an old TV. No call-out fee and no change on the day.
If a fridge or a mattress is going at the same time, those are fixed: $80 per small–medium fridge or freezer, $150 for a large one and $80 per mattress. Bundling it all into one visit is usually the cheapest way to do it.
Business and office e-waste
End-of-life IT is one of the things we handle most. Office moves, hardware refresh cycles and closing down a floor all generate a large volume of screens, desktops and networking gear at once. We can supply a certificate of recycling where you need documentation for reporting or compliance — just ask when you request the quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put e-waste in my bin in NSW?
You shouldn't. There's no statewide ban in NSW (Victoria has one), but anything with a battery can start a fire in the garbage truck, and TVs and computers can be recycled for free through the national scheme. Use a drop-off point, a take-back scheme or a collection instead. More on what the law actually says.
Can I put a TV out for council collection?
It depends on the council. Some accept TVs in booked bulky collections, others direct them to a separate e-waste stream. Either way, you can only put items out once you've booked a specific date — otherwise it's illegal dumping.
Do you take broken electronics?
Yes. Condition is irrelevant — cracked screens, dead laptops, water-damaged gear. It's going to be recycled for materials, not resold.
What happens to my old computer?
It goes to a licensed e-waste recycler, where it's dismantled and separated into streams: circuit boards for precious-metal recovery, aluminium and steel from casings, copper from wiring, plastics sorted where they can be reprocessed, and hazardous components handled separately.
Will you take my batteries?
Loose household batteries are best taken to a supermarket or hardware store drop-off bin, which is free and takes two minutes. Batteries built into devices come with the device.
Book an e-waste collection
Recycle Corp collects and responsibly recycles electronics across Sydney — households and businesses. A normal household amount is a flat $80 per load; bigger office loads get a quote from photos, and we confirm the price before we come.