Chicago residents can recycle electronics free at the city's Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility (HCCRF) at 1150 N. North Branch Street, open Tuesday mornings, Thursday afternoons and the first Saturday of each month. The city's monthly neighborhood e-waste drop-offs are on hold until further notice, so the HCCRF is the only City of Chicago option right now. Best Buy and Staples take most items free, and AVA Recycling runs partner drop-off points across the city where nearly everything except TVs is free. Illinois law bans covered electronics from the trash, so "just bin it" is not an option here. Every address, hour and fee below was checked against the source on 25 August 2026.
The city's free drop-off: HCCRF, 1150 N. North Branch St
The HCCRF is run by the Chicago Department of Environment and sits two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street (ZIP 60642, phone (312) 744-3060). It is residential only; business and commercial waste is turned away.
| Day | Hours |
|---|
| Every Tuesday | 7 am to 12 pm |
| Every Thursday | 2 pm to 7 pm |
| First Saturday of each month | 8 am to 3 pm |
How it works on arrival: there are two buildings. The blue building takes household chemicals, the yellow building takes electronics. An attendant checks everything you bring and hands back anything not accepted. Do not leave items outside the gate; the city says materials left unattended outside business hours will not be taken, and once the electronics truck is full for the day no more is accepted.
Electronics the program lists as accepted: computers, computer monitors, TVs, printers, fax machines and scanners, keyboards and mice, VCRs, DVD players and recorders, video game consoles, portable digital music players, digital converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers, and small-scale servers. The same building takes cell phones and CFL bulbs. Batteries (rechargeable, lithium, small lead-acid and car batteries) go to the chemicals side.
Not accepted anywhere at the HCCRF: household appliances (microwaves, toasters, coffee makers, stoves, fridges, washers, dryers, dehumidifiers), air conditioners and anything holding refrigerant, alkaline batteries, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, large office copiers, tires, latex paint and medical waste.
Monthly neighborhood e-waste drop-offs: on hold
Chicago used to run monthly e-waste collection points around the city. The Chicago Recycles page now says in capitals that those locations are on hold until further notice and directs residents to the HCCRF. Older listings, including some still circulating on directory sites, describe ward drop-offs that are not currently running. Check the city page before driving to one.
Retail drop-off in Chicago: 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 |
For a laptop, phone or box of cables, Staples or Best Buy will be faster than a trip to North Branch Street and open seven days a week.
AVA Recycling partner drop-offs in Chicago (most items free, TVs charged)
AVA Recycling, an STS Electronic Recycling company, runs a network of partner drop-off points in and around Chicago. Their rule is that most electronics are free and a short list carries a fee, paid at the partner location, no cash. Every partner keeps its own hours, so call before you go: (866) 770-2650.
| Location | Address | TVs? |
|---|
| Chicago Loop | 242 S State St; 410 S Clark St; 180 N Wabash Ave Suite 176 | No TVs |
| Norwood Park | 7545 W Addison St | No TVs |
| Jefferson Park | 5732 N Milwaukee Ave (flat TVs only); 5019 W Lawrence Ave (all TVs) | Yes, schedule first |
| Chicago Lawn | 6259 S Kedzie Ave | Temporarily closed, call first |
| Oak Lawn | 9211 S Cicero Ave | Flat TVs only |
| Main warehouse, Addison | 135 Laura Dr, Addison, IL | All items, plus hard-drive destruction |
AVA's published fee schedule (August 2026): monitors and all-in-ones $5 each; LCD and LED TVs $0.50 per diagonal inch; CRT and projection TVs $1 per inch; printers $10 to $20 at partner sites (free at Addison); appliances $10; loads over 400 lb an extra $0.35 to $0.55 per lb. VHS tapes, cassettes and DVDs are not accepted at drop-offs.
What Illinois law says
Illinois is one of the states where it is illegal to put electronics in the trash. The Consumer Electronics Recycling Act (CERA, signed 25 August 2017, fully in force from 1 January 2019) replaced the older Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act and makes manufacturers pay for a statewide collection network. The devices covered by the ban are computers and small-scale servers, computer monitors, keyboards, mice and peripherals, printers, fax machines and scanners, televisions, DVD players, DVD recorders and VCRs, digital converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers, portable digital music players and video game consoles. Illinois EPA publishes yearly collection reports and a map of participating counties; Cook County's sites are funded through this program. Illinois EPA itself does not take electronics.
Two practical consequences: a landlord, building manager or Streets and Sanitation crew will not pick up a TV left in the alley, and a fine is possible for dumping it. The free routes above exist because the law requires them.
TVs in Chicago
- Any TV, any size, including CRT: the HCCRF takes it free on its three opening slots. Bring it early on a Saturday; the truck fills.
- Flat-panel up to 50 inches: Best Buy (fee may apply), or AVA's Jefferson Park and Oak Lawn partners for a per-inch charge.
- CRT or projection set: HCCRF free, or AVA at $1 per diagonal inch (a 32-inch tube TV is $32). Carry CRTs upright; the glass holds several pounds of lead.
- Working TV: sell or donate it before recycling. Recycling should be the last stop.
Before you drop off a computer or phone
Sign out of your Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung accounts, back up what you need, then factory reset. A reset is enough on a modern encrypted SSD; on an older spinning hard drive, overwrite it with a wipe tool or pull the drive and keep it. AVA states that data-bearing items are wiped or destroyed under its terms, and the Addison warehouse offers hard-drive destruction for $5; the city facility makes no promise about your data. 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 Chicago Department of Environment, Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility (chicago.gov, hccrf.html), address, hours, two-building procedure, accepted and not-accepted lists, checked 25 August 2026
- City of Chicago, Chicago Recycles, E-Waste / Other Wastes page (other-wastes.html), covered device list, HCCRF schedule, and the notice that monthly drop-off locations are on hold, checked 25 August 2026
- Illinois EPA, Electronics Recycling and CERA pages (epa.illinois.gov), trash ban, covered devices, county participation, checked 25 August 2026
- AVA Recycling, IL Drop Off Locations and Residential pages (avarecycling.com), partner addresses, fee schedule and TV rules, 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
- Bing Places listing for the HCCRF, phone (312) 744-3060, checked 25 August 2026
