There’s a decent chance you have one right now: an old TV in the garage, a dead laptop in a closet, a printer that jammed one too many times. And if you’ve ever been tempted to just slide one of them into the trash can on pickup day — don’t. In Oregon, that’s actually against the law.
The good news is that Oregon makes doing the right thing easier than almost any other state, and in most cases it’s completely free. This post walks through what the law says, what changed in January 2026, where the free drop-offs are, and — honestly — when it’s worth paying someone like us versus handling it yourself.
The short version: computers, monitors, and TVs can’t go in the garbage
Since January 1, 2010, Oregon has banned computers, monitors, and TVs from disposal in the garbage, landfills, and incinerators. That’s not a suggestion — it’s state law, and knowingly tossing these items can draw a fine.
The reason is what’s inside them. Old tube TVs contain leaded glass, circuit boards carry heavy metals, and batteries and screens hold materials that don’t belong in a landfill but are genuinely valuable when recycled properly. Oregon decided the fix was to make recycling free and convenient, then ban the landfill route entirely.
The program that makes this work is called Oregon E-Cycles, run by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and funded by the electronics manufacturers themselves. You don’t pay into it at the register in any visible way, and you don’t pay at drop-off either.
What changed on January 1, 2026
This year is a big one for the program. A 2023 law (House Bill 3220) modernized Oregon E-Cycles, and the updated program launched January 1, 2026. Two changes matter for regular households:
- More devices are covered. The original program took computers (desktops, laptops, tablets), monitors, TVs, printers, and keyboards and mice. The expanded 2026 list adds items like video game consoles, routers and modems, scanners, fax machines, DVD players and recorders, VCRs, portable music players, cable and satellite boxes, digital converter boxes, and small-scale servers.
- Drop-off sites have to be more convenient. The new rules require collection sites in every county and within roughly 15 miles of the vast majority of Oregonians. There are already more than 180 collection sites statewide, and the Portland metro area is well covered.
One careful distinction: the formal disposal ban still names computers, monitors, and TVs. The newly added devices are accepted for free recycling, which is reason enough to keep them out of the can — a working PlayStation or router is exactly the kind of thing that should get reused or recycled, not buried.
The free option — and yes, you should use it first
We’re a junk removal company, so you might expect us to steer you toward a paid pickup. We won’t, because for small quantities the free option is genuinely great, and we’d rather you trust us when the math actually favors calling.
Here’s how Oregon E-Cycles works for drop-off:
- Seven or fewer covered devices at a time = free. Anyone can bring up to seven covered items to a participating collection site at no charge.
- Small organizations qualify too. The free program covers households, small businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and small nonprofits of the same size. Larger businesses can still recycle, but sites may charge for bigger quantities.
- Finding a site is easy. The Oregon DEQ’s E-Cycles page has a site locator. Many Goodwill locations participate, and Metro’s transfer stations in the Portland area accept qualifying electronics as well.
So if your entire e-waste problem is one laptop and an old monitor, here’s our honest advice: put them in the trunk and drop them off free on your next errand run. Our minimum pick-up fee is $150 — sending us for a single laptop would be a waste of your money, and we’ll tell you that on the phone.
One tip before you drop anything off: wipe your data. Sign out of accounts, do a factory reset on phones and tablets, and if a computer holds anything sensitive, erase the drive or pull it out entirely. Recyclers handle devices responsibly, but your data is your job until it leaves your hands clean.
When calling a hauler actually makes sense
Free drop-off is the right answer for a trunk-load. It stops being the right answer in a few common situations we see every week:
- The TV you physically can’t move. Older tube and projection TVs can top 100 pounds, and they’re awkward, fragile weight — a two-person carry down the stairs at minimum. If it’s been sitting in the basement since 2009, there’s usually a reason. We bring the crew, the dolly, and the trailer.
- Bulk cleanouts. Estate cleanouts, garage clear-outs, and office closures routinely turn up 15, 20, 30 electronic items — well past the seven-item free threshold, and mixed in with everything else. Hauling e-waste separately from the rest of the pile means two projects instead of one.
- Businesses over the size limit. If your company has more than 10 employees, the free program isn’t built for you. We handle office electronics as part of commercial cleanouts regularly.
- Mixed loads where e-waste rides along. This is the most common one. If we’re already hauling a couch, shelving, and a garage’s worth of junk, the old TV and box of cables ride along in the same trip — sorted to the right destination on our end. That’s usually the cheapest way e-waste ever leaves a house.
On pricing, we keep it simple: single items run $150 to $240, a small trailer load runs $240 to $600, and full pricing by load size is in our 2026 Portland junk removal cost guide. We also knock $5 to $10 off per item for anything we can donate, and offer recycling discounts too — so a load with reusable electronics in it often costs less than the same load of pure trash.
For comparison, if you DIY a mixed load to a Metro transfer station, general trash runs $176.70 per ton with a $51 minimum, plus a 3% fee if you pay by card at the gate — and the covered electronics still can’t go in the trash side. You’d drop those at the E-Cycles collection point (free, seven or fewer) and pay for the rest. For a small, sortable load and a free Saturday, DIY can absolutely pencil out. For a big or messy one, it usually doesn’t.
What we actually do with your electronics
Donation comes first at our company, and electronics are no exception. Working TVs, monitors, and devices go to local charities like Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity ReStore before anything else. What can’t be reused goes into proper e-waste recycling channels. Landfill is the last resort, and for covered electronics it isn’t an option at all.
Here’s the part that surprises people: most haulers in the Portland area refuse e-waste, and almost all of them refuse styrofoam, paint, and household chemicals. We take all of it — in the same trip. So if your garage cleanout includes an old computer tower, six cans of half-used paint, a block of packing foam, and a shelf of mystery cleaners, that’s one pickup, not four separate errands. (Asbestos is the one thing we can’t take — that requires a licensed abatement contractor.)
If electronics are the main event, our electronic waste removal service covers everything from single TVs to full office clear-outs. If the e-waste is buried in a much bigger project, our full house cleanout service handles the whole thing and sorts the electronics out on our end.
One more 2026 note: you have a right to repair, too
Before you recycle a device that mostly works, it’s worth knowing Oregon also has one of the strongest Right to Repair laws in the country. Since January 1, 2025, manufacturers of most consumer electronics have been required to make parts, tools, and repair documentation available to owners and independent repair shops. If your phone or laptop just needs a battery or a screen, a local repair shop may be able to fix it for far less than replacing it — and the greenest device is the one that stays in use.
Repair first, donate second, recycle third, and landfill never. That order works for the planet and, most of the time, for your wallet.
FAQ
Is it really illegal to put a TV in the trash in Oregon?
Yes. Computers, monitors, and TVs have been banned from Oregon garbage, landfills, and incinerators since January 1, 2010, and knowingly dumping them can bring a fine. The free fix is an Oregon E-Cycles drop-off site — or a pickup from us if it’s too heavy or part of a bigger load.
Does Oregon E-Cycles take game consoles, routers, and DVD players now?
As of January 1, 2026, yes. The modernized program expanded beyond computers, monitors, TVs, printers, and keyboards/mice to include items like game consoles, routers and modems, scanners, DVD and VCR players, and cable boxes. Seven or fewer items at a time are free to drop off.
How much does e-waste pickup cost with All Oregon Junk Removal?
A single-item pickup runs $150 to $240 depending on size and access — worth it for a heavy console TV, not worth it for one laptop you can drop off free. E-waste added to an existing junk load usually adds little or nothing, and donated items earn $5 to $10 off each.
Not sure whether your pile is a free-drop-off situation or a call-us situation? Text photos of your pile to (503) 455-7920 and we’ll give you a straight answer either way — including “just drive that one to Goodwill, it’s free.”
All Oregon Junk Removal — family-owned since 2021, serving the Portland metro and Salem. 4.9★ from 240+ Google reviews.