Computer Recycling in Fremont
Fremont runs on hardware — office IT, manufacturing floors, home setups, all of it eventually retiring. GreenCitizen takes it off your hands the right way: free pickup for businesses, walk-in drop-off for residents at our Burlingame EcoCenter.
75,019
Business Customers
Served
414,161
Individual Customers
Served
No appointment is needed for drop-off recycling. Just come to our Burlingame EcoCenter to recycle your computers and electronics.
Where To Find Us: GreenCitizen EcoCenter
GreenCitizen, Inc.
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1831 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 2
Burlingame, CA 94010 - +1 (650) 493-8700, ext. 103
- info@greencitizen.com
Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Closed on major holidaysClosed on: New Year, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas and the day after.
Get DirectionsFremont’s Effort in Electronics Recycling
In 1956, five separate communities — Niles, Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs — voted to merge into a single city rather than get absorbed piece by piece into Fremont’s larger neighbors. That merger is still visible today: Fremont doesn’t really have one center, it has five, each with its own character, stitched together into a city of about 230,000.
What those five towns built together turned into one of the Bay Area’s heavier manufacturing bases. Tesla assembles its vehicles here, on ground that used to be the NUMMI plant — a straight line from old-line auto manufacturing to new-line EV production, without the city changing addresses. Biotech firms, clean tech startups, and a long tail of smaller operations fill in around that anchor.
A city built this deep into hardware produces a lot of hardware waste, and Fremont’s response is Climate Ready Fremont, adopted in October 2023. The plan commits to cutting emissions 30% below 2018 levels by 2030, with full carbon neutrality targeted for 2045 — and waste reduction sits inside that plan as one of its named focus areas, not an afterthought.
Recycling a server rack or a box of old laptops properly is a small action next to a citywide emissions target. It’s also exactly the kind of action the target depends on.
Why Fremont Businesses and Residents Choose GreenCitizen
R2 and e-Stewards certification isn’t optional for us — every downstream partner we use has to clear that bar before we’ll send them a single device. For hardware carrying sensitive data, destruction follows DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 methods, and AGTAMS, our internal tracking system, logs each major item from the moment we collect it through final processing.
That standard applies the same way whether you’re a Fremont manufacturer decommissioning a server room or a household clearing out a garage. GreenCitizen has been doing this since 2005, when James Kao founded the company on Earth Day — 75,019 businesses and 414,161 individuals later, with 34,006,783 pounds of electronics kept out of landfills.
Our Burlingame EcoCenter sits about 29 miles from Fremont, a 35-minute drive via I-880, the San Mateo Bridge, and US-101.
Tracked start to finish
AGTAMS assigns a unique ID to every major item the moment we take it in, so you can see exactly what happened to it — pickup, transport, and processing, all logged.
Certified partners only
Every recycling partner we use is R2 or e-Stewards certified before we send them a single device. All processing happens in the U.S. — none of it gets shipped overseas.
Real data destruction
Drives get wiped or physically destroyed to DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 standards — not just a factory reset. Ask for a Certificate of Destruction if you need it on file.
Pricing you see coming
Most laptops and desktops recycle at no cost. If something does carry a fee, we tell you before we process it — not after.
Acceptable & Non-Acceptable Items at GreenCitizen
- Laptops
- Desktops
- Servers
- Monitors / TVs
- Networking equipment
- Tablets / smartphones
- Computer components (hard drives, circuit boards, keyboards)
- Office electronics (printers, fax machines, shredders)
- Kitchen appliances (toasters, blenders, microwaves)
- Stereo equipment (DVD players, VCRs, receivers)
- Styrofoam (#6 EPS only)
- Console video games
- CDs / DVDs
- Cables / cords
- Toner / ink cartridges
- UPS batteries (SLA only)
- Bottles / cans
- Furniture
- Polyurethane
- Large appliances (stoves, washers, dryers)
- Non-rechargeable batteries (alkaline, carbon zinc)
- Light bulbs (incandescent and fluorescent)
- Items containing liquid mercury (thermometers, thermostats)
- Smoke detectors
- Styrofoam #4 (LDPE / PELD)
- Hazardous waste (paint, motor oil, sharps, biohazard)
- Loose batteries not installed in electronics
Business Electronics Pickup for Fremont Companies
Built for a City With Five Different Business Districts
A Fremont pickup could mean a research lab in Warm Springs, a dealership office on Auto Mall Parkway, or a family business in Centerville — the equipment changes, the process doesn’t. Tell us what you’re clearing out and where, and we handle the rest.
The Threshold: 5 Qualifying Items
Once your load hits 5 or more qualifying items — laptops, desktops, servers, networking gear, monitors, all-in-ones, or phones and tablets 4″ and up — pickup is free. Smaller loads and non-qualifying items can often still be included, sometimes with a per-item fee.
What Shows Up in a Typical Fremont Pickup
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- Office laptop and desktop refreshes
- Server rooms and data closets being decommissioned
- Manufacturing-floor electronics reaching end of life
- Networking equipment from warehouse or logistics turnover
- End-of-lease returns and office relocations
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If Data Security Is the Concern
It usually is. We offer software-based wiping and physical hard drive destruction, both following DoD and NIST-aligned methods, and a Certificate of Destruction is available on request — useful for audits, vendor requirements, or your own internal records.
Staging Your Equipment
Ground-level access, a loading dock, or an elevator make the pickup faster. Group similar equipment together beforehand if you can, and flag anything needing data destruction when you submit the request.
Business Pickup Recycling Customers Reviews
Pick up was perfect; thanks! Different team than the other two pickups, but same excellent results!!!! And yes, I hop on those two pages [google/yelp]
Our pickup went great yesterday. We always appreciate your services! The pickup was professional and helpful! Thank you!
Everything went great! Your workers were very patient and polite. I look forward to using your service in the future.
Dropping Off Electronics in Fremont
Fremont households aren’t any different from anywhere else in the Bay Area — the garage fills up with dead laptops, orphaned chargers, a monitor that’s been “temporary storage” for two years. Our Burlingame EcoCenter takes all of it, no appointment required.
Computers and TVs need a quick drop-off form first — fill it out online before you go, or on-site when you arrive.
The Drive From Fremont
Take I-880 North toward Hayward, merge onto CA-92 West across the San Mateo Bridge, then continue on US-101 North. Exit at Millbrae Avenue, follow signs to Old Bayshore Highway, turn onto it, then turn again at Cowan Road into the first driveway. Look for the building behind 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy, across from New England Lobster Market.
Tip: Search “GreenCitizen, Inc.” directly in Google Maps rather than the street address — it routes around bridge traffic more reliably.
Before You Hand Over an Apple Device
Sign out of iCloud, disable Find My, remove Activation Lock, and clear any MDM, EFI, or Remote Management profiles. Takes two minutes and saves a step at the counter.
What's Free, What Costs Extra
Free to Recycle
Peripherals & appliances
- Appliances
- DVD/CD Players & VCRs
- Fans
- Printers & Fax Machines
- Scanners
- Heaters
- Keyboards
- Speakers
- Cables
- Misc. Electronics
Tapes, discs & film
- CDs
- Cassette Tapes
- Vinyl Recycling
- DVDs
- Floppy Disks
- VHS Tapes
- 35 mm Slides
- DLT/LTO
- Film Negatives
Other items & services
- Data erasure $5/drive
- Physical drive destruction $20/drive
- Tape destruction $20/unit
- Phone & tablet destruction $35/device
- #6 Styrofoam (EPS only) $5/30-gal bag
- Refrigerator, full size $130
- Refrigerator, mini $65
Drop-off Recycling Customer Reviews
Recycling electronics is no longer burdensome thanks to this place! They are extremely convenient and the person who helped me out at the front was very kind and courteous. I pulled up and dropped off a bunch of computers I had lying around and they are able to destroy the hard drive for me and recycle my computer. They also took a bunch of smaller electronics from me. Extremely glad I found them!!!
The team at GreenCitizen is absolutely stellar. Today, I went to Green Citizen for the first time to recycle my monitor, hard drives, and cell phones. They recycled all my items (some for free) for a very small fee. The team member who assisted me today was very friendly and took the time to explain the different services they offer. I’ll be coming back for sure!
I’ve been to GreenCitizen a few times now to drop off old electronics and cables. They’ve been wonderful every time. You simply pull up in your car, someone will come out to help process your drop off. Every time has been less than 10 minutes and very pleasant customer service. Safe, quick, efficient, no hassle. Wonderful.
Computer Recycling in Fremont
Five or more items from this list: laptops, desktops, servers, networking equipment, monitors, all-in-ones. Fewer than that, or items outside that list, may still be picked up but can carry a per-item fee.
Yes, during business hours, no appointment necessary. If you're bringing a computer or TV, fill out the drop-off form first, either online ahead of time or at the counter.
I-880 North to CA-92 West across the San Mateo Bridge, then US-101 North to the Millbrae Avenue exit. Full turn-by-turn is in the drop-off section above — figure on 35 minutes without heavy traffic.
All of it — Warm Springs, Auto Mall Parkway, Mission San Jose, Centerville, Irvington, Niles, Ardenwood, Bayside Industrial. Business district doesn't change how pickup works, just the drive time for our team.
Software wiping or physical destruction, your call, both following DoD and NIST-aligned standards. A Certificate of Destruction is available if you need it on file for compliance or an audit.
Laptops and desktops recycle free in qualifying condition, for both drop-off and business pickup. Media formats (tapes, discs, film) and some peripherals carry per-pound fees — those get confirmed with you before anything is processed.
Yes, through AGTAMS — it's how we log each major item from collection through final processing, so there's a record beyond "it got recycled somewhere."
Every downstream partner we use is R2 or e-Stewards certified, and we verify that before working with them, not after. Processing stays in the US — nothing gets exported.
None — we're an independent company, not a city program. But Climate Ready Fremont names waste reduction as a focus area, and recycling electronics through a certified channel instead of the trash is a direct way to support that, whether or not the city's involved in facilitating it.
No — loose batteries not installed in a device are a storage and handling hazard we can't take on right now. Alameda County's hazardous waste programs are the better route for those.