Computer Recycling in Alameda
Alameda residents and businesses: GreenCitizen recycles your computers, laptops, and old electronics at our Burlingame EcoCenter.
Walk in any time we’re open, no appointment needed — and if your business has 5 or more qualifying items, pickup is free too.
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.
-
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 DirectionsAlameda's Climate Plan Has a Waste Problem to Solve
Alameda set an ambitious target in 2019: cut citywide emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030, then push toward carbon neutral. It’s already most of the way there — a 29% cut by 2022, driven largely by Alameda Municipal Power’s shift to 100% clean energy back in 2020.
Waste is the piece still catching up. The city’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan nests a Zero Waste Implementation Plan underneath it, and electronics are squarely part of that stream.
Here’s the practical gap for residents. Alameda County Industries, the city’s franchised hauler, includes one free Bulky & Reuse Pick-Up per household per year — three items, 150 pounds each, and only one of the three can be electronics. That covers a single dead monitor. It doesn’t cover a home office cleanout, and it definitely doesn’t cover a small business decommissioning a server room.
GreenCitizen doesn’t cap it at one. Laptops and desktops recycle free, any time we’re open, with no annual limit. Businesses with 5 or more qualifying items get free pickup too,built for exactly the volume a residential program was never meant to absorb.
Why Hand Your Electronics to Someone 28 Miles Away
Fair question, so here’s a direct answer. GreenCitizen has been at this since 2005 and has since processed 34,006,783 pounds of electronics for 75,019 businesses and 414,161 individual customers across the Bay Area. Numbers like that only mean something if the process behind them holds up.
Here’s what that process actually looks like: the moment a device arrives, it gets a tracking ID inside AGTAMS, our internal system, and that ID follows it through final processing. Devices holding data get wiped or physically destroyed to DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 standards, and we’ll cut a Certificate of Destruction if you need one on file. Everything downstream lands with a US-based partner certified R2 or e-Stewards.Â
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
GreenCitizen Offers Electronics Pickup for Alameda Businesses
Alameda’s business base doesn’t sit in one place. It spreads across Park Street’s historic downtown storefronts, the Webster Street district on the West End, Harbor Bay Business Park’s R&D and manufacturing tenants on Bay Farm Island, and the growing commercial footprint at Alameda Point and Alameda Landing — different industries, same retiring equipment.
Once a load hits 5 or more qualifying items — laptops, desktops, servers, networking gear, monitors, all-in-ones, — pickup doesn’t cost you anything. Smaller loads can usually still go out, sometimes with a per-item fee attached.
We handle office IT refreshes, server room decommissioning, end-of-lease equipment returns, and recurring pickup for businesses with ongoing cycles, including lab and R&D turnover at Harbor Bay. Request a pickup online and tell us what you’re clearing out — we’ll work out building or dock access if you’re at Harbor Bay or Alameda Point.
If your team needs paperwork for it, we’ll issue a Certificate of Destruction whenever data destruction is part of the job. And since everything we collect stays with certified partners inside the US, you’re not the one who has to explain where a decommissioned server ended up.
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.
Electronics Drop-Off for Alameda Residents
Living on an island doesn’t make it easier to get rid of a dead laptop or a broken TV — if anything, curbside options are more limited here than on the mainland. Bring it to our Burlingame EcoCenter instead. No appointment needed, just regular business hours.
Bringing in a computer or TV specifically? Fill out a drop-off form beforehand online, or fill one out at the counter when you get here.
The Drive From Alameda
Leave the island via the Webster Street Tube or the Park Street/Fruitvale Bridge into Oakland, then take I-880 South toward Hayward. Merge onto CA-92 West across the San Mateo Bridge, continue on US-101 North, and exit at Millbrae Avenue. Follow signs toward Old Bayshore Highway, turn onto it, then turn again at Cowan Road into the first driveway — we’re 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 — two minutes now 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 Alameda
About 28 miles, roughly 35 minutes via I-880, the San Mateo Bridge (CA-92), and US-101 — well inside the 35-mile radius we serve for business pickups.
No, and that's the point. Alameda County Industries' annual Bulky & Reuse Pick-Up covers one electronics item per household per year. GreenCitizen has no annual limit and no per-visit cap on qualifying laptops and desktops.
Yes, free once you've got 5 or more qualifying items. This is business-only; we don't offer residential pickup.
Yes. Bring it to our Burlingame EcoCenter during business hours. Laptops and desktops recycle free for qualifying items.
All of it — Park Street, Webster Street, Harbor Bay, Marina Village, Alameda Landing, Alameda Point. Pickup logistics may vary slightly by building access, but coverage doesn't change.
Leave the island via the Webster Street Tube or a Fruitvale-area bridge, then take I-880 South to CA-92 West across the San Mateo Bridge, then US-101 North to the Millbrae Avenue exit. Full directions are in the drop-off section above.
Software wiping or physical destruction, your call — both follow DoD and NIST-aligned standards. A Certificate of Destruction is available if you need one for compliance or an audit.
Laptops and desktops recycle free in qualifying condition, for both drop-off and business pickup. Media formats and some peripherals carry per-pound fees, confirmed with you before processing.
Yes, through AGTAMS — it logs each major item from collection through final processing, so there's a record beyond "it got recycled somewhere."
Every downstream partner is R2 or e-Stewards certified, verified before we work with them, not after. Processing stays in the US.