Computer Recycling in East Palo Alto
Secure computer and electronics recycling for East Palo Alto businesses with convenient business pickup and nearby drop-off support from our Burlingame EcoCenter. GreenCitizen helps organizations responsibly recycle retired laptops, desktops, monitors, servers, phones, and other IT equipment with secure data handling, accountable processing, and trusted local service since 2005.
We are open from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. (Closed on Major Holidays)
74,559
Business Customers
Served
413,832
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, Inc.
1831 Old Bayshore Hwy Suite 2, Burlingame, CA 94010
- +16504938700 Extension 103
- info@greencitizen.com
Office Hours
Monday to Friday
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
(Closed on Major Holidays)
Closed on Holidays: New Year, President’s Day, Memorial Holiday, Independence day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the day after Christmas.
East Palo Alto's Sustainability Commitment and Responsible Electronics Recycling
East Palo Alto is a San Mateo County city situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, with a population of approximately 29,000. Incorporated in 1983, the city sits adjacent to Palo Alto and Menlo Park, sharing the broader peninsula’s proximity to Silicon Valley’s technology economy — which means electronics move through households and workplaces here at a high rate, and responsible disposal matters.
The city has a documented and serious track record on climate action. East Palo Alto adopted its original Climate Action Plan in December 2011 with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15% relative to 2005 levels. By the end of that plan’s timeline in 2020, the city had exceeded the target, achieving a 20% reduction and eliminating more than 27,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — a result reached with meaningful participation from residents and community-based organizations.
Building on that work, the City adopted a new 2030 Community Climate Action Plan and Adaptation Strategies (CAP) on September 5, 2023. The 2030 CAP sets a goal of 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with a longer-term aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045. It covers 72 actions across four focus areas: Energy & Homes, Transportation, Waste, and Resilience — all developed through an extensive multi-year community input process.
The Waste focus area of the CAP is directly relevant to electronics recycling. The city also organizes periodic hazardous waste and e-waste drop-off events for residents, and directs residents to established recycling channels for electronics, batteries, and other materials that require careful handling outside the standard waste stream.
California’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 adds a compliance dimension. Under the Act and the state’s Covered Electronic Waste program, Californians have both access to and responsibility for managing unwanted electronics properly. For East Palo Alto households and organizations, that means finding a certified, accountable recycling partner — not simply discarding old equipment.
Responsible electronics recycling fits squarely into the city’s documented sustainability goals, whether the equipment is coming out of a home office, a school, a small business, or a larger commercial facility.
Computer Recycling for East Palo Alto Residents and Businesses
East Palo Alto residents and businesses do not need to travel far for a reliable electronics recycling option. GreenCitizen’s Burlingame EcoCenter is approximately 18 miles from East Palo Alto, accessible by a straightforward drive up US-101 North, making it a practical drop-off option for individuals and organizations in the area.
GreenCitizen has been serving Bay Area customers since 2005 — the same year James Kao founded the company on Earth Day, April 22 — with a mission to make every day Earth Day. We currently report more than 74,000 business customers served, more than 413,000 individual customers served, and over 33 million pounds of electronics recycled across our service history. That track record matters for East Palo Alto customers who want a recycler with deep regional experience and a long-standing commitment to responsible domestic processing.
GreenCitizen also has a historical connection to the South Bay and Peninsula corridor.
Over the years, we have operated from nearby Bay Area locations including 3180 Park Blvd and 161 Homer Ave in Palo Alto, 2500 W El Camino Real in Mountain View, 4500 El Camino Real in Los Altos, and various San Francisco locations.
Today, all service is consolidated at the Burlingame EcoCenter.
What distinguishes GreenCitizen from a basic hauler is accountability. We use our proprietary GreenCitizen Total Accountability Management System (GTAMS) to assign each major item a unique asset ID, track it through the recycling process, and confirm that nothing is illegally dumped overseas. We work exclusively with US-based recycling partners holding R2 or e-Stewards certifications, and we offer data destruction services aligned with DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 standards.
For East Palo Alto customers, that means a service that is nearby, established, and built for both convenience and compliance.
Acceptable & Non-Acceptable Items for Electronics Recycling
Accepted
Laptops
Desktops
Servers
Monitors/ TVs
Networking Equipment
Tablets/ Smartphones
Computer Components (Hard Drives, Circuit Boards, Keyboards, etc.)
Office Electronics (Printers, Fax Machines, Paper Shredders, etc.)
Kitchen Appliances (Toasters, Blenders, Microwaves, etc.)
Stereo Equipment (DVD Players, VCRs, Receivers, etc.)
Styrofoam (#6 Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) ONLY)
Console Video Games (Xbox, PS3, Wii, etc.)
CD/DVDs
Cables/Cords
Toner/ Ink Cartridges
UPS Batteries (SLA Only)
Not Accepted
Bottles/ Cans
Furniture
Polyurethane
Large Appliances (Stoves, Washers, Dryers)
Non-Rechargeable Batteries (Alkaline, Carbon Zinc, Disposable Batteries)
Light Bulbs (Incandescent and Fluorescent Bulbs)
Items containing liquid mercury (Thermometers and Thermostats)
Smoke Detectors
Styrofoam #4 Low-Density Polyethylene foam (LDPE/PELD)
Hazardous Waste (Paint, Motor Oil, Sharps, Bio Hazardous Waste)
Medical Electronics (Bodily contact devices such as Glucose Sensors)
Business Electronics Pickup Service for East Palo Alto Organizations
East Palo Alto businesses, offices, property managers, schools, labs, and commercial facilities can request our business electronics pickup service to recycle retired IT equipment, office electronics, and other qualified e-waste responsibly.
Easy Pickup for Qualified Business Loads
If your East Palo Alto organization has at least 5 qualifying items combined, GreenCitizen waives pickup fees for eligible inventories.
Qualifying items include laptops, desktops, servers, enterprise networking equipment such as switches and routers, phones or tablets 4 inches or larger, and LCD or LED monitors.
Built for Office Cleanouts, IT Refreshes, and Equipment Turnover
Our business pickup service is designed for the kinds of recycling needs that come up regularly in active commercial environments:
- Office IT refreshes
- Employee offboarding
- Storage-room cleanouts
- Facility relocations
- Server room or data center downsizing
- Ongoing electronics recycling for business operations
East Palo Alto businesses operate near the heart of Silicon Valley’s technology corridor — equipment cycles quickly, and responsible disposal shouldn’t be an afterthought. GreenCitizen gives local organizations a reliable, recurring recycling option rather than a one-time fix.
Data Security and Documentation
For businesses handling sensitive information, GreenCitizen offers software-based data sanitization, physical hard drive destruction, and additional documentation options.
Our data handling follows the same methods referenced in DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 guidelines, giving East Palo Alto organizations a more secure path for retiring equipment responsibly. Certified data destruction reports are available for eligible items processed through GTAMS.
Responsible Downstream Recycling
We do more than collect electronics. To help reduce the risk of global e-waste dumping, we work with US-based recycling partners that maintain recognized certifications such as R2 or e-Stewards. This supports accountable domestic processing and gives East Palo Alto businesses greater confidence in where their retired equipment ultimately goes.
Accountability Beyond Basic Hauling
Our business pickup service is built around accountability from pickup through final recycling. We use GTAMS for item tracking, maintain transparent handling workflows, and offer structured service options that can support chain-of-custody expectations, internal asset records, ESG initiatives, and audit-related needs.
For East Palo Alto companies, that means a service model built for both operational convenience and compliance-minded recycling.
Everything went great yesterday. Your guys were super professional and took care of everything for us. I’m sure that we will have more for you in the near future.
I have nothing but praise for their whole operation. From the easy to use website to even great, friendly pickup staff.
Your crew provides such a high level of service. It all went very smoothly!
Electronics Drop-Off Service for East Palo Alto Residents and Businesses
East Palo Alto residents and small businesses can use our Burlingame EcoCenter as a drop-off point for accepted electronics. No appointment is needed during business hours, and our drive-thru intake setup makes the process straightforward for customers coming from East Palo Alto and the surrounding Peninsula area.
Please note that you will need to complete a drop-off form when bringing electronics to our EcoCenter. You can fill it out in advance on our website, or complete it during drop-off at the center.
A Practical Drop-Off Option from East Palo Alto
Our Burlingame EcoCenter is approximately 16 miles from East Palo Alto via US-101 North — a direct highway route that makes same-day drop-off realistic for residents and smaller organizations without requiring an extended drive across the Bay Area.
How to Get There from East Palo Alto
From East Palo Alto, take US-101 North toward Burlingame, then take the Millbrae exit and continue toward Old Bayshore Highway. Turn onto Old Bayshore Highway, then turn at Cowan Road and enter the first driveway on the left. We are located behind the building with the 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy address, across from New England Lobster Market and Eatery.
Pro Tip: Enter “GreenCitizen, Inc.” into your GPS or Google Maps for the easiest route directly to our Burlingame EcoCenter.
Simple Intake, Clear Fees, and Fast Turnaround
At drop-off, we separate items into free-to-recycle categories and fee-based categories. If any recycling fees apply, we confirm them before processing begins so customers know what to expect at intake. Most drop-offs are completed in under 10 minutes.
Convenient Drop-Off Experience
- No appointment needed during regular business hours
- Drive-thru access for easier unloading
- Service available to residents and businesses across the Bay Area
- Secure data handling options for devices with storage media
For drop-off recycling, these are the items that are FREE to recycle and can be dropped off at the GreenCitizen Recycling Center/Eco Center in Burlingame.
Note: All Macbook EFi, Device Enrollment Program, and Remote Management Locks Must Be Removed
- Desktop computers
- Laptops
- Servers
- Tablets
- Monitors
- Network switches
- TVs
And here are the items that cost $1.00/pound to recycle.
- Cables/cords
- CD players and Walkmans
- Christmas lights
- DLP Projector TVs
- Fax machines
- Remote controls
- Heaters
- Ink/Toner
- Keyboards
- Microwaves
- Printers
- Miscellaneous electronics
- Scanners
- Stereo equipment
- VCRs
- DVD players
- Speakers
- Vacuum cleaners
- Fans
- Toasters
- Blenders
- Coffee makers
And here are the items that cost $6.00/pound to recycle.
- CDs
- Cassette tape
- Vinyl recycling
- DVDs
- Floppy disks
- VHS
- 35mm slides
- DLT/LTO
- Film negatives
It’s great to have such a well-run organization in our community to help us with all of our old electronics, especially laptops, which have sensitive information.
They were awesome. I was helping clean my mother in laws garage out. There was one tv that was literally falling apart. No problem here. We dropped off a couple tvs, a monitor, coffee machine, an old speaker, all for around 11 dollars. We rounded up to $15 to help them continue their excellent recycling service. They were friendly helpful and have a drive through. We are customers now! Good location as well.
The staff at Green Citizen were incredibly informative, helpful and courteous.The process of dropping off computers and hard drives for destruction was so quick and simple. They have an efficient set up. I highly recommend them and I will definitely be going back to them when I have additional items to recycle. It’s an impressive organization.
FAQ
Yes. GreenCitizen serves East Palo Alto through our Burlingame EcoCenter for drop-off recycling, and we also offer business electronics pickup within our local Bay Area service radius. East Palo Alto is within our 35-mile pickup zone.
Yes. East Palo Alto residents can bring accepted electronics to our Burlingame EcoCenter during business hours. No appointment is required for standard drop-off.
No. We do not offer residential electronics pickup in East Palo Alto. Residents can use our Burlingame EcoCenter drop-off service instead.
Our Burlingame EcoCenter is approximately 16 miles from East Palo Alto via US-101 North, making it a practical nearby drop-off destination.
We are located at 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 2, Burlingame, CA 94010.
Our drop-off hours are Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We are closed on weekends and major holidays.
Yes. East Palo Alto businesses that are within our service area and meet pickup requirements can schedule business electronics pickup. We waive pickup fees when the inventory includes at least 5 qualifying items combined.
Our business electronics pickup service is commonly used by offices, startups, schools, labs, property managers, warehouses, and other organizations retiring computers, monitors, networking equipment, phones, and related electronics. Given East Palo Alto's proximity to the Silicon Valley technology corridor, technology-adjacent businesses and organizations conducting IT refreshes are a frequent use case.
Yes. We offer data sanitization and physical hard drive destruction options for devices that may contain sensitive information. Our data handling follows the same methods referenced in DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 guidelines.
Yes. East Palo Alto's 2030 CAP includes Waste as one of its four core focus areas. Responsible electronics recycling through a certified, accountable recycler — rather than landfill disposal — directly supports the city's waste reduction goals. GreenCitizen is R2 and e-Stewards certified, processes all electronics domestically, and tracks items through GTAMS to ensure none are illegally exported or improperly disposed of.