Computer Recycling in Los Altos Hills
Los Altos Hills residents — recycle computers, laptops, and electronics the responsible way with GreenCitizen. From home office upgrades to long-overdue cleanouts, we make it easy to keep e-waste out of landfills. Drop off at our Burlingame EcoCenter or schedule a qualifying business pickup today.
We are open from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. (Closed on Major Holidays)
74,685
Business Customers
Served
413,951
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.
Los Altos Hills' Climate Action Plan, Reach Code, and Electronics Recycling Goals
Los Altos Hills is a small residential town of approximately 8,400 people in the foothill terrain of Santa Clara County, nestled above Los Altos and adjacent to Palo Alto. Spanning roughly nine square miles of oak-studded hillsides, the town sits at approximately 300 feet elevation — quiet, wooded, and deliberately low-density by design.
From day one, the Town enforced minimum one-acre lot sizes and single-family-only residential zoning. There are no apartment buildings in Los Altos Hills, no commercial districts, no industrial zones — just homes, trails, open space, and the natural topography of the Santa Cruz Mountain foothills.
That founding commitment to environmental stewardship has only deepened over the decades. Los Altos Hills adopted its Climate Action Plan (CAP) on December 15, 2016, establishing GHG reduction strategies and targets for the community. The Town’s active Environmental Initiatives Committee (EIC) has been the engine behind successive climate policy milestones, including conducting community-wide greenhouse gas inventories and driving the adoption of new building codes that exceed state minimums.
In 2019, the Town adopted its first local building energy reach code, establishing all-electric and electric-readiness requirements for new residential construction — going further than state code required. Those requirements were re-adopted and strengthened in the 2022 code cycle, taking effect January 1, 2023. And in 2023, the Town expanded reach code applicability to include existing structures undergoing substantial remodel — not just new builds — broadening the impact significantly.
Then in February 2024, Los Altos Hills unanimously approved what has been described as a pioneering Sustainability Reach Code — developed in collaboration with Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) — that is among the first in the nation to establish standards directly linked to NOx emissions, not just energy use or carbon output. While most municipal reach codes target COâ‚‚ or energy efficiency broadly, Los Altos Hills went further, setting precise emissions standards that apply to both new construction and renovation projects. Mayor Stan Mok described the code as setting “a precedent for sustainable urban development.”
Residents of Los Altos Hills are automatically enrolled in Silicon Valley Clean Energy, meaning the electricity powering Los Altos Hills homes is already 100% carbon-free. Combined with the Town’s multi-year push toward full electrification of buildings — appliances, HVAC, water heating, and EV infrastructure — the picture is of a community methodically decarbonizing one household at a time.
GreenCitizen: Serving Los Altos Hills Since the Beginning
GreenCitizen has been the Bay Area’s trusted electronics recycler since April 22, 2005, when founder James Kao launched the company on Earth Day with a mission to make every day Earth Day. In the years that followed, GreenCitizen operated drop-off centers that served the Los Altos Hills area directly — including locations at 4500 El Camino Real, Los Altos and 2500 W El Camino Real, Mountain View — before consolidating all services at the Burlingame EcoCenter, located approximately 25 miles north of Los Altos Hills via I-280 or US-101.
Over two decades of service, we’ve helped more than 74,000 Bay Area businesses and 413,000 individual customers recycle responsibly, diverting over 33 million pounds of electronics from landfills. Our proprietary GreenCitizen Total Accountability Management System (GTAMS) tracks every major item by a unique asset ID from collection through certified recycling — providing the kind of documentation and chain-of-custody accountability that sets us apart from standard haulers or drop-box programs.
We work exclusively with US-based recycling partners certified to R2 or e-Stewards standards, ensuring all electronics collected from Los Altos Hills households and organizations are processed responsibly in the United States — never exported to overseas markets with weaker environmental regulations. For devices with sensitive data, we provide destruction services aligned with DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 standards.
For a town that has been making intentional environmental choices for nearly seven decades, choosing an accountable, certified, locally-rooted recycler is consistent with everything else Los Altos Hills stands for.
Drop off your electronics or schedule a pickup today!
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 for Los Altos Hills Organizations
Los Altos Hills has no commercial or industrial zoning — but that does not mean it has no electronics recycling needs at the organizational level. The town is home to professionals working from private home offices, academics with Stanford and other university affiliations, private estate managers, professionals in legal and financial fields, and owners of home-based small businesses. All of these generate retired laptops, monitors, networking equipment, and other electronics on a recurring basis.
GreenCitizen’s business electronics pickup service is available to qualifying Los Altos Hills organizations within our Bay Area service radius.
Free Pickup for Qualifying Loads
Pickup fees are waived when the inventory includes at least 5 qualifying items combined. 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.
Designed for How Los Altos Hills Organizations Operate
In a town with no loading docks and no commercial parcels, our service is built for accessible, low-footprint pickup from residential and home-office settings:
- Home office IT equipment retirement
- Private estate or property management equipment cleanouts
- Academic and research home-office equipment turnover
- Small professional practice equipment upgrades
- Recurring recycling for qualifying home-based businesses
Items should be staged at an accessible ground-level location before our team arrives. Pickup requests are submitted online, and we coordinate vehicle requirements based on what you’re recycling.
Data Destruction for Professionals
For professionals handling client data, financial records, legal documents, or proprietary research, GreenCitizen provides software-based data sanitization and physical hard drive destruction.
Our data handling methods follow standards referenced in DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 guidance. Certificates of Destruction are available for devices tracked through GTAMS, supporting internal compliance needs and chain-of-custody records.
Verifiable Downstream Processing
Every item we collect goes to US-based recycling partners certified to R2 or e-Stewards standards — giving Los Altos Hills organizations a documented, traceable disposal path rather than simply a pickup receipt.
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 for Los Altos Hills Residents
Los Altos Hills households generate a steady stream of electronics worth recycling responsibly: laptops replaced by newer models, monitors upgraded for home office setups, old gaming systems, audio equipment, tablets and phones accumulated over the years, desktop towers from a decade ago. GreenCitizen accepts all of them at our Burlingame EcoCenter, with no appointment needed for standard drop-off.
Please note: a drop-off form is required when recycling a computer or television. You can complete it on our website before you arrive, or fill it out at the center during drop-off.
Getting to Our Burlingame EcoCenter from Los Altos Hills
From Los Altos Hills, take I-280 North toward San Francisco, or take El Camino Real north to US-101 North toward Burlingame. Exit at Millbrae Avenue and head 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 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy building, across from New England Lobster Market and Eatery.
Pro Tip: Enter “GreenCitizen, Inc.” into Google Maps or your GPS for turn-by-turn directions from anywhere in Los Altos Hills.
Drive-Thru Drop-Off, No Appointment Needed
- Pull into the loading zone
- Our team comes out to assist with unloading and sorting
- Any applicable fees are confirmed before processing begins
- Most drop-offs are completed in under 10 minutes
Many Items Are Free to Recycle
The electronics that accumulate most in Los Altos Hills homes — computers, laptops, monitors, tablets, and televisions — are free to recycle at GreenCitizen. Items that require more complex processing carry a per-pound fee, confirmed at intake before we proceed.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions About Computer Recycling in Los Altos Hills
Yes. GreenCitizen serves Los Altos Hills residents through drop-off at our Burlingame EcoCenter and qualifying Los Altos Hills organizations through scheduled business pickup within our Bay Area service radius.
Yes. Walk-in drop-offs are welcome during business hours — Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. If you're recycling a computer or television, completing the online drop-off form in advance makes check-in faster. Our team comes out to your vehicle to handle intake, and most drop-offs are done in under 10 minutes.
Take I-280 North toward San Francisco, or head north on El Camino Real to US-101 North. Exit at Millbrae Avenue, follow signs for Old Bayshore Highway, turn onto Old Bayshore, then turn right onto Cowan Road. We're in the first driveway on the left — at 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 2, directly across from New England Lobster Market and Eatery. The drive from Los Altos Hills typically runs 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Searching "GreenCitizen, Inc." in Google Maps will route you directly.
Laptops, desktop computers, servers, monitors, TVs, tablets, smartphones, and network switches are all free to drop off. Items like printers, keyboards, cables, fax machines, and small kitchen appliances cost $1.00 per pound. Older media — CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, floppy disks, 35mm slides, and film negatives — are $6.00 per pound due to the certified destruction process they require. Any applicable fees are confirmed before we process your items, so there are no surprises at drop-off.
Yes. Please remove EFI/BIOS locks, Apple ID and iCloud locks, and any MDM, DEP, or Remote Management enrollment before arriving. This applies to both Apple and non-Apple devices. Locked devices can still be dropped off, but they won't qualify for certified data destruction and won't count toward the free pickup threshold for business loads.
Possibly, yes. Home-based businesses and professionals operating from Los Altos Hills residences may qualify if the load meets our pickup requirements and the location falls within our service radius. The pickup fee is waived when your inventory includes at least 5 qualifying items — any combination of laptops, desktops, servers, enterprise networking equipment (switches and routers), or LCD/LED monitors. Submit your inventory details online and our team will confirm eligibility.
Most Bay Area pickups are confirmed within four hours to one business day of submitting your request. Same-day pickup is available when the request comes in before 11:00 AM. For urgent decommissions, immediate pickup — within 24 hours — is also an option.
Software-based data erasure is $5 per drive, following DoD 5220.22-M and NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 standards. Physical hard drive destruction — shredding or crushing — is $20 per drive. A Certificate of Destruction is $5 per unit. If a drive cannot be successfully erased to the required standard, it is upgraded to physical destruction at no additional charge. Every item is tracked through GTAMS, which creates a serialized chain-of-custody record from collection through final processing.
Yes. GreenCitizen operated drop-off centers at 4500 El Camino Real in Los Altos and 2500 W El Camino Real in Mountain View — both just minutes from Los Altos Hills — before consolidating Bay Area service at the Burlingame EcoCenter. We've been serving this area since 2005.
Los Altos Hills' 2024 Reach Code targets NOx emissions from buildings — a more precise standard than most municipal codes, developed in partnership with Silicon Valley Clean Energy. Responsible electronics recycling fits the same framework: GreenCitizen's R2 and e-Stewards certified partners process all equipment domestically with strict environmental controls, and GTAMS documentation provides the kind of verifiable, item-level accountability the Town holds itself to in its own sustainability reporting.
We do not accept loose batteries, light bulbs, large appliances (stoves, washers, dryers), hazardous waste, items containing liquid mercury, smoke detectors, or medical electronics that have been in bodily contact. Styrofoam is accepted only in clean #6 EPS white block foam — not #4 LDPE foam. If you're unsure about an item before making the drive, contact us first.
Yes. GreenCitizen works exclusively with recycling partners certified to R2 (Responsible Recycling) and e-Stewards standards — the two most rigorous independent certifications in US electronics recycling. All equipment is processed domestically and never exported overseas.