Old TVs, dead laptops, tangled cables, a drawer of forgotten phones — electronic waste piles up fast, and in California you can’t just toss it in the trash. E-waste is banned from every landfill in the state, and the rules got broader on January 1, 2026. If you’re clearing out electronics anywhere in Southern California, here’s exactly what the law requires, what it costs, and how 911 Junk CA makes it painless.
California treats electronics as hazardous waste, not regular garbage. Old TVs, computer monitors, and laptops contain cathode ray tubes (CRTs), mercury, lead, and other toxic materials that the state classifies as dangerous. Because of this, California prohibits electronics from being dumped in landfills entirely — and it has done so for years under the Electronic Waste Recycling Act.
Toss a TV in your curbside bin in Los Angeles, Orange County, or the Inland Empire and it either gets left behind or flagged. More than 25 states ban electronics from landfills, and California is one of the strictest, with fines that can climb past $1,000 for illegal dumping. The safer, simpler path is to have a hauler recycle it correctly.
The big update this year is Senate Bill 1215. As of January 1, 2026, California’s Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Program now includes battery-embedded products — devices with non-removable batteries. That means smartphones, tablets, wireless earbuds, portable speakers, and similar gadgets are officially part of the state recycling program for the first time.
Why does this matter to you? Those small devices were often thrown in the trash because people didn’t realize the embedded lithium batteries are a fire hazard and an environmental problem. Now they’re covered, recyclable, and expected to be handled properly. If you’ve got a junk drawer full of dead phones and earbuds, 2026 is the year to clear it out the right way.
Electronic waste covers a wide range of items commonly found in Southern California homes and offices:
If it has a plug, a screen, or a circuit board, it’s almost certainly e-waste and needs to be recycled rather than trashed.
There are two costs to understand: the state recycling fee and the removal service.
California funds e-waste recycling through a small fee paid at the point of sale when you buy a covered device — currently $4, $5, or $6 depending on screen size. For the new battery-embedded products, the fee is about 1.5% of the retail price, capped at $15 per item. You already paid this when you bought the device, so you don’t owe it again at disposal.
For hands-off pickup, a junk removal service is priced by volume and labor. A single TV or a small batch of electronics is typically an affordable single-item or minimum-load charge. A full office cleanout — dozens of monitors, towers, and printers — is priced by how much space it fills in the truck. 911 Junk CA gives you a firm, upfront quote before we lift anything, with no surprise fees.
You can find free drop-off events and municipal e-waste days across Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Those are great if you have one small item and time to haul it yourself. For heavy old tube TVs, multiple devices, or an office full of equipment, full-service pickup saves you the loading, the trip, and the back strain.
Our process is built to keep you compliant and stress-free:
Whether it’s one old TV from the garage or a warehouse of retired office equipment, we handle the labor, the transport, and the recycling paperwork so you don’t have to think about it.
911 Junk CA provides e-waste and electronics removal throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire — including Pasadena, Long Beach, Torrance, West Covina, Montebello, and surrounding cities. Homeowners, landlords, property managers, and businesses all count on us for fast, compliant electronics disposal.
Don’t risk a fine or let dead electronics take over your space. California’s rules are clear, and 911 Junk CA makes compliance effortless. Contact 911 Junk CA today for a free, no-obligation quote and let us haul away your old TVs, computers, and gadgets — responsibly recycled and gone for good.
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