Does Best Buy Recycle Electronics? Yes — Here's How
Best Buy accepts most consumer electronics for recycling at the Customer Service counter of participating U.S. stores, regardless of where you bought the item. You do not need a receipt or a membership, but the program is for residents only — equipment from businesses or organizations is not accepted.
There is a daily limit of 10 qualified items per household. Within that limit you can recycle up to 5 laptops, up to 2 TVs or monitors, and up to 3 other qualified items per day. Note that Best Buy Outlet stores do not take electronics for recycling (California Outlet locations accept batteries only).
What Best Buy Takes for Free
The vast majority of small and mid-size electronics are recycled at no charge. Bring them to the Customer Service desk and staff will take them on the spot.
- Laptops, tablets, e-readers and smart watches
- Cell phones, chargers, cables and headphones
- Desktops, keyboards, mice, hard drives and routers
- Printers, scanners, and ink & toner cartridges
- DVD/Blu-ray players, streaming devices, speakers and soundbars
- Cameras, drones, GPS units and car stereos
- Game consoles, controllers and VR headsets
- Small household items like stick/robot vacuums, fans and space heaters
- Insignia and Dynex (Best Buy brand) TVs and monitors 50 inches and smaller
TVs and Monitors: The $29.99 Fee
Televisions and computer monitors are the main exception to free recycling. Non-Best-Buy TVs and monitors cost $29.99 per item, with a limit of 2 TVs and 2 monitors per household per day. Best Buy brand sets (Insignia and Dynex) 50 inches and smaller are free.
In-store recycling covers tube (CRT) TVs 31 inches and smaller, portable TVs, and flat-panel TVs and monitors 50 inches and smaller. Anything larger cannot be dropped off in store — it has to go through Best Buy's haul-away service instead. Fees and acceptance also vary by state, which we cover below.
What Best Buy Does NOT Accept
Some items are turned away at the counter and need a different disposal route:
- Large appliances in store — refrigerators, washers, dryers, ranges and dishwashers (haul-away only)
- TVs and monitors larger than 50 inches (haul-away only)
- Satellite dishes, projection and wall-mounted screens, and TV or speaker stands
- CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, VHS tapes and cassettes
- Musical instruments, office furniture and software
- Loose or stand-alone batteries, except small rechargeable batteries in California and New York
- Phone and camera cases, gaming chairs and PC games
- Anything subject to a product-safety recall, and items from businesses
Haul-Away for TVs and Large Appliances
Because large appliances and oversized TVs are not accepted in store, Best Buy offers an in-home haul-away service. If you are having a replacement product delivered by Geek Squad or Best Buy Home Delivery, they will haul away your old TV or major appliance for $49.99. If you are not buying anything, the Standalone Haul-Away service costs $199.99 and removes up to two large products (TVs or appliances) plus an unlimited number of select smaller items.
Wipe Your Data Before You Recycle
Best Buy does not erase your data for you. It accepts hard drives and devices that contain them, but it advises customers to remove or wipe their own data first — and you can ask a Geek Squad agent about removing a hard drive before recycling.
The safe routine: back up anything you want to keep, sign out of your accounts, and perform a factory reset on phones, tablets and laptops before you hand them over. For desktops, either wipe the drive or physically remove it and keep it.
State-by-State Differences
Best Buy's recycling fees and acceptance are not identical nationwide:
- California, Connecticut and Hawaii: no TV drop-off fee (California also waives the monitor fee)
- Connecticut and Pennsylvania: stores do not accept TVs or monitors per Best Buy's FAQ (Connecticut accepts only Insignia/Dynex monitors) — confirm with your local store
- Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan: you pay the $29.99 fee but receive a $30 Best Buy gift card to reimburse it
- California: an advanced recovery fee is charged when you buy a new TV or monitor, not when you recycle one
- California and New York: small rechargeable batteries (under 100 watt-hours) are accepted in store
- New York: up to 10 mobile devices per household per day
Recycle, Trade In, or Haul Away?
If your device still has resale value, Best Buy's separate Trade-In program will give you a Best Buy e-gift card instead of simply recycling it — worth checking before you recycle a newer phone or laptop. Recycling (free, or $29.99 for a TV or monitor) is for end-of-life electronics. Haul-away is for large or oversized items you cannot carry into a store. Pick the path that matches the item's condition and size.