Colorado Springs Hazardous and Electronic Waste Disposal Guide

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It’s the season of bike riding, moving, lawn care, and massive garage clean-ups. Whether you’re cleaning out your garage in anticipation of a move or just finding a place to park the bikes- you have probably encountered a pile of stuff you know you’re not supposed to throw in the regular garbage (like CFL light bulbs or paint used in the living room three colors ago) but you’re not sure what to do with all that waste.

This guide is your one stop shop for where to drop off your waste first.

Beyond the great feeling you will get when all that waste is gone, here are a few great reasons to make the leap and properly dispose of that junk that’s been cluttering up your space:

  • You will regain square footage of usable space and free your mind of the worry of junk.
  • Disposing of hazardous materials and e-waste with questionable insides is a good way to protect your little ones from chemical exposure.
  • You will help keep toxins out of the water supply.
  • You will help extend the life of existing landfills by keeping recyclable materials out of them, and are then preventing new ones from being built as quickly.
  • You will provide a positive example to your kiddos of how to responsibly take care of things once they are no longer useful.

Now that I have you sold on the benefits of getting rid of hazardous and electronic waste, here is where you can take it:

  1. El Paso County Hazardous Waste Disposal
    Cost: Free, but a donation of non-perishable food for Care & Share food bank is encouraged
    Phone: 520-7871
    Where: 3255 Akers Dr., Colorado Springs 80922
    Hours: Monday through Friday, 7am to 5pm and the Second Saturday of the month, 9am to 1pm
    What they will take: Basic recyclables, paints, lawn & garden fertilizers, pesticides, household chemicals, porcelain toilets and sinks, automotive supplies, electronics (including televisions 19″ or smaller), and medical waste.
    For more information: Click here for a flyer of what they take, as well as a map.
  2. Goodwill
    Cost: Free
    Phone: 635-4483
    Where: Any Goodwill location
    Hours: Check your local Goodwill
    What they will take:  Computers and computer components only
    For more information: Click here for more information about their computer recycling program.
  3. Best Buy
    Cost: Free
    Where: Any Best Buy location
    Hours: Check your local Best Buy
    What they will take: They will take a lot of your e-waste, but it is worth checking their website for specifics. They generally limit each household to three items per day and won’t accept large appliance drop-offs.
    For more information: Click here for details about what they will and won’t take off your hands.
  4. Blue Star Recyclers
    Cost: They charge a per pound fee for disposal.
    Phone: 855-302-2583
    Where: 100 Talamine Court, Colorado Springs 80907
    Hours: Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm
    What they take: Just about all forms of e-waste.
    For more information: Click here for a complete list of what they take and more information about their non-profit program to provide jobs for people with disabilities.
  5. E-Tech Recyling
    Cost: They charge a per pound fee for disposal. They will pick up your e-waste for an extra $40.
    Phone: 799-6517
    Where: 2780 Steel Drive, Colorado Springs 80907
    Hours: Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. No weekend hours available.
    What they will take: Most of your e-waste as long as it doesn’t contain freon (like refrigerators or freezers).
    For more information: Click here for a complete list of what they will take, potential discounts, and their pick-up program.

As a side note, if you are disposing your computer, look for a place that will properly destroy your hard drive so your personal information doesn’t end up where you don’t want it.  Many of the above places will provide a hard drive destroying service for you for an extra fee.

If you want a complete list of things that should not be tossed in your regular trash and even more options for the proper disposal of hazardous or electronic waste, El Paso County has put together a great resource that can be found here.

I hope this one stop shop for responsible disposal of hazardous and e-waste is helpful and encourages you to get rid of some junk!

Happy Disposing!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Jenny, thank you so much for putting this together!!! I have three old broken laptops that have been sitting in my downstairs area for months because I didn’t want to pay to recycle them! Woohoo for not having to pay to recycle them!

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