TV and electronics disposal in Pittsburgh

The short answer

Electronics cannot go out with the trash anywhere in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act bans TVs, computers and similar devices from the curb, and the City's bulk program also refuses peripherals, batteries and light bulbs. The City's e-waste partner, Noble Environmental, runs drop-offs, events and curbside pickups with fees by material and weight. A JunkRabbit pickup is flat: $58 for a monitor, $62 for a desktop tower, $58 for a home printer and $77 for a box of electronics.

What counts as e-waste here

The state law covers televisions, desktop and laptop computers, computer monitors, and peripherals such as keyboards, mice and printers. The City's bulk page goes further and lists "televisions, computers, peripherals" plus batteries and light bulbs among items it will not collect. Mt. Lebanon's hauler refuses TVs and electronics as well. That leaves a lot of household tech that needs a separate route: the old desktop under the desk, the CRT monitor from 2003, the inkjet printer that stopped working, a drawer full of chargers and cables, a VCR and a DVD player, old phones and tablets, an outdated stereo. Small appliances such as toasters and air fryers are a gray area, so check with whoever is taking them. Anything with a lithium battery deserves extra care, because damaged batteries can start fires in trucks and sorting facilities. Tape the terminals and keep swollen batteries separate.

The City's recycling partners

The City lists two main e-waste routes for residents. Noble Environmental, the City's partner starting in 2026, runs weekly drop-offs, special collection events and curbside pickups. The City notes that fees apply based on material type and quantity or weight. Evolution E-cycling accepts some office and audio electronics free at its South Side location and at storage-site drop points, while TVs and CRT monitors are charged at $1 per pound and printers at $5 to $10 each, according to the City's page. Those fees are real, and a heavy old monitor adds up quickly. Household hazardous waste is a separate system; the Pennsylvania Resources Council has run collection events for paint, pesticides and chemicals for more than twenty years. Check current schedules and fees before loading the car, because e-waste programs change their hours and rules more often than most.

Before anything leaves: wipe your data

Electronics carry your personal information, and that matters more than the hauling. Before any computer, laptop, tablet or phone leaves the house, back up what you need and wipe the device. On most modern computers and phones, a factory reset with encryption turned on does the job. For older desktops, remove the hard drive and keep it, or have it physically destroyed. Printers and copiers can store scanned documents too, so reset them to factory settings. Sign out of accounts on smart TVs and streaming boxes, and remove them from your account online. Pull memory cards from cameras and game consoles. If you are clearing a relative's house in Squirrel Hill or Penn Hills and do not know the passwords, set the drives aside and decide later. None of this takes long, and it is the one step nobody else can do for you.

Home offices and basement tech piles

Pittsburgh's eds-and-meds economy means a lot of home offices, and a lot of them turn over at once. Researchers and residents leave Oakland and Shadyside apartments at the end of a lease or a rotation. Remote workers in Cranberry, Wexford and Peters Township replace a whole desk setup at a time. Estates in the South Hills often include a basement shelf of electronics going back decades: a tube TV, two towers, a printer, a fax machine, a box of cables. That kind of pile is awkward to drop off yourself, because the fees are by weight and the items are heavy and scattered. It is also exactly what a single pickup handles well. Office furniture usually goes at the same time, and it has its own flat prices. Group everything into one visit, so the total clears the $100 order minimum easily.

Flat electronics prices

A home office of a desk, chair, tower and monitor is $83 + $61 + $62 + $58 = $264. An old tech shelf with a tower, two monitors and a printer is $62 + $58 + $58 + $58 = $236. A box of cables and gadgets plus a TV is $77 + $68 = $145.

Booking an electronics pickup

Photograph the pile or pick the items online, and you see a flat total before you book. The price includes carrying everything out from any floor, with no stairs fee, and it only changes if you approve the change. Electronics go to recycling rather than the trash, as state law requires, and we recycle whatever we can. Usable items may be donated when local charities accept them. Hazardous items such as leaking batteries, chemicals and fluorescent tubes are not standard, so ask before booking if the pile includes them. JunkRabbit works 7 days a week from 8am to midnight, with same-day pickup when you book by 4 PM and a 2-hour arrival window you choose. If a building needs a certificate of insurance before the crew arrives, we email it within 1 hour.

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