What Electronics Can Be Recycled — And How Recycling Works

by | Oct 29, 2025 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

If you’ve ever wondered “what electronics can be recycled?” — the good news is: almost everything. Especially when it comes to computers, laptops and IT equipment. These are devices businesses use and replace regularly, which means it is crucial for businesses to utilize local electronic recycling services. 

Why? Because these devices aren’t just plastic boxes with a few wires inside. They contain metals, precious materials, and reusable plastics. When handled properly, they can be diverted from landfills and turned into new products.

Here’s a breakdown of what can be recycled, and how the process works.

 

What Electronics Are Typically Recyclable

  • Computers, laptops, desktops — everything from the tower or chassis to internal components.

  • IT equipment such as servers, network hardware, printers, monitors, and peripherals.

  • Electronic devices in general — many can be recycled; the key difference is cost and complexity of the tear-down process.

  • Some items cost more to recycle because their materials are hard to separate, or because of hazardous components. Others may be free to recycle (or even have value) because the scrap metals inside are worth extracting.

 

How the Electronics Recycling Process Works

Here’s what the electronics recycling journey typically looks like:

  1. Collection — Devices are gathered from businesses or drop-off services.

  2. Sorting — They’re broken down into categories (computers → IT equipment → other electronics) so recyclers know what materials they’re dealing with.

  3. Dismantling / Stripping — Key components (PCBs, hard drives, batteries, metals) are removed. For computers this often means taking apart the chassis, drives, and circuit boards (Sims Lifecycle Services).

  4. Separation of materials — Metals (copper, aluminum, gold, silver), plastics, glass, and other materials are separated out. For example, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a big target for recovery of precious metals (ALLPCB Blog).

  5. Metal refining & reuse — The recovered metals are sent to smelters or refiners and processed into new usable materials for manufacture. Precious metals in electronics are increasingly valuable (ScienceDaily).

  6. Plastic/glass reuse or disposal — Non-metal materials are sorted and either recycled or handled as appropriate.

 

Why This Matters (and Where the Value Is)

  • Computers and IT equipment are a “rich” category because they often contain higher concentrations of valuable metals (e.g., gold, silver) compared to more basic electronics.

  • Recycling keeps hazardous materials out of landfills and reduces the need to mine new raw materials. One study shows e-waste contains far more gold per ton of circuit boards than typical ore (MDPI Journal).

  • For businesses in Utah: you’ve got options. Free pick-ups, paid programs — depending on device type and volume. At Recycle IT, we specialize in computer and laptop recycling and offer free certified data destruction, so you can recycle while protecting your data.

 

What This Means for Utah Businesses

If your business uses laptops or desktops (and let’s face it — most of them do), this is a key opportunity to:

  • Clear out old equipment responsibly

  • Avoid data risk with certified destruction

  • Contribute to a cleaner environment

  • Possibly recover some value if the devices have recyclable metal content

  • Choose a service that handles the sorting, dismantling, and refining steps for you (so you don’t need to worry about the complexity involved).

 

Final Note

Most electronic devices can be recycled — especially computers, laptops, and associated IT gear. The challenge is making sure they’re handled by a qualified recycling service that covers collection, sorting, stripping, separation, and refining. That way, you’re not just getting rid of old gear — you’re giving it new life while protecting your data and helping Utah stay beautiful.

If you’re ready to recycle old computers or laptops from your business and want it done right — with free pickup and data destruction included — schedule a free commercial pickup with Recycle IT. Let’s keep Utah clean and tech-smart at the same time.

 

Sources