Can I Put A TV In The Trash In California?
No. Under California's electronic waste program, a “covered electronic device” is a video display with a screen larger than four inches, measured diagonally, that the Department of Toxic Substances Control identifies as hazardous waste when it is discarded. That takes in CRT televisions and monitors, LCD and LED televisions, monitors, laptops, tablets and smart displays, plasma televisions, and OLED televisions, monitors, laptops and tablets.
LA Sanitation puts it more simply: computers, televisions, vacuums and anything with a plug or battery should never be placed in the recycling or trash. The same goes for a dumpster. The good news is that every route below costs residents nothing.
How Do I Get A TV Picked Up For Free In Los Angeles?
If your home has one to four units and LA Sanitation collects your trash, electronic waste is on the City's bulky item list: TVs, computers and monitors go out at the curb on your regular trash day. Book it at least one business day ahead through the MyLA311 service request form, the MyLA311 app or the 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489, and list the items so the right truck comes.
LASAN also takes electronics at its S.A.F.E. Centers (Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, Electronics) and at mobile collection events in neighborhoods without one nearby. Both are free for City residents. Flat screens, cell phones, printers and cables are all on LASAN's e-waste list.
Those programs collect at the curb or at the yard. If the TV is bolted to a wall bracket upstairs, or it is one item in a garage you want emptied, that is the part we do.
Where Can I Drop Off Electronics Outside The City Of Los Angeles?
Each county we serve runs its own household hazardous waste and e-waste program. These are the official pages, checked in October 2026; days, hours and item rules change, so confirm before you drive.
| County | Program | What the program says |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County (outside the City) | Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection Program | Free collection events and permanent collection centers for items that can't go in the regular trash, electronics included. Solar panels are not accepted. |
| Riverside County | Permanent HHW facilities and one-day events | Free for county residents with proof of residency. Electronic waste, TVs and computers are on the accepted list. |
| San Bernardino County | County Fire Household Hazardous Waste Program | Fourteen permanent collection facilities, free for county residents and very small businesses. Check the program page for electronics drop-off at your nearest site. |
| Orange County | OC Waste & Recycling household hazardous waste centers | Check the county page for locations, hours and what each center accepts. |
| Anywhere in California | CalRecycle's eRecycle directory | Finds approved e-waste collectors near you under the state program. |
What Counts As E-Waste?
The state's covered-device list is about screens: CRT, LCD, LED, plasma and OLED televisions and monitors, plus laptops, tablets, smart displays and portable DVD players. LA Sanitation's e-waste list is broader for drop-off purposes and includes computers, cell phones, printers, cables and other electronic equipment.
Household batteries are their own category. LASAN asks residents never to put them in the trash or recycling bins, and offers battery buckets at Los Angeles Public Library branches as well as S.A.F.E. Center drop-off. Tape the terminals, bag them, and keep swollen or damaged batteries separate.
Should I Wipe My Data First?
Yes. LASAN's advice for computers, phones and tablets is to remove personal or sensitive information before recycling, and it warns that simply deleting files may not permanently erase data. Sign out of accounts, run the device's factory reset, and take out any SD card or SIM card. Do it before the pickup, not after.
Can S&M Trash Junkers Take My Old TV With The Rest Of The Junk?
Usually, and the way to find out is to tell us first. Electronics need an appropriate receiving facility, so when you text photos of the pile, say what the screen is (flat screen, old tube TV, monitor) and roughly how big. We confirm it can go with your recycling pickup or house cleanout instead of promising every device fits every load.
Where it makes sense: the TV is one of thirty things leaving a garage, it is mounted upstairs and nobody wants to carry it down, or you are outside the City of Los Angeles and the nearest drop-off is a long drive. Where the free route wins: one flat screen, a car, and a S.A.F.E. Center on the way to work. Text a photo and your city to (442) 414-3483 and we'll tell you which.
Sources
Official pages checked October 17, 2026. Programs, dates and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you rely on them.
- CalRecycle: Covered Electronic Waste (CEW) Recycling Program
- CalRecycle: Electronic Waste Management and the eRecycle directory
- LA Sanitation & Environment: Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup
- LA Sanitation & Environment: S.A.F.E. Centers and household hazardous waste
- LA Sanitation & Environment: recycLA bin rules (electronics never in trash or recycling)
- Los Angeles County: Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection Program
- Riverside County Waste Resources: Household Hazardous Waste
- San Bernardino County Fire: Household Hazardous Waste
- OC Waste & Recycling: Household Hazardous Waste