Prepare Your Items for Recycling
Prepare items for recycling with Green Century Recycling before drop-off or residential pickup. Follow our preparation guidelines for electronics, Universal Waste, EPS foam, plastic materials, and other accepted recyclable materials.
General Preparation Steps
Whether you’re bringing items to our Portland drop-off location or scheduling residential pickup, preparing your electronics in advance helps ensure a smooth recycling process.
Remove Personal Information
Sign out of your accounts, remove passwords when possible, and back up any important files before recycling your device.
Secure Data Protection
Data-bearing devices are securely sanitized following NIST 800-88 guidelines. If possible, factory reset your device before bringing it in.
Remove Batteries (When Possible)
Remove removable batteries if it is safe to do so. If a battery is swollen or damaged, please let our team know before drop-off or pickup.
Gather Accessories
Cables, chargers, keyboards, mice, and other accessories are generally accepted and can be recycled with your electronics.
Pack Items Safely
Place fragile electronics such as laptops or monitors in sturdy boxes or containers to help prevent damage during transport.
Separate Materials
Keep electronics, Universal Waste, EPS foam, plastics, and specialty materials separated before drop-off or pickup.
Prepare Items for Recycling by Material
Prepare items for recycling by following the material-specific guidelines below. Each material has different preparation requirements to help ensure safe handling and responsible recycling through Green Century Recycling
Prepare Electronics for Recycling
Electronics should be prepared before recycling to help protect your data and support safe handling.
- Sign out of accounts.
- Back up important files.
- Factory reset devices when possible.
- Remove personal belongings.
- Remove removable batteries when safe.
- Pack laptops, monitors, tablets, and other fragile devices securely.
- Gather cables, chargers, keyboards, and accessories.Â
Prepare Universal Waste for Recycling
Universal Waste requires special handling and may be subject to additional recycling fees.
- Keep lamps, batteries, and other Universal Waste separate from electronics.
- Sort items by material type when required.
- Avoid breaking lamps or bulbs.
- Keep damaged batteries isolated and inform Green Century Recycling before drop-off or pickup.
- Review applicable recycling fees before your visit.
- Follow any packaging or preparation instructions listed for the specific material.
Prepare EPS & Plastic Materials for Recycling
EPS foam and accepted plastic materials must be properly prepared before recycling.
Materials must be:
- Clean
- Dry
- Sorted by material type
- Free of food residue
- Free of excessive contamination
Before Residential Pickup
If you’ve scheduled a residential pickup, please:
Place items near an accessible entrance or on the ground floor.
Place items near an accessible entrance or on the ground floor.
Keep pathways clear for safe collection.
Group similar materials together.
Keep Universal Waste and specialty materials separate.
Make sure all items are ready before the scheduled pickup time.