TV & Electronics Disposal in Anderson, IN
Electronics disposal in Anderson runs on a state rule most people never hear about until a TV is sitting by the curb. Since January 1, 2011, Indiana's E-Cycle law has barred households, schools and small businesses from putting televisions, monitors, computers, printers and a long list of other devices in the trash. They have to go to recycling instead. The Madison County Recycling Center accepts them, with fees on some items, and a hauler can collect them from inside the house. Other items with their own disposal rules are covered on the appliance removal page.
About $20 - $200 per item for pickup; drop-off fees may apply at the county center · full pricing guide
Indiana's E-Cycle rules cover more than TVs and computers. According to IDEM, households, public and charter schools and small businesses may not discard televisions, computer monitors, desktops, laptops and tablets, e-readers, fax machines, keyboards, mice, external drives, printers and projectors, DVD players, gaming systems with DVD capability, digital photo frames, media players, cameras and camcorders, DVRs, cable and satellite boxes, and portable GPS units in the trash. The ban has applied since January 1, 2011.
In Madison County, the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's recycling center at 2031 Mounds Road accepts computer components, TVs, VCRs, radios, tablets, cameras and phones, and its guide notes that fees may apply. The center keeps limited hours, open a few weekdays and on two Saturdays a month, so the schedule is worth checking before a trip. The same center takes batteries, which are safer recycled than thrown out with the trash.
Old tube televisions and monitors are the hardest items in this group. They are heavy, awkward to carry and made with glass that contains lead, which is one reason recyclers treat them with care and fees for them tend to run higher than for flat screens. Large rear-projection sets and console TVs built into furniture can take two people and a dolly. Angi's 2026 guide puts electronics removal at $20 to $200 per item depending on size and type, with the top of that range usually meaning a big, heavy set.
Anything that stored personal information deserves a step before it leaves. Computers, laptops, tablets, phones and some printers and copiers keep data on internal drives or memory. Signing out of accounts, wiping the device with its reset function, or removing the hard drive and keeping or destroying it protects the owner. Recyclers can often provide drive destruction, and a small office clearing old equipment may want written confirmation of it.
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Electronics That Need a Recycling Route
These items commonly turn up in Anderson cleanouts, and none of them can go in the city cart:
- Old tube TVs and console sets in basements and spare rooms
- Flat-screen TVs that no longer turn on
- Desktop computers, monitors and laptops from a home office
- Printers, fax machines and scanners
- DVD players, cable boxes and older gaming systems
- Boxes of cords, keyboards and mice
Clearing a whole house of electronics and furniture? See estate and house cleanouts.
Why electronics are kept out of the trash
Electronics contain materials worth recovering and materials that should not end up in a landfill. Circuit boards hold copper, gold and other metals that recyclers extract. Tube televisions and older monitors contain leaded glass, and many devices contain batteries and other components that need controlled handling.
Indiana's E-Cycle law, in effect since 2011, keeps those devices in a recycling stream rather than the household trash. For a household, the practical effect is simple: a TV or computer does not go in the cart, and a hauler collecting one should be taking it to an electronics recycler.
Clearing a home office or a small business
A home office or small business that upgrades equipment tends to produce a pile at once: towers, monitors, printers, a copier, boxes of cables, old phones and drives. Sorting it before pickup speeds the job. Devices that stored data go in one group so drives can be wiped or removed.
Working equipment that is only a few years old may have resale or donation value. Everything else can go to a recycler in one trip. Small businesses in Indiana fall under the same E-Cycle disposal ban as households, so an office cleanout should not end up in a commercial dumpster.
Moving heavy sets without damage
A large tube TV or a console set is the heaviest thing in many living rooms. It should be unplugged well before the move, carried by two people with a firm grip on the frame rather than the screen, and moved on a dolly where possible. Stairs take extra care, since the weight sits toward the front of the set.
Rear-projection televisions are lighter than they look but tall and fragile. A crew that handles these regularly will bring straps and a dolly and plan the whole route to the truck before lifting.
Drop Off, Retailer Take-Back or a Hauler
Electronics in Anderson can reach recycling by three main routes:
County recycling center
The Madison County Recycling Center accepts TVs, computer components, phones and other electronics during its posted hours, with fees that may apply. It suits owners who can load and carry the items.
Retailer or manufacturer program
Some electronics retailers and manufacturers run take-back programs for certain devices. Terms vary widely by brand and item, so checking before a trip is worthwhile.
Hauling crew
The crew carries heavy sets and piles of equipment out of the house and delivers them to an electronics recycler, at roughly $20 to $200 per item.
TV & Electronics Disposal FAQs
Which devices does Indiana's E-Cycle law cover?
IDEM's list includes televisions, computer monitors, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, e-readers, fax machines, keyboards, mice, external drives, printers, projectors, DVD players, gaming systems with DVD capability, digital photo frames, media players, cameras, camcorders, DVRs, cable and satellite boxes, and portable GPS units. Since January 1, 2011, households, public and charter schools and small businesses may not put any of them in the trash.
Is there a fee to recycle a TV at the county recycling center?
There may be. The East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's guide lists TVs among the electronics accepted at the Madison County Recycling Center and notes that fees may apply to electronics. Fees and hours can change, so checking the district's current information before loading a TV avoids a surprise. Older tube sets are the items most likely to carry a charge.
How should a hard drive be handled before a computer is recycled?
The safest approach is to back up anything worth keeping, sign out of accounts, then either wipe the drive using the computer's reset or a disk-erasing tool, or remove the drive and keep or destroy it. Phones and tablets should be factory reset after signing out of cloud accounts. Many recyclers offer drive shredding, which suits businesses that want written confirmation.
Why are old tube TVs harder to get rid of?
Size, weight and materials. A tube television or CRT monitor is far heavier than a flat screen of similar size, and its glass contains lead, so recyclers handle it with extra care and often charge more to take it. Console sets built into wooden cabinets add bulk. Carrying one down stairs is a two-person job, which is why many owners have a hauler collect it rather than loading it themselves.
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