How to Off

Shopping for new office essentials to refresh your workspace is fun. What's less exciting is figuring out what to do with all the old office chairs, electronics, and more that you’re replacing. You may find yourself with a room full of ancient printers, fax machines, and landline phones—all rendered obsolete with the process of paperless filing and digitizing. But being intentional about what happens to outdated and worn home-office equipment ensures the right gear finds a second home and limits the amount of bulky and hazardous items mistakenly sent to the city dump.

Here's how to donate, recycle, and trash those unwanted office supplies.

Off-loading your old office equipment takes anywhere from a weekend to several days, depending on where it's going. For example, if you already know you want to recycle everything, a quick trip to a recycling center is all the time you need. But if you prefer to be intentional about rehoming classic office equipment to various sources, be prepared to invest time in making those arrangements.

First, divide everything into piles. Break out some Post-it notes, moving boxes, and pens, and divide everything into piles labeled Donate (you can specify which organizations), Recycle, and Trash.

Smaller items such as printers and keyboards that are going to the same place can be stored in labeled moving boxes. Larger items such as filing cabinets should have a Post-it note or tape on it to designate where it's going.

Everything that you donate should be sanitized and in usable condition. A rag, soap, and water should do the trick for removing grime. Wirecutter also offers step-by-step cleaning instructions for your old keyboard and mouse, laptop, office chair, and more.

Responsibly disposing of old office equipment, especially electronics (aka e-waste), requires more work than walking to a trash bin. Some electronics contain hazardous materials—such as cadmium, lead, or mercury—that can contaminate soil and groundwater. Printers can also take thousands of years to decompose, and they have the potential to catch on fire when improperly dumped. Here are your options if you want to dispose of your unwanted office equipment the right way:

Many municipalities accept bulky items that can't fit into a trash bin. Contact your local sanitation department to find out if you can place large items like filing cabinets on the curb the night before or if you need to drop them off at a collection site.

You need to make special arrangements for e-waste disposal. A quick internet search with "[city] e-waste disposal" should bring up relevant information in your town. For example, New York City offers SAFE Disposal Events (Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, and Electronics) throughout the year and also lists permanent drop-off locations across the city.

Though sanitation departments often limit e-waste disposal events to certain times of year, retailer recycling programs offer more flexibility on where and when you can dispose of used electronics—usually for free.

Best Buy accepts up to three e-waste items per household each day as part of its recycling program. Staples takes up to seven items per customer per day. Epson lets you mail in up to 10 Epson items sans fee. And HP will recycle an old desktop printer when you buy a new one from them. You can also find recycling options with MRM, a trade organization dedicated to running recycling compliance programs.

Though you can dispose of any old piece of gear at the city dump or an e-recycling center, it's important to donate only used office equipment that still works.

Through Dell's Reconnect program, you can donate an old laser printer to Goodwill. The Salvation Army accepts office electronics via both its pick-up service and drop-off locations nationwide. And eBay allows private sellers to donate a portion of their sale proceeds—10% or more—to their preferred charity.

Several manufacturers offer buy-back programs for their branded items, but guidelines often vary by state. For example, both Brother and Canon provide a list of state laws regarding how to handle e-waste and electronics rebates.

As I’ve written in our guide to clothing recycling, the Buy Nothing Project operates like a gift economy: Folks post stuff from the deep recesses of their closets—or home offices—for free in hopes that their neighbors will not only take the items off their hands but also breathe new life into them.

To join, download the Buy Nothing Project app (Android or iOS), or search "buy nothing [location]" on Facebook and filter the results by your neighborhood. Participants agree to join only one private group to avoid spamming those in larger cities with the same items. Once you’re in a group, you can give away old desks, filing cabinets, and more. Always post clear images, and include all the relevant information someone might need when they’re deciding whether they want to take old office equipment off your hands.

Sometimes you want to know your old gear is truly serving your community. Technical schools, after-school STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programs, and even theater programs may take your old office gadgets.

Donations of old electronics to technical programs help teach children how to code and build components. Office chairs, knick-knacks, and landline phones can be used as props in high school theater departments.

This article was edited by Brittney Ho, Amy Koplin, and Sofia Sokolove.

Kaitlyn Wells

Kaitlyn Wells is a senior staff writer who advocates for greater work flexibility by showing you how to work smarter remotely without losing yourself. Previously, she covered pets and style for Wirecutter. She's never met a pet she didn't like, although she can't say the same thing about productivity apps. Her first picture book, A Family Looks Like Love, follows a pup who learns that love, rather than how you look, is what makes a family.

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