California e-waste laws do two separate jobs. Hazardous waste rules keep most discarded electronics, all batteries and fluorescent lamps out of the trash, for homes and businesses alike. The Electronic Waste Recycling Act adds a state fee at checkout on screens and, since 2026, on many products with built-in batteries. That fee pays approved recyclers.
Below, we explain what each law asks of you and where to take old devices in San Diego County. It is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, check with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the County of San Diego or a lawyer.
Sources last checked 3 November 2026. You'll find the full list at the end.
California e-waste laws at a glance
Most confusion comes from mixing up the trash ban and the fee. In fact, they come from different laws and different agencies. So the table puts each one in a single line.
| Law or rule | Agency | What it does | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal waste rules (California Code of Regulations, Title 22, chapter 23) | DTSC | Keeps hazardous electronic devices, batteries, lamps and similar items out of the trash. Sets storage, label, training and record duties for businesses | Households and businesses |
| Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 (SB 20, changed by SB 50) | CalRecycle and CDTFA | Adds a recycling fee at purchase on covered screens and funds payments to approved collectors and recyclers | Buyers, retailers, collectors and recyclers |
| SB 1215 (2022) | CalRecycle and CDTFA | Extends the fee and the recycling payments to many products with batteries that are hard to remove | Buyers, retailers, makers and recyclers |
| SB 244, the Right to Repair Act | Bureau of Household Goods and Services | Requires makers to offer parts, tools and repair manuals for set periods | Makers, repair shops and owners |
| Civil Code section 1798.81 | State law | Requires businesses to make customer records unreadable when they dispose of them | Businesses |
| City of San Diego programs | City Environmental Services | Runs public drop-off options for electronics and household hazardous waste | San Diego residents |
Many websites say SB 20 bans electronics from the trash. But it doesn't. SB 20 is a fee and payment system. Instead, the trash ban comes from the hazardous and universal waste rules that DTSC enforces.
Can you throw electronics in the trash in California?
No, not most of them. Under the state rules, you can manage a discarded electronic device as universal waste if it is hazardous because of its toxic content (22 CCR 66273.3). A household is free of the business paperwork only if it does not dispose of that waste and sends it to a collector, recycler or household hazardous waste program instead (22 CCR 66273.8).
CalRecycle puts it more simply on its household hazardous waste page: "Do not throw electronic devices in the trash!" Its list names TVs, monitors, laptops, computers, printers, radios, microwave ovens, VCRs, cell phones, cordless phones and answering machines. All batteries and fluorescent lamps also stay out of the trash.
To be fair to the law, not every item with a plug is legally hazardous waste. But nobody can test a device at the kitchen table. So recycling all of them is the safe choice, and it is also the easy one. For an item-by-item answer, read is it illegal to throw away electronics in California.
What counts as e-waste under California law?
The regulations define an electronic device as one that is hazardous waste because of toxicity, or one that appears on the hazardous list. However, the definition leaves out two groups. Major appliances, such as fridges and washers, follow their own rules in the Public Resources Code. Devices made mostly of metal and recycled as scrap metal are also outside the definition (22 CCR 66273.9).
Electronic devices are one of eight universal waste categories in California (22 CCR 66273.1):
- Batteries, of every type
- Electronic devices
- Mercury-containing equipment
- Lamps, such as fluorescent tubes and bulbs
- Cathode ray tubes (CRTs), the picture tubes in old TVs and monitors
- CRT glass
- Aerosol cans
- Photovoltaic (PV) modules, better known as solar panels
For a household, though, CalRecycle's consumer list is the practical guide. It goes beyond computers and TVs to name microwaves, radios and phones.
California's electronic waste recycling act (SB 20 and SB 50)
The governor signed the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, known as SB 20, on 25 September 2003. Then SB 50 followed on 29 September 2004 and reworked parts of it. Together they sit in the Public Resources Code (sections 42460 to 42486) and the Health and Safety Code (sections 25214.9 to 25214.10.2), according to CalRecycle.
The Act charges a fee when you buy a covered device. That money then pays approved collectors and recyclers to take in and process the waste. CalRecycle runs the payment program and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) collects the fee.
The Act does not create the trash ban. Instead, it is a funding system that makes recycling pay for itself. If you keep that split in mind, the rest of California's rules make much more sense.
Covered electronic devices in California
A covered electronic device is a video display device with a screen greater than 4 inches, measured diagonally. CalRecycle's examples are CRT, LCD, plasma and OLED TVs, computer monitors, laptops, tablets and portable DVD players. These items carry the original fee, and the program pays approved recyclers to process them.
The state e-waste fee in brief
Retailers add the fee at the register when you buy a covered item. For video display devices it is a flat amount that depends on screen size, in three bands. For covered battery-embedded products, however, it is a percentage of the retail price, up to a cap. An emergency regulation approved on 24 September 2026 lowers that cap sharply from 1 January 2027.
Retailers register with CDTFA, collect the fee and pay it to the state. If a buyer did not pay the fee at purchase, they must register and pay it directly. CDTFA lists the current amounts on its electronic waste recycling fee page. Note that the fee is not a disposal fee. Paying it at checkout doesn't make it legal to trash the item later.
SB 1215 and products with built-in batteries
SB 1215 (Statutes of 2022, chapter 370) brought covered battery-embedded products into the program. CalRecycle defines one as a product whose design doesn't let the user easily remove the battery with common household tools. The program leaves out some items, including certain medical devices, video display devices already covered, certain energy storage systems, and e-cigarettes and vapes.
The fee on these products began on 1 January 2026. Approved recyclers could claim payments from 1 April 2026 for this waste collected on or after 1 January 2026. After that, more steps follow. Labels showing the brand and battery chemistry start in 2026, makers report by 1 July 2027 and payment rates can change from 1 July 2028.
Loose batteries, however, are a separate topic. Our guide to battery disposal rules in California covers each battery type.
Universal waste rules in California e-waste law
Universal waste is a set of common hazardous wastes, such as batteries, lamps and electronic devices, that have their own handling rules in Title 22, chapter 23. These are the California e-waste regulations a business deals with day to day. The rules call a business holding universal waste a universal waste handler.
- Don't dispose of it, dilute it or treat it (66273.31).
- Store it no longer than one year from the date it became waste, and be able to show how long you've had it (66273.35).
- Label each item, or the container holding it, with set wording such as "Universal Waste--Electronic Device(s)" (66273.34).
- Train staff who manage or supervise it, at the start and every year (66273.36).
- Keep a record of each shipment for three years (66273.39).
Each duty has detail that matters, such as who counts as trained staff. Our guide to universal waste rules for California businesses walks through them with the exact label wording.
What California e-waste laws ask of households
Households have the lightest load under California e-waste laws. For example, you don't need labels, training or records. The one condition is that you keep the waste out of the trash and hand it to someone who can manage it.
- Keep electronics, batteries and fluorescent lamps out of the trash.
- Take them to a collector, a recycler or a household hazardous waste program.
- Back up anything you want to keep and sign out of your accounts before you hand over a phone or computer.
- Keep loose batteries apart from other items. Damaged, swollen or leaking batteries need special handling, so book a drop-off at the City of San Diego Miramar Recycling Center through the City website.
TVs, laptops, cables and most small gadgets are free to drop off at our sites. However, a small fee applies to a few items, which the item pages list. Our page on electronics recycling for San Diego homes lists what we take.
California e-waste laws for businesses
Under California e-waste laws, businesses face the same trash ban as households, plus handler duties. The table below sums up the main ones. Check each against the regulation before you rely on it.
| Duty | What the rule says | Applies to you if |
|---|---|---|
| No trash or dumpster | You may not dispose of, dilute or treat universal waste | You have any universal waste (66273.31, 66273.8) |
| One-year limit | Store it no longer than one year from the date it became waste | You hold universal waste (66273.35) |
| Labels | Each item, container or pallet carries the set wording | You hold universal waste (66273.34) |
| Training | Initial and yearly training, with dated records | Staff manage or supervise it. The rule excludes staff who only drop items in the bin (66273.36) |
| Shipment records | Name and address, quantity of each type and date, kept for three years | You send or receive shipments (66273.39) |
| Notify DTSC | Notify 30 days before you start | You accept electronic devices, CRTs or CRT glass from other sites (66273.32) |
| Annual report | Due by 1 February | You accept over 100 kg from other sites, or generate 5,000 kg or more, in a calendar year (66273.32) |
Are very small generators exempt?
Very small quantity universal waste generators are exempt from the handler duties, on the same condition as households. In other words, they must not dispose of the waste, and must send it to a handler, transporter, destination facility or curbside program. The definition counts other hazardous waste too (no more than 100 kg a month, and 1 kg of acutely hazardous waste). So don't assume you qualify. Check with DTSC or the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health.
For business electronics recycling in San Diego, we pick up free when you have 5 or more computers, laptops, monitors, servers, printers or TVs. Then, to turn these duties into steps, use our business compliance checklist.
Data on old devices and Civil Code 1798.81
California Civil Code section 1798.81 requires a business to take all reasonable steps to dispose of customer records that contain personal information. It also names three ways to do that: shredding, erasing, or otherwise making the information unreadable or undecipherable.
The law talks about records, not devices. But if customer records live on a laptop, server or copier, plan how you will destroy that data before the machine leaves your office. At Dream E-Waste, we wipe and data-destroy every data-bearing device we receive by default.
Does California's right to repair law change disposal?
No. SB 244, the Right to Repair Act, took effect on 1 July 2024. It covers products made and sold or used in California on or after 1 July 2021, above a set wholesale price. Makers must offer parts, tools and repair documentation for three years on lower-priced products and seven years on higher-priced ones, according to a state industry advisory. The Act also excludes alarm systems, video game consoles, fire protection systems and agricultural or industrial equipment.
The Act changes your repair options, not the disposal rules. For example, a repair can keep a laptop working for years. When it finally stops, the trash ban still applies.
Where San Diego residents and businesses can take e-waste
The City of San Diego says its Miramar Recycling Center accepts most electronic devices. Before you go, call 858-268-8971 to check items and fees. The City's household hazardous waste facility also takes household batteries, fluorescent bulbs and mercury devices by appointment. Businesses can call the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health at (858) 505-6700, and City Environmental Services is at 858-694-7000.
Dream E-Waste runs six locations across the county. Our three recycling centers are in Point Loma, Chula Vista and San Marcos. In contrast, our three drop-off locations in Miramar, Kearny Mesa and Oceanside take electronics only. You don't need an appointment at any of them.
We don't accept damaged, swollen or leaking batteries on their own. But batteries still inside a device are fine. For damaged ones, use the City's Miramar Recycling Center, by appointment through the City website.
How do you check that a recycler has state approval?
CalRecycle approves collectors and recyclers in the covered electronic waste program and gives each one an ID number, called a CEWID. Ours is 127772. Ask any recycler for theirs and check it with CalRecycle before you hand over equipment. Our Point Loma and Chula Vista facilities are also R2v3 certified.
What to do next
California e-waste laws look complicated on paper, but the household side comes down to one habit: keep electronics out of the trash. If you're clearing out a home, bring your electronics to any of our six locations. If you're retiring office equipment, book a free pickup through our business electronics recycling service once you have 5 or more computing devices. Either way, we wipe and destroy the data on every device by default.
Frequently asked questions
Is the California e-waste fee a disposal fee?
No. You pay the fee when you buy a covered screen or battery-embedded product, and it funds payments to approved collectors and recyclers. It doesn't cover disposal in the trash, and it doesn't make trashing the item legal. You still need to take the device to a collector, recycler or household hazardous waste program when you no longer need it.
Do California e-waste laws apply to a home business?
They can. Treat e-waste from your business activity as business waste, even if you work from home. The trash ban applies either way. Your handler duties, if any, depend on how much hazardous waste you generate. So check your status with DTSC or the County of San Diego rather than assuming you're exempt.
Do California e-waste laws cover batteries?
Yes. All batteries are universal waste in California, and CalRecycle says none of them, single-use or rechargeable, can go in the trash. Instead, they need a collector or recycler. Batteries built into a device can go in with the device. Loose damaged, swollen or leaking batteries need special handling, so take those to the City of San Diego Miramar Recycling Center by appointment.
Can I leave a TV on the curb in San Diego?
It's better not to. A TV is e-waste, and CalRecycle tells consumers not to put electronic devices in the trash. If you leave a set on the curb, it can end up in a garbage truck. Bring it to one of our six locations instead, or use the City's Miramar Recycling Center. Call the City first to check items and fees.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
The cap on the fee for covered battery-embedded products drops sharply. CalRecycle amended the regulation by emergency rulemaking, approved on 24 September 2026, and it takes effect on 1 January 2027. However, the fee on video display devices is not part of this change. CDTFA publishes the current amounts on its electronic waste recycling fee page.
