What does Free Geek accept?

Free Geek accepts nearly everything that plugs in or uses electricity, including computers, smartphones, tablets, printers, TVs, Audio/video systems, related accessories, and much more. We are also a proud participant of the Oregon E-Cycles program, which guarantees convenient recycling of computers, monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards, and mice for Oregonians and many small businesses.

Learn how to best prepare your donation to Free Geek and what to expect when you arrive.

While we do take most electronics, there are some things we don’t accept.

What we don’t accept

• Plastic media such as floppy disks, VHS tapes, zip disks, rewritable CD/DVDs
• Styrofoam
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Non-rechargeable or leaking batteries (we do accept most rechargeable)
• Larger Li-ion batteries, such as those from e-bikes, or mobility devices
• Copiers lacking the ability to print from a computer or network
• Compressed air items such as CO2 cartridges, aerosol cans, etc.
• Liquids such as cleaners, solvents, inkjet refill kits, etc.
• Moldy, sticky or smelly items (volunteers will be handling your donation)
• Household appliances, including:
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Air conditioners
  • Smoke detectors
  • Microwave ovens
• Biohazards / medical equipment
  • Items infested with insects or vermin droppings
  • Blood testing supplies or equipment
  • Items potentially contaminated with saliva and other bodily fluids (toothbrush heads etc.)
• Furniture, including:
  • Wooden pianos and organs
  • Smartboards and whiteboards
  • TV stands
  • Desks

Is there a fee with donation?

We don’t require a fee for our recycling service, but we do invite donors to consider making an optional monetary donation to support our work toward bridging the digital divide in our community by providing free devices.

Do you have a U-Haul or large palletized drop-off to make?

Please give us a heads up at dropoffs@freegeek.org to verify when we have the staff and space on-hand to handle your donation efficiently.

Can I mail my tech to Free Geek?

 For hardware donations we offer the following options:

•  You can mail your donation to  
  • Free Geek Attn:Hardware Donation, 1731 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214.

How should you prepare your donation for us?

Packaging and extras

Please bring as little packaging as possible and recycle any additional equipment boxes through your curbside recycling program.

In order for Free Geek to focus its efforts on electronic reuse and recycling, we ask that you dispose of your paper manuals and software collections at home. Due to licensing restrictions, we are generally unable to reuse donated software; our security protocol requires us to route these disks through our intensive data security process, so these donations take valuable time away from activities that support our mission. In addition, because of their low reuse value, paper manuals are typically sorted into curbside bins.

You can help speed up the processing and recycling of your equipment by:

• Untangling all cords and cables and coiling them up with a rubber band or twist tie.
• Attaching power adapters to their associated equipment

Turn Off Activation Lock for Mobile Devices

If you would like your device to be reused it is critical to turn off the activation lock. Even if your device is damaged, it may be worth repairing as long as it is not locked. If you have an Apple (iOS) device, please follow these instructions to prepare it for reuse.

What is our data destruction process?

On top of our commitment to sustainable reuse of technology, we are fully dedicated to maintaining the security of your data. We take the utmost care to ensure complete data destruction on every single data-bearing device we receive.

Learn more about our data security process.