Old laptops, monitors, printers, projectors, cables, and other electronics can accumulate quickly across a college or university. Device refresh cycles, computer lab upgrades, employee departures, and technology replacements can leave procurement and IT teams with a steady stream of equipment that needs responsible disposal.
So, does Staples accept e-waste? Yes. Staples accepts a broad range of electronics for recycling and also offers business recycling options that are better suited to academic institutions managing larger volumes. The right approach depends on what is being recycled, how much equipment an institution has, and its requirements for data security and documentation.
Staples stores accept many common electronics, including computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard drives, routers, modems, scanners, digital projectors, keyboards, mice, cables, and other accessories. Rechargeable batteries can also be recycled through Staples.
However, Staples retail locations charge handling fees for certain items, including desktop printers, multifunction devices, and monitors, in most locations (unless prohibited by local or state recycling laws). Retail drop-off also excludes rackmount or standalone servers, televisions, large audio equipment, appliances, and smoke detectors.
Because individual retail stores are not equipped for enterprise hardware, institutional IT teams managing server room teardowns or bulk device rollouts should route these items through Staples Advantage commercial recycling services instead.
Standard store recycling is also limited to seven items per customer per day, although individual store managers may accept larger quantities on a case-by-case basis. For a department retiring two laptops and a handful of peripherals, that may be sufficient. A university replacing hundreds of devices requires a different strategy.
Staples Business offers electronics recycling through mail-back programs and dedicated pickups in partnership with its national recycling provider. Pickup options are also available in many locations as part of its Staples Advantage commercial recycling services.
For academic institutions, recycling a computer is not simply a waste-management decision. It can also be a data-security and asset-management issue. Its retail recycling program does not provide asset tracking, certificates of destruction, or certificates of erasure.
Staples offers commercial electronics recycling kits through ERI that include secure data destruction and either standard or serialized recycling certification.
A repeatable process can make electronics disposal easier to manage while helping procurement, IT, facilities, and sustainability teams clarify their respective responsibilities. Institutions can start by inventorying equipment scheduled for retirement and determining whether each device should be reused, redeployed, traded in, or recycled. IT teams can then apply required data-erasure or destruction procedures before equipment leaves institutional control.
Academic institutions should have clear policies about e-ware and verify that the recycling program accepts each equipment type and determine whether retail drop-off, mail-back recycling, or a dedicated pickup makes the most sense.
Maintaining internal records are required by institutional policies, so any recycling program must align with institutional record-keeping policies.
Recycling can help meet net-zero commitments to align with the more than 17,000 colleges and universities that have committed to Net-Zero by 2050. However, end-of-life electronics management is one component of sustainable procurement. Product selection, packaging, and delivery can also affect an institution’s environmental footprint.
The E&I cooperative contract with Staples includes several sustainability-related differentiators. For example, under the E&I contract, Staples:
Together, these capabilities give procurement teams opportunities to consider sustainability throughout the purchasing lifecycle, from selecting environmentally preferable products to reducing packaging and responsibly managing equipment at end of life.
So, does Staples accept e-waste? Yes, and it offers procurement teams multiple options for recycling and helping to meet sustainability goals.
Through the E&I Staples competitively solicited contract, academic institutions can leverage the combined purchasing power of more than 6,500 members to achieve significant volume discounts. Cooperative members also benefit from exclusive financial incentives and rebates from Staples as well as potential patronage refunds based on annual spending.
Explore E&I’s competitively solicited cooperative contract with Staples Business.