Dell's Takeback Program
Details about Dell's Takeback Program
| Who can get free computer recycling from Dell? | Anyone with a Dell product can recycle it for free. You can send up to five "systems." |
|---|---|
| How do you get free recycling from Dell? | Dell will take back any Dell product for free, even if you aren’t buying a new one. Dell has three options:
|
| How do I know if Dell will handle my e-waste responsibly? | Policy: Dell has a policy that says they will not export non-working equipment or parts from developed nations to developing nations. This is the strongest policy in the industry.
Proof: How can you tell if they are living up to this policy? The only way we can know whether a company's recycling vendors are actually adhering to a responsible policy is through certified audits and transparent reporting. The recyclers should be certified under an independent accredited program, using third party auditors, as adhering to high standards, such as the e-Stewards program. |
| Does Dell use recyclers who are e-Stewards?
Learn more about e-Stewards |
Dell does not publicly disclose its recycling vendors. Dell has not agreed to work only with vendors who are certified to the new e-Stewards standard, or to require their vendors to seek this certification. In fact, Dell has been a strong advocate of a much weaker standard (called R2), which allows exports.
While Dell's public policy is very strong, Dell lacks transparency - about who their recyclers are and how they are meeting the no export policy. |
| Mailback - How to send your stuff back to Dell | You will need to provide your own box and packing materials. You can get a prepaid Fedex label on Dell’s website. After you enter info about your product*, you can print the prepaid shipping label and then call Fedex to schedule a pickup. (Free pickup is included in free shipping.) You can also take it to a Fedex dropoff location.
If you are recycling a Dell printer, use this link to generate your shipping label.
Find instructions for how to pack your items, and for scheduling the shipper to pick your items up at your house.
*To order free takeback of Dell products, you will be asked to enter the weight and am identifying code from each Dell product you want to recycle – a service tag, serial number, PPID, or Express Service Code. (Dell labels its products with these codes.) |
Drop-off locations withStaples and Goodwill. |
Staples will take back Dell office products for free recycling. (They accept other companies' products for a fee of $10.) They accept computer monitors, desktop and laptop computers, printers, scanners, all–in–ones and fax machines, plus peripherals like keyboard, mice, speakers. They don't accept TVs. Go here to locate a Staples store.
Goodwill. Some Goodwills accept used electronics, as part of Dell's "Reconnect" program. This is not a national program - some Goodwills participate, but some do not. Go here to see if the Goodwill program near you participates. |
| Will Dell recycle non-Dell products? | Dell offers free recycling of non-Dell products if you are buying a new Dell system. Select the product recycling option at the time of purchase. |
| What does Dell take back? | Dell will take back all Dell-branded products. For customers returning other companies’ products using the mailback service, Dell takes back computers, keyboards, mice, monitors, printers. |
| Who can use Dell's free services | Anyone can use it. They have an asset recovery program for business customers. |
| What about business customers? | Businesses can also use Dell’s asset recovery system to sell old equipment. Details are on their asset recovery website. |
Read the small print (Details you need to know) |
From Dell's website, it's hard to find the info on Goodwill and Staples drop off programs. But many people prefer to drop off products rather than pack them for shipping. See above for links to these programs. |
| Link for more details | Dell's U.S. consumer recycling web page. Dell's business recycling (asset recovery) page. |
