Quick and free, what is there not to love about that? Easy to pull through, in and out in minutes.

Mom's microwave started dying but the El Cerrito Recycling Center does not accept microwaves. After some searching online I found the E-Waste Collective which is a non-profit organization located in Berkeley. (I guess they must have changed their name plus they also have offices and/or location in Novato.) Their website says they do pickups in Berkeley but I called to make sure. I was given another phone number to call and spoke to Adam to schedule a day. Adam was super nice and got Mom's address. They also accepted a broken toaster oven. About 2 hours later I was talking to Mom's neighbor and he asked if he could add his old microwave for pickup. I called Adam back and he was very agreeable and said no problem. He gave me a time between 10-11 am. 2 guys in a van came by a couple of days later at 10:10 am. I went out and spoke to them. Super friendly people too. They try to repurpose parts so it's much better than the entire appliance going to landfill. Definitely would call them again if needed. read more

Didn't know what to do with my broken 50" flat screen tv. Found this place online. It was super easy, just drove through, they took the tv from my trunk, and I headed out. No need to call ahead and looks like they are there all day. Right off the highway. read more

A quick web search got me to the Yelp site for Bay Area electronic waste disposal, and this was the first or second place I clicked on. I called, confirmed the details, and a few hours later swung by. They took a broken old device off my hands for free in a quick drive by. read more

Fabulous! I wanted to dispose of two old computers I've had in my closet for years, but was hesitant because they still had their hard drives inside. Neither one could be powered on, so that presented an issue. I called CTRC and they told me that they could remove the hard drives for me and keep the chassis, which worked out great as I needed to free up room for storage. When I arrived at the location, I was greeted by a friendly young man who, in 5 minutes or less, removed both hard drives. My 5-star rate is for efficiency, expertise, and excellent customer service. I will definitely go back if I want the hard drives destroyed or need to recycle other electronics. read more

I'm moved to write this review, despite previous trips over the years that were also smooth and the people were also helpful and professional, was the way the person this time responded when I asked about recycling an, um, embarrassing personal appliance. I was mortified and had procrastinated for years figuring out how to get rid of it; the guy who took care of it was matter-of-fact and didn't blink an eye. So grateful! read more

Called another Ewaste place about dropping off a very small, 8lb, 28-inch TV that no longer worked. Guy on the phone said it would cost $35 and any TV larger than a 30-inches would be...$95 to recylce!!!! Talk about incentivizing people to throw their old e-waste on the streets. Took in the small TV to these guys and a friendly fella took it off my hands at no charge. Saved me $35. I won't go anywhere else. read more

These guys are a godsend. I'm moving and had a ton of saved up cables, old tech, computers, monitors, a gigantic CRT tv, etc. They picked it up free because I lived in Berkeley and I just left it out for them to come by, so it was really convenient. They called to thank me for the donation and were apologetic they couldn't take some speakers. They did me a HUGE service since I lack a car AND it's good for the environment. Great people, great cause. read more

I love a goody filled free pile just as much as the next gal, but what I can't stand is all the t.v.s, computer monitors, printers, and other unwanted computer crap that can be found on most street corners. These e-waste piles are especially irksome when you come across them after a good rain that surely rendered the components useless. Thankfully, there is a solution. Cue superhero music ACCRC will take most of your household electronics off your hands for FREE. Even better, if you live within the City of Berkeley, ACCRC will pick up your dead electronics for FREE. (There is a small fee if you need a pick up outside of Berkeley.) Computers and such are refurbished and donated to non profits, schools, etc. Unusable parts are recycled using methods that are environmetally friendly...as their website states "Nothing goes to China." If in February 2009 you decide to upgrade to a digital television instead of keeping your old analog tv and subscribing to cable (or satellite) or buying a converter box, this will be the place to take your now defunct analog television. read more

Computer & Technology Resource Center - Obsolescence is Just a Lack of Imagination - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great place to drop off unwanted, obsolete technology. Note, they do not accept medical equipment or toner cartridges.

Do something for your community while you're doing something for yourself. Not only will ACCRC take all that old electronic junk that you don't want, but they'll take it for free and do a lot of good with it. I met the guys from ACCRC at the Maker's Faire. They supplied old electronics to... well, everyone who needed old electronics. I worked at an area where kids could build their creations out of electronics and hardware. Yup, sure enough, the electronics for these masterpieces came from ACCRC. They even rummaged through their warehouse and pulled aside the type of thing the kids would like. Today I was on the other side of the equation. I had a couple old computers I didn't want. They worked... kinda, er... mostly. But I didn't need them, and I didn't want to throw them in a landfill. I remembered ACCRC! I brought the computers down there, and they took 'em. They'll dissect 'em and put 'em to good use. If you can't bring the stuff down, they'll come pick your stuff up for you. I believe it's even free inside Berkeley, but do the guys a favor and schlep the stuff down there yourself. Don't let their gruff exterior fool you. These guys take old electronics, refurbish them, and fix them up to give to schools, nonprofits, and underprivileged kids. Wow. What could be better than that? Well, there's more, you know who does all this? The staff trains a crew of ex-convicts about electronics and they build up these computers to develop a new trade and turn their lives around. That's pretty impressive. So even if a guy has a few tattoos and look a little gruff, if he does all that good, he's alright in my book. We're lucky here in Berkeley to have the ACCRC. read more

They recycle computer equipment. This place is a much-needed resource for recycling. I've dropped off monitors, printers, laptops. Random circuitboards. Whatever. Have I mentioned it's free? They are actually a nonprofit organization. If you are recycling an old computer, for an additional fee (I think $10) they'll erase all your data for you so you don't have to worry about anyone stealing your porn. read more

I had a broken desk-top printer that I didn't know what to do with, until I remembered this place. The recycling there is not totally free anymore, but it's really cheap (they charged me $3). There's a list of fees on their websites. This is a great place to take all of your old unwanted electronics, rather than throwing them in the trash where they invariably get shipped abroad and dumped. Great place! P.S. They also do free pick-up if you live in Berkeley. read more

Okay, this place was hard to find: they don't really have a recognizable office, just a metal trailer, and I accidentally went first to the Berkeley Shreds warehouse next door. But once I found the right driveway (east of Berkeley Shreds) it took just a second for someone to come out and acknowledge me. They accepted my stuff right away, except for the software. I was so proud of myself for having neatly filed away my computer's original software, but they said the machine would be reprogrammed if used, so they didn't need it. But they took everything else, including all the cords and peripherals, for free, and they were very gracious and thanked me for donating. I didn't ask for a donation tax slip, so I don't know if that would have been easy or not, but just dropping the stuff off was. I hope they can find a use for it! read more

Was easy to drive up and unload all my ewaste. They took small appliances too (heater, iron) and there was no charge.

Large microwave oven, two desk-top computers, one external hard drive, and box full of computer wires and cables..... Not worth selling but too good to throw away. CTRC came and picked them up with just one phone call. Love them! read more

As a contractor I have to recycle all kinds of waste and and dedicated to doing so. If you're in the Berkeley-Albany area the "ewaste collective" at the corner of 2nd and Page is a tremendous resource do taking all things that can be recycled from computer related components to micro-waves etc. They do us a great service in keeping these toxic items out of landfill. James Inman James Inman Construction read more

My vacuum cleaner dropped dead, and these are the guys who took the corpse off my hands. For free, and with a smile. Bring all your dead appliances here! read more

I went to ACCRC today to donate some old computers and various other electronic equipment. Included were working land-line telephones, VCR and DVD players (almost brand new). I was very disappointed to find out that they had change their policy and I had to pay to donate them for reuse ($3 for large items such as VCRs and $1 smaller items such as keyboards). I would not mind paying to recycle items which are considered trash but to pay to donate for reuse was annoying to say the least. I guess the working items will now have to go to Salvation Army or Goodwill but this one location was great to drop off everything electronic before. It does not make sense to go here anymore so I'll have to look for another option. Review would have less stars but I can't blame ACCRC completely since these are hard economic times. read more

They're green, they're mean, and they're a complete do-gooding machine. Sure, the guy in charge is an eccentric tattooed ex-drug addict. Yes, most of the people who work here are recovering substance abusers and rehab-grads. So not only is this place doing good to the environment by recycling electronics in a responsible manner, the facility also produces computers to donate to the poor of the world. They take anything you can plug in, and any form of media. All for free. Oh, but they don't take White Goods: that means no Refridgerators or washing machines. You get a tax write off too! Oh, and the Free Shelf has all sorts of cool free stuff to take home! read more

Bringing what used to be "computer" was easy. So glad they didn't become a part of landfill.

Not certain how it gets any easier to recycle computer and tech gadgets...load 'em up, drive 'em in and they unload.

They are friendly and unload everything for you. The part I really like is that they take almost anything that has an electric cord. For instance a broken iron and lamp. So much better than having it go in landfill. read more

It reminds one of 'War Games' because somewhere in their vast warehouse they have a WOPR. The guts of everything electronic and teeming with people that love to putter and rebuild. read more

These guys are awesome. They take e-waste and dont charge a penny. Any materials that can reused is generally donated to schools or other good causes. Its a win win :) read more

No longer free. Plus the 17 inch monitor that was new in the box was to be dismantled since they only reuse 15 inch monitors. And this is the best of Berkeley??? Even El Cerrito offers recycling for FREE. read more

They charge to drop-off various types of eWaste. "Nominal" fees are subjective, and don't help the community as fees are more expensive than throwing items into the trash for "free". ACCRC dropoff is NOT a good community service for eWaste. Goodwill, Cartridge World, BestBuy, and many others take eWaste, for free. read more

Just donated a car-load of old electronics (monitors, CPUs, printer, toaster, microwave) to ACCRC. They are located just off the Gilman St. exit in Berkeley, and they unloaded my car very quickly. It felt great to donate the electronics. read more

Was able to drop off a bunch of old electronics, including old hard drives and a vacuum. We paid just a small amount per hard drive to get them wiped too. We were in and out in about a minute. read more

Easy and efficient! They do charge for some items but the fees are very minimal (I paid $3 for dropping off a printer, $2 for a gaming console, and $5 for a vacuum - the rest of what I dropped off, which was a big box of electronic-related supplies, was free). They only take cash or check, so make sure you have one of those on you when bringing your stuff by. read more

They not only took an old monitor, but they take "anything that plugs in", like an old fan, crock pot and wires and cables. Just drive in, and they unload it from your vehicle - NO CHARGE. read more

The CTRC's pickup service is great. The driver, James, was exactly on time, he was friendly and efficient. We had a large amount of stuff to be picked up and it was less than 20 minutes start to finish. My roommate and I are both disabled, so the free pickup for Berkeley residents was a real blessing. read more

I really can't rave about this place enough. I feel like it improves my quality of life tremendously - knowing that I can "recycle" my random electronics and more here and know it won't be shipped to China or otherwise be make the world miserable. It's always fast, friendly and affordable. If these guys had to shut down, I would immediately donate to keep this place going. Every city needs an ACCRC! read more

Great Place, they took all my e-waste for FREE, it was easy and fast. And even I've got a tax deduction!!! I'd highly recommend the place!!!