FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the address for the e-waste drop off location?
1. The entrance to our drive-in drop-off location is found at 1 Keystone Ave, Mount Roskill, Auckland.
2. You can drive in and park at the back of the building in the designated parking area.
3. Alternatively you can park on Keystone Avenue or even Dominion Road.
4. Be sure to have called us on 022 411 8339 in-advance to have confirmed your drop-off time.
5. Our staff will come to your vehicle/parking area to assess and collect your e-waste.
What hours are you open for me to drop off my electronic waste?
1. We are available from 9.00AM - 9.00pm Weekdays (Mon - Fri)
2. We can be available outside of these hours for special arranged drop offs if it makes it easier for you
3. Weekends are possible, again by special, one-off arrangement.
What is the process for dropping off my e-waste/spare computers/electronics?
1. In-advance of your collection time, call 022 411 8339 and confirm your drop-off time (typically same day with minimal notice is fine).
2. Arrive on-time, enter via the entrance at 1 Keystone Ave, Mount Roskill, Auckland
3. Drive up the entrance way towards the back of the building
4. Arrive at the designated parking area, park your vehicle.
5. If our staff are not already in the parking area, they will be shortly or you can call or TXT 022 411 8339 upon arrival.
6. We will assist you to take your e-waste from your vehicle, including heavy items, and will assess it to ensure it is a item we can take.
7. Generally speaking we can accept anything related to electronics, computers, phones but cannot accept stand-alone batteries or appliances or household electronics currently.
8. If any concerns re: what you're dropping off, please let us know when you confirm the drop-off time on the phone call.
9. If everything is ok, we take the spare computers/devices off your hands and you can rest assured you've done a bit of good for the world.
What items can you accept?
1. Any electronics related to computers, phones, laptops, routers. modems, smart phones, servers, components, accessories, monitors, UPS, cables, plugs.
What items can you not accept?
1. Broken or damaged batteries, appliances, car electronics or parts.
Can you accept batteries (by themselves)
1. Currently (as of August 2026) we cannot accept standalone batteries however if they are part of a bulk/unsorted/boxed drop-off then we can make typically make an exception.
Can you accept laptops and phones with batteries inside?
1. Yes we certainly can.
Can you accept laptops and phones with broken batteries inside?
1. No. We currently cannot accept devices with batteries that are broken or appear/suspected to be damaged.
How do you recycle the e-waste we leave with you?
1. The best way unused computers and phones can be recycled is to find a new home for them. That requires first assessing their condition and testing them to ensure they're working (or, how well they're working). Ideally, we will be able to fix all the devices that come to us, and we work really hard to do that and build-up our knowledgebase on device, software and hardware repair while doing so. So where we can, we will find a good home for the device, and not charge the recipient anything to receive the device. Where this is not possible, the device can be further categorised, assessed and potentially transported to an appropriate downstream partner for alternative distribution or other ethical, sustainable processing.
Can you accept completely broken devices?
1. Yes. Broken devices are fine with us. We would rather attempt repair using our spare parts and knowledge than see them unnecessarily discarded.
2. Note that we currently cannot accept broken or damaged batteries or devices containing or suspected to contain damaged batteries. If unsure, call us in-advance.
Can you accept computer monitors and computer screens?
1. Yes we can accept computer monitors and computer screens individually and (ideally) as a part of a complete computer, desktop or laptop system.
Can you accept modern television screens?
1. Yes we can accept modern television screens individually or in combination with other items.
Can you accept old television and CRT monitors?
1. As an individual item, no, we cannot accept old television and CRT monitors as we do not have the ability to process these efficiently at this time.
2. However, if you have an old desktop/computer with a CRT monitor we will take the entire lot with you and ensure it is processed appropriately with a downstream partner.
Can you come to my home and collect the e-waste directly?
1. If you need to dispose of an old laptop, desktop or some other electronic waste and don't have transport then call 022 411 8339 and we can find a way to get your e-waste disposed of for free/without additional transport cost.
My e-waste is heavy (bulk items) and it will be troublesome to bring to you, can you help?
1. Yes, if you have heavy or troublesome to move computers or other e-waste then we can come to your home or office by appointment and collect it for you.
2. It may potentially be that this is an after-hours or before-hours collection depending on the size and nature of the e-waste we're receiving.
I don't have transport to bring me to your drop off address, can you collect from my home?
1. Yes, please call 022 411 8339 and we'll arrange a way to get that taken care of for you.
Do you accept large boxes or bulk unsorted electronics or random parts?
1. Yes, you don't have to itemize each thing before dropping it off to us. Leave that to us. Simply bring us the e-waste or we can come and collect it from you if needed.
2. Call on 022 411 8339 if any concerns regarding bulk items or large boxes of smartphones/tablet devices etc.
Do you accept old office phone systems?
1. Yes we accept old phone systems individually or bulk boxed collections of obsolete phone/networking systems.
Can small businesses dispose of their e-waste with you?
1. Yes we can accept unused computers, smart phones and other electronic devices/cabling/old equipment you need disposed of.
2. Generally speaking there is no cost for this service at all, especially if you are dropping it off at our location with a pre-confirmed appointment time.
3. Please note that we place hard-drives and other storage devices into a secured cabinet before performing a forensic secure wipe on the device.
Do you accept broken, burned or damaged batteries?
1. No, currently we are unable to accept these or devices containing or suspected to contain such batteries.
2. Please contact alternative reputable recycling operators such as Abilities Group on the North Shore, Auckland to arrange a drop-off of these potentially hazardous items.
Do you accept broken tools, electronic tools, batteries and radios?
1. No, currently we are not able to accept electric trades tools, portable radios, batteries and electric appliances.
What are the local suburbs you can collect my e-waste from?
1. Currently we're able to support local door-to-door collection of e-waste from the following suburbs:
  1. Mount Roskill
  2. Mount Albert
  3. Mount Eden
  4. Three Kings
  5. Onehunga
  6. Balmoral
  7. Sandringham
  8. St Lukes
  9. Nearby? Call and ask - 022 411 8339.
2. But we please ask that you make the effort to come to our local drop-off location (9am-9pm week-days) at 1 Keystone Ave, Mount Roskill, Auckland and that we only come to your home/small business/door-to-door for larger collections or when there is issues with transport/mobility or the weight of the computer/electronics being disposed of.
Can you do regular collections of e-waste from my small business?
1. Get in touch with us in-advance and we'll visit you, understand your needs, and potentially be able to offer on-going collection.
Do you accept very heavy loads of e-waste or bulk boxes?
1. Yes we can accept very heavy loads of laptops, tablets or other devices. We can accept liquidation stock of electronics or business disposals.
2. Please call in advance to arrange a specific appointment for drop-off/collection and assessment - call 022 411 8339 or email info@ethicalewaste.org
Is this service entirely free of charge?
1. Yes this is a free service where you can come (by arranged time) and drop-off your used computers, phones and other e-waste that is cluttering your home.
Is this service free for businesses?
1. Yes because e-waste is accumulating for both households and businesses in Central Auckland. We can take care of it. There is no cost for this service.
2. Potentially we can offer you free or no-cost on-going support depending on your e-waste needs.
3. Please note that this is not a full ITAD/professional corporate disposal service. We are appropriate for sole traders, small businesses and organisations.
4. Please note that we place hard-drives and other storage devices into a secured cabinet before performing a forensic secure wipe on the device.
Is this service free for charities?
1. Yes and we always enjoy learning about your work too so please let us know if you're coming from a charity so we can understand your needs better.
2. Potentially we can offer you free or no-cost on-going support depending on your e-waste needs.
3. Please note that we place hard-drives and other storage devices into a secured cabinet before performing a forensic secure wipe on the device.
Can I drop my items outside of 9.00AM - 9.00PM weekdays?
1. We can allow for after-hours drop-off (or we collect from you) by special appointment but there may be a small fee for this (we'll try not to charge you anything!).
If I leave a hard drive, USB or storage device with you, is it wiped before re-use?
1. We place hard-drives and other storage devices into a secured cabinet before performing a forensic secure wipe on the device.
What is upcycling?
1. Upcycling is the assessment, testing, repair and/or restoration through use of second-hand parts and or labour to bring a device back to working condition in-order to find an alternative use for it (for example, in the hands of a less fortunate family or student).
What is the most important thing to know about sustainable recycling?
1. Sustainable recycling is a developing field, there are lots of parts that are very interesting and things are changing.
In the future do you hope to be able to accept car electronics and parts?
1. Yes and if you happen to be sitting on a large, unsorted, difficult to move pile/box of car electronics or catalytic converters then get in touch.
Are you able to perform testing to see if my laptop will still work before I decide to recycle it with you?
1. Assessing and testing disposed off devices takes time and in-order to do that efficiently it is performed at another location where we have a dedicated setup for this so unfortunately we're not able to perform any testing or diagnostics before you decide to hand over your used laptop, computer or device. It is important that you only bring us items that you're sure you wish to dispose of. If you can reuse the item yourself, that is always best, but you can hand it over to us and rest assured that we have the facilities and partnerships to ensure that if it can be put to good use - it will!