Green Citizen
1831 Bayshore Highway, Suite 2, Burlingame, California, United States

Why GreenCitizen?

GreenCitizen was created to make sure electronic waste is not shipped overseas or dumped in landfills. Several electronic recycling companies only recycle high value electronics, reselling them for a profit, before shipping the remaining low-value items overseas, where they are dumped in landfills and affect the environment and human health.
At GreenCitizen, we accept anything that plugs in or runs on battery, regardless of it’s potential value. We fix up and donate or resell any item that is reusable. 31% of the items we collect are fixed up and reused. We recycle the other 69% of items in partnership with R-2 and E-steward certified recyclers within 150 miles of San Francisco. GreenCitizen does not ship items overseas, and items we collect do not end up in landfills. We recycle these items at a loss, but it is this economic sacrifice that allows us to divert thousands of pounds of electronics from entering landfills every day. This environmental commitment has earned us the distinction of a For-Benefit Corporation.
At GreenCitizen, we take transparency and accountability very seriously putting our company’s reputation on the line to ensure they are either reused or broken down for their raw materials locally and responsibly. By recycling locally, GreenCitizen reduces the amount of pollution associated with transporting electronics for recycling. And by working with only E-Steward or R2 certified electronics recycling partners, we know that the materials we collect will be reused in the creation of new products, increasing the supply of raw materials and reducing our reliance on mining for new materials.
You can drop your items off at any of our locations, or we can collect your electronics directly from your office. So, to summarize, our services are convenient, accountable and environmentally beneficial. Why GreenCitizen? Really, the question should be, why recycle anywhere else?

Our Mission is Computer and Electronics Recycling
If you have computers or electronics in need of recycling, we have both businesses pickup services and a drop off facility in Burlingame. Our computer recycling service provides the most convenient and accountable ways for individuals and businesses to reuse and recycle electronics. We are the only electronics recycling company developing a network of Community EcoCenters to bring convenient and accountable electronics recycling to consumers and businesses.
GreenCitizen recycles all electronic items under stringent environmental and health regulations. This process ensures that all heavy metals and toxins in the electronic items are reclaimed, reused, or properly disposed, rather than being sent overseas or to landfills. Our unwavering commitment to the environment has earned us the distinction of being the first recognized For-Benefit Company (B-Corporation) in the industry.

Electronics Recycling & Computer Recycling

Our low cost recycling is subsidized by our extensive reuse program. By recycling late model IT equipment and electronic items like monitors, TVs, laptops, desktops, servers, and smart phones, you are enabling us to keep electronics recycling affordable for businesses and the community. We work with over 20,000 businesses that stretch from San Jose all the way up to Marin County and help them recycle their electronics responsibly.GreenCitizen can take any working or non-working electronic items that plugs into the wall or runs on batteries. Examples of items we accept include computers, TVs, printers, appliances, keyboards, cables, CDs, ink cartridges, and more.

Electronics Recycling Drop Off

Bring all your electronics to GreenCitizen, and we’ll make sure they get recycled responsibly and locally. We can take almost anything that plugs into the wall or runs on batteries at our Burlingame EcoCenter. By recycling reusable electronics items like computers, monitors, TVs, and smart phones, you are enabling us to open more Electronics Recycling EcoCenters.

Pick-Ups

Our low cost recycling is subsidized by our extensive reuse program. By recycling late model IT equipment and electronic items like monitors, TVs, laptops, desktops, servers, and smart phones, you are enabling us to keep electronics recycling affordable for businesses and the community. We work with over 20,000 businesses that stretch from San Jose all the way up to Marin County and help them recycle their electronics responsibly.
GreenCitizen can take any working or non-working electronic items that plugs into the wall or runs on batteries. Examples of items we accept include computers, TVs, printers, appliances, keyboards, cables, CDs, ink cartridges, and more.

Data Security

GreenCitizen offers a hard disk destruction service at our Eco-Centers and through business pickups. Each hard drive is tracked down to the serial and model number, and then crushed in our hard disk destroyer. Once all hard drives have been destroyed, we will send you a certificate of destruction listing each individual drive with serial and model number.In addition to hard drives, GreenCitizen offers a destruction service for Cell phones and PDAs
It is $20 per hard drive/device for customers dropping off at an Eco-Center.

On Site Hard Disk Destruction
GreenCitizen also offers an on-site hard disk destruction service for businesses and will bring the portable hard disk destroyer to your facility/office. In interest of full accountability, your staff can watch the hard disk destroyer crush the hard drives. After the hard drives are destroyed GreenCitizen will send a certificate of destruction.

Document Shredding Service

Walk-in Document Shredding
Customers can bring their documents to our Burlingame EcoCenter. We charge $10 per Banker Box (10”x12”x15”). We have contracted with Shred-It, a shredding company that provides locked bins at our EcoCenter. All you need to do is put your documents in the secure bin, which Shred-It picks up every week and shreds at their facility.
Your documents are cross-cut shredded with a level 4 enhanced security cut. The paper shred size is 2x15mm.
Business Document Shredding
GreenCitizen offers document shredding to our business pick-up customers. The documents will be transported to our HQ in Burlingame, where they will be placed in secure Shred-It bins. Once your documents have been picked up and shredded, we will issue a Certificate of Shredding for your records.

Why Data Security

Your data security is important. Discarded or donated computers, copiers and media disks are a principle source of information for identity thieves. These items should not be viewed as trash but rather as archives of confidential data.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that 11.7 million people were victims of identity theft between 2006 and 2008. Proper data security is a crucial element in preventing identity theft.If old electronics are shipped overseas, or not securely recycled in the U.S., identity thieves can buy and fish though hundreds of hard drives and media disks at a time and pull social security numbers, bank account details, birth certificates, online passwords, passport photos and addresses to create new identities, credit cards, take out loans, and empty bank accounts.Deleting data from a hard drive does not remove it completely. Data is only gone once the hard disk has been written over at least 7 times with Department of Defense compliant data erasing software or physically destroyed.Using GreenCitizen’s data security services guarantees that your personal information is irreversibly destroyed. Please email pickup@greencitizen.com for more details.

Why is Hard Disk Destruction Necessary?

Discarded or donated computers, copiers, and media disks are a principal source of information for identity thieves. These items should not be viewed as trash but rather as archives of confidential data.The majority of US recycling companies ship electronic waste or “e-waste” overseas. Identity thieves are able to buy and sift through hundreds of hard drives and media disks at a time and pull social security numbers, bank account details, birth certificates, online passwords, passport photos, and addresses to create new identities, credit cards, take out loans, and empty bank accounts.

Product and Prototype Destruction

Protecting intellectual property is crucial for manufacturing companies. That’s why Greencitizen offers a certified shredding service for our customers that need to decommission sensitive IT equipment, products, or prototypes. We make sure your items are securely destroyed and guarantee that they won’t be reused in any way. Our trained staff will come directly to our office and pick up all the items for destruction and transport them to our headquarters in Burlingame. After the items have been shredded, we will issue a certificate of destruction for your records.

There are a wide variety of reasons why companies decide to shred IT equipment and prototypes. Greencitizen has securely destroyed items for various manufacturing, technology and hardware companies and government institutions for legal or tax reasons. Companies have a plethora of reasons for using a certified shredding service and it is crucial to select a company that adheres to the most stringent security and environmental practices. With us you are guaranteed the highest level of responsibility, security and service.We guarantee that the shredded material is processed and recycled in the most environmentally friendly way. We ensure that everything is recycled responsibly within 150 miles of San Francisco and nothing is dumped in landfills or shipped abroad. We also offer a certified hard drive destruction and document shredding service.

Electronics Recycling – Items We CANNOT Accept

• 35mm Slides, Film Negatives, or Movie Film
• Furniture: Chairs, Couches, etc.
• Tape based media: Floppy Disks, Cassette Tapes, VHS
• Light Bulbs
• Large appliances: stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers.
• Non-Rechargeable Electronic Batteries: Carbon Zinc, Zinc Air, Disposable Batteries
• Single-use alkaline batteries
• Items containing liquid mercury: Thermometers, Thermostats, etc.
• Smoke Detectors: models that contain americium 241
• Hazardous Waste: Paint, Motor Oil, Sharps, Bio Hazardous Waste, etc.
• Any Medical Electronics