We're Rebuilding RecycleOldTech From the Ground Up
How we're ensuring RecycleOldTech becomes the most accurate electronics recycling resource available.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received several messages from users and businesses about incorrect listings in our electronics recycling directory. If you were one of those who reached out, thank you. Your feedback revealed a problem we needed to address comprehensively.
We want to be transparent about what happened, what we’re doing about it, and how we’re ensuring RecycleOldTech becomes the most accurate electronics recycling resource available.
What Went Wrong
When we launched RecycleOldTech in 2025, we aggregated data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive directory of electronics recycling centers across the United States. Our database contained over 28,000 locations spanning all 50 states and Washington D.C.
The problem was that this data came from various third-party sources, and we inherited their limitations. Some information was seven to eight months old by the time we launched. Businesses had closed, moved, or changed their services. More critically, some locations were misclassified entirely. What appeared to be an electronics recycling center might actually be a phone repair shop, a computer store, or a business that simply doesn’t handle e-waste recycling.
The wake-up call came when business owners started contacting us directly: “Please remove our business from your directory. We do not accept electronics recycling.”
We immediately removed these incorrect listings, but it became clear we needed more than spot fixes. We needed to rebuild the entire foundation.
Starting Fresh, Not Patching Old Data
We considered various approaches to fixing our database. We could verify each of the 28,000 existing entries one by one. We could try to patch the questionable data. But after analyzing the scope of the problem, we made a more decisive choice: we’re replacing the entire database with fresh, verified information from authoritative sources.
This means we’re not trying to salvage data of unknown quality. Instead, we’re conducting a comprehensive rediscovery of every electronics recycling center across the country using Google Places API. Every location in our new database will be current, verified, and confirmed to actually accept electronics recycling.
The new database will likely be smaller than our current 28,000 entries. But every single location will be a real, operating business that actually provides the service people are searching for. Quality over quantity.
How We’re Rebuilding
Our discovery process searches all 3,235 cities in our database using Google’s business directory. For each city, we search for electronics recycling centers and collect comprehensive information: current business status, contact details, hours of operation, customer ratings, and precise locations. This ensures we’re working with real-time data directly from Google’s verified business listings.
Once we’ve discovered these locations, we use Google’s Gemini AI to classify each center and understand what they actually do. The AI helps us distinguish between dedicated e-waste facilities, retail drop-off programs, municipal recycling centers, and scrap metal yards that accept electronics. It also generates unique, factual descriptions for each location rather than the generic templates we had before.
Finally, we gather detailed contact information and operating hours for each confirmed center. The entire process is designed to be repeatable, so we can refresh our database annually at minimal cost and keep information current going forward.
What This Means for Users
The new RecycleOldTech will launch in April 2026 with completely refreshed data. You’ll see verification dates on every listing showing when we last confirmed the information. Each location will have accurate contact details, operating hours, and specific information about what types of electronics they accept.
We’re also making it easier to report problems. If you discover incorrect information, there’s now a prominent “Report Incorrect Information” button on every listing page. We’ll investigate and update the listing within 24-48 hours.
For Businesses
If you operate an electronics recycling center, your listing will be automatically updated through our discovery process. You don’t need to contact us unless you want to claim your listing for direct control over your information, or if you need to be removed because you don’t actually accept electronics recycling.
Business owners who want to claim their listings will be able to update their information directly, add details about specific services and accepted items, and ensure their listing always reflects current information. Contact us at hello@recycleoldtech.com if you’re interested in this option.
Timeline and Next Steps
We’re currently in the discovery phase, searching all 3,235 cities for operating recycling centers. This will continue through February 2026. In March, we’ll complete the AI classification and enrichment process. The new database will launch in April 2026.
After launch, we’ll conduct quarterly spot-checks on random cities and perform annual full refreshes to keep information current. This sustainable approach costs nothing beyond our existing API allowances and ensures RecycleOldTech remains accurate over time.
Why We’re Being Transparent
We could have quietly rebuilt our database without announcing it. But we believe in transparency, especially when we’ve made mistakes that affected real people and businesses.
The truth is, we had data quality issues. Rather than defend our old approach or make incremental fixes, we’re investing in building something better from scratch. This new system will be maintainable, accurate, and designed for the long term.
If you’ve been affected by incorrect listings, we apologize. We’re committed to making this right.
RecycleOldTech exists to help people responsibly dispose of their electronics. We can’t do that effectively without accurate data. This initiative ensures we’re providing the reliable resource you deserve.
If you discover any issues in the meantime, please use the “Report Incorrect Information” button on any listing page, or email us directly at hello@recycleoldtech.com.
RecycleOldTech.com helps over 14,000 monthly visitors find electronics recycling centers across the United States. Our mission is to make e-waste disposal convenient, accurate, and accessible to everyone.