Business e-waste, handled
We haul away your old electronics. Free.
Reboot Recycling picks up retired computers, servers, and networking gear from businesses in Lake City and the surrounding area. No hauling it yourself, no dumpster fees, and every drive is wiped before anything moves on.
Locally owned and operated in Lake City. Usually scheduled within a week.
What it costs you
Nothing, in most cases
We make our money recovering value from the equipment, which means the pickup itself is free for almost everyone. Here is exactly where the line is.
Free pickup, any size load
If you are within about 10 miles of Lake City, we come to you at no charge no matter how small the load. One old desktop under a desk counts.
Free pickup on large loads
Out to about 50 miles, pickup is free when it is a large load, which we define as roughly a truck bed or more: about ten or more computers, a full pallet, or a server rack. Smaller than that and it is worth a phone call to see what we can work out. Beyond 50 miles, call us. It depends on the load.
Yes, we take yours too
We are set up for businesses, but we do not turn away neighbors. Residential pickups are scheduled around business routes, so give us a little flexibility on timing.
The list
What we take, and what we can't
Worth reading before you call. It saves us both a trip.
- Desktops, laptops, tablets, all-in-ones
- Servers, racks, rails, blade chassis
- Switches, routers, firewalls, access points
- UPS and battery backup units
- LCD and LED computer monitors
- Hard drives, SSDs, tape, external storage
- Phones, and their chargers
- Point-of-sale terminals and receipt printers
- Game consoles and controllers
- Cable, patch panels, rack hardware, loose parts
- Circuit boards and stripped components
- Office printers and copiers, as part of a larger load
Not sure about something? Send a photo and we'll tell you straight.
- Televisions of any kind, flat panel or tube
- CRT tube monitors
- Printers on their own, especially inkjets
- Appliances, anything with refrigerant
- Microwaves
- Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Swollen, punctured, or damaged batteries
- Anything wet, moldy, or contaminated
We don't take TVs. They cost more to recycle than the materials are worth, and taking them would mean charging for pickups that are free today. We would rather keep the pickup free and be straight with you about the one thing we won't haul. Where to take a TV instead.
Where to take a TV in the Lake City area
Televisions are the one thing we turn down, so here is a straight answer instead of a shrug. Tube TVs contain leaded glass and flat panels are worth very little once they come apart, which is why almost everyone charges to take them.
- Your county environmental services office is the cheapest route for households. Wabasha, Goodhue, and Winona counties all run electronics collection, usually for a per-item fee. Winona County Environmental Services: 507-457-6462.
- A registered Minnesota recycler will take them by the pound. The MPCA publishes the current list of registered electronics recyclers.
- Watch for a county collection event. They run periodically and are usually the lowest cost option if you can wait for one.
Whatever you do, don't put a TV in the trash. Minnesota has banned CRTs from the garbage since 2007.
Data security
The drive is the part that keeps you up at night
Nobody loses sleep over where a chassis ends up. They lose sleep over what was on the disk inside it. That part we treat as the whole job.
- Drives are wiped to NIST 800-88 Every storage device that comes through is sanitized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, the federal standard for media sanitization. Nothing leaves with data still readable on it. A drive too far gone to take a wipe gets taken apart physically instead.
- Certificate of destruction, itemized A signed document listing each device and serial number, what was done to it, and the date. Free, on request. This is the piece your auditor, your insurer, or your parent company is going to ask for.
- Chain of custody stays short Your equipment goes from your building to ours. It does not sit on a broker's dock or get handed between three companies on the way.
Straight talk about certifications
We are not R2 or e-Stewards certified. Those are real programs with real audits behind them, and plenty of good vendors carry them.
What we offer instead is drive sanitization to NIST 800-88, a short chain of custody, a documented certificate for every job, and a name and a phone number that answers. If your compliance program specifically requires a certified downstream processor, tell us up front and we'll say so rather than waste your time.
How it works
Four steps, about a week
Tell us what you have
Use the form or just call. A rough count is fine. Photos help more than a spreadsheet.
We confirm and schedule
We'll come back to you with a pickup window, usually within a week, and confirm anything that carries a fee before we show up.
We load it out
We do the lifting. Disconnecting, stairs, and the cable behind the rack are all part of it.
You get your paperwork
Certificate of destruction, itemized by serial, sent over once processing is done.
Service area
Southeast Minnesota, and across the river
Based in Lake City. Free pickup at no minimum in the towns nearby, and free pickup farther out when the load is large enough to justify the drive.
Not on the list? If the load is big enough we will probably still come. Ask.
Questions
Things people ask
Do you have a drop-off location?
Not a walk-in one. We are pickup-only, which keeps our costs down and is the reason pickup is free. If you would rather hand it off in person, call and we'll arrange a time and place that works.
Why won't you take my TV?
Because taking them would mean charging you for pickup. A tube TV is leaded glass and a flat panel is worth almost nothing once it comes apart, so every television costs real money to recycle properly. We would rather do one thing well and keep it free than do everything and put a price on it. Here is where to take one instead.
What about printers and battery backups?
Battery backups and UPS units, yes, always, on their own or in a load. Office printers and copiers we take when they come along with a larger pickup, which covers most business cleanouts. What we can't do is drive out for printers alone, especially inkjets. If printers are all you have, call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth the trip.
Do you pay for equipment?
Usually not. Most retired business equipment is worth roughly what it costs to collect and process it, which is why the pickup is free rather than paid. If you have something genuinely valuable, recent servers or a large volume of current-generation gear, say so and we'll talk about it honestly rather than quietly pocketing the difference.
How do I know the data is actually gone?
Every drive is sanitized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, the federal media sanitization standard, and your certificate lists what was done to each one by serial number. If a drive is dead enough that it won't take a wipe, it gets taken apart physically instead. If your policy requires physical destruction across the board rather than sanitization, say so when you book and we'll handle it that way.
What happens to the equipment after you take it?
Working equipment gets tested, wiped, and resold or reused. What can't be reused is broken down and the materials go to a recycler. Nothing goes to a landfill and nothing gets shipped overseas.
We're a school, clinic, or municipal office. Can you work with us?
Yes. Tell us up front what your procurement and data-handling requirements are. If we can meet them we'll say so in writing, and if we can't we'll tell you that instead of guessing.
How much notice do you need?
About a week is typical. If you are clearing a building on a deadline, call rather than filling out the form and we'll work around it.
Request a pickup
Tell us what you've got
A rough count is fine. We'll come back to you with a pickup window, and confirm anything that carries a fee before we show up.