By Shang Celsius, Founder, eWaste.Pro · 2026-10-29
What Wisconsin is doing about electronic waste, the gaps that remain, and how residents, churches, nonprofits and towns can partner with eWaste.Pro to recycle responsibly.
A love letter to Wisconsin
When I think about e-waste, I think about places like Wisconsin: the land, the water and the people who live there. Every old TV, phone and laptop holds materials worth recovering, and some, like lead and mercury, that do not belong in the ground. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (UNITAR/ITU) reports that the world produced a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, and less than a quarter of it was documented as properly recycled. I want to help change that, starting in our own neighborhoods.
What the state has done
Wisconsin passed its e-waste law in 2009: E-Cycle Wisconsin, a manufacturer program backed by a ban on disposal of many electronics. Laws like this make a real difference, and the people who run these programs deserve credit.
The work still ahead
- Rural families often live far from a drop-off site, so old devices sit in garages or get tossed.
- Many programs cover TVs and computers, but not everything with a plug or a battery.
- Churches, nonprofits and small offices fall between household and business programs.
- People worry about personal data on old phones and laptops, so they hold on to them for years.
How your community can lead
Here is what I have seen work. A church or school hosts a collection day. A town adds e-waste to its spring cleanup. A nonprofit gathers donated devices so working ones can be reused. We can help with all of these: we pick up, wipe data to NIST SP 800-88, issue a certificate of destruction, and recycle through R2v3 and ISO 14001 certified processes. The EPA calls reuse and certified recycling the best options for old electronics, and I agree.
Let's do this together
Protect your data, protect the environment, and bring value back to your community. We serve every corner of Wisconsin as part of our nationwide service. Tell us what you are planning, and we will help you make it happen.
Questions I hear often
Can a church or nonprofit host a collection?
Absolutely. Community groups are some of the best partners I know. Tell us your date and location, and we will help plan the pickup.
What about the data on my old phone or laptop?
We wipe drives to NIST SP 800-88 and can provide a certificate of destruction, so your personal information stays private.
Do you serve my part of Wisconsin?
Yes. Our service is nationwide, and that includes towns and rural areas across Wisconsin.
Ready to get started?
Protect your data, protect the environment, and bring value back to your organization.
Schedule a pickupCall (888) 899-8896
Shang Celsius is the founder of eWaste.Pro, an R2v3 and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified electronics recycling and IT asset disposition company that serves schools, public agencies and businesses nationwide.
Sources: Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC); U.S. EPA electronics donation and recycling guide; EPA Sustainable Materials Management: Electronics; Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (UNITAR/ITU); Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Rules change, so check with your state environmental agency.