What E-Waste Recycling Center does

E-Waste & Solar Recycling Center, operating as Recycle1234.com, is a founder-owned e-waste and specialty recycling business headquartered at 30311 Whipple Road in Union City, California, with three Bay Area processing facilities totaling 96,000+ sq ft (Union City 13,000 sq ft, Hayward 80,000 sq ft, Milpitas 3,000 sq ft) and an R2-certified shredding site in Brea. Founded in 1997 by Eddie Inamdar after the buyout of his prior startup Printers R Us, the company diverts approximately 2 million pounds of material from landfills monthly and processes certified electronics free of charge, with per-pound and flat-rate fees applied to non-certified streams including white goods, lamps, batteries, and solar panels. Its portfolio covers residential and business e-waste pickup, ITAD with DOD-compliant data sanitization, data center rack removal and decommissioning, on-site hard drive destruction, solar panel recycling, concrete recycling, fundraising events for schools and non-profits, and pallet storage, supplemented by an eBay resale program (Seller IDs 'asicyber' and 'heavenlyvines') in which customers receive 50% of net profit on refurbished items.

The business model is fundamentally transactional and service-based, with no proprietary software platform, no API, and no disclosed headcount. Revenue is generated through pickup fees ($85-$155 per hour for residential white-glove service, free for large certified business loads), per-pound disposal fees ($0.25-$14/lb depending on item), event flat fees ($250 per 4-hour fundraising event), storage ($25/week per pallet), and specialized ITAD pricing ($25 per DOD wipe, $5 per shred, $4 per asset tag, $95/hr documentation). Go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, a network of 77 families who operate their own pickup businesses under the company's training program, partnerships with Alameda County SSA, the City of Union City, and local non-profits, and direct customer contact via phone, text, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The customer base spans businesses, data centers, schools, government facilities, churches, non-profits, and homeowners in the Bay Area. The company employs individuals from underserved populations — seniors, ex-prisoners, ex-gang members, drug rehab participants, and veterans — as a core element of both its social mission and its labor cost structure.

Name

E-Waste Recycling Center

Legal name

E-Waste & Solar Recycling Center

Website

https://recycle1234.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

E-Waste & Solar Recycling Center (Recycle1234.com) is a Bay Area e-waste and specialty recycling operator founded in 1997 that serves businesses, data centers, schools, government facilities, non-profits, and households with pickup, ITAD, and processing services across four facilities totaling 96,000+ sq ft.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Waste Recycling Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronics Recycling & Material Recovery (Dismantling/Separation) (BPALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer Electronics Recycling (TVs, AV, Small Electronics) (BPALAIAH), PV & Energy Device Recycling (Solar Panels, Inverters, Power Electronics) (EUAIAIAL), E-Waste (WEEE) Collection, Refurbishment & Recycling (IMAIAFAH)

Keywords

• E-waste recycling
• IT asset disposition
• Solar panel recycling
• Data destruction services
• Electronic waste pickup

Headquarters

HQ city

Union City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. E-Waste Processing and Recycling Fees: Charges for pickup services, drop-off processing, and per-pound fees for non-certified e-waste items including white goods, batteries, lamps, and special items.
2. Resale of Refurbished Items: Items with high resale value are refurbished and sold on eBay. Customers receive 50% of net profit. Seller IDs: 'asicyber' and 'heavenlyvines'.
3. ITAD Services: Business IT asset disposition services including data destruction, hard drive shredding/DOD wipe with certificates, and asset tag removal services for enterprise clients.
4. Pallet Storage: Weekly storage fees for business pallet storage at warehouse facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

E-Waste Recycling Center is a Bay Area e-waste and solar recycling service that collects, processes, refurbishes, and recycles electronics from businesses, data centers, government facilities, schools, non-profits, and residential customers. It provides certified and non-certified e-waste pickup and drop-off, ITAD with DOD-compliant data destruction, solar panel recycling, battery and lamp recycling, data center decommissioning, and concrete recycling. Revenue comes from processing fees, ITAD service fees, pallet storage, and resale of refurbished items on eBay with profit-sharing to customers.

Product overview

E-Waste Recycling Center operates as a comprehensive e-waste and solar recycling service with multiple specialized offerings. The core service includes Business E-Waste Pickup (free for certified items with full logistics support) and Business ITAD Pickup (white glove service with DOD sanitization). For residential customers, they offer Pickup Services and No Contact Self-Service Drop-Off. Additional services include Solar Panel Recycling (one of few centers accepting panels), Lamp/Bulb Recycling, Battery Recycling, Data Center Rack Removal, On-Site Hard Drive Destruction, Fundraising Events, Pallet Storage, and Concrete Recycling. They accept both certified e-waste (free) and non-certified e-waste (fee-based) including white goods, large appliances, and special items. The company also operates a resale program where items with high resale value are sold on eBay, with 50% of profits returned to customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ITAD (IT Asset Disposition): White glove pickup service for business IT assets with DOD sanitization, asset tag removal, and 50% profit sharing on refurbished items.
• DataCenter Rack Removal Services

Products and services

• Business E-Waste Pickup Free pickup service for large volumes of certified business e-waste, including a 16' truck with lift-gate, two personnel, sanitization, and asset tag removal. Hard drives are DOD wiped or shredded with certificates emailed to the client. Designed for businesses, data centers, and government facilities generating certified e-waste at scale.
• Business ITAD Pickup White glove IT asset disposition (ITAD) service for businesses. Trucks are sealed at the client site and unsealed at the secured processing center. Includes asset tag removal, static storage scanning, DOD sanitization, and online logging of make, model, and serial number.
• Data Center Rack Removal and Decommissioning Rack removal, relocations, cubicle installations, reconfigurations, and decommissioning services for data centers. Each job is quoted after a free on-site inspection.
• On-Site Hard Drive Destruction Witnessed hard drive shredding service priced at $5/drive, with optional certificate including serial numbers at $4/drive additional. Six-pass DOD wipe with Blanco Certificate available at $25/each.
• Fundraising Events Service Flat $250 fee for a 4-hour e-waste fundraising event including 2 men and a 15' truck with lift gate. All certified e-waste is included; non-certified e-waste at $0.25/lb, batteries at $2/lb, and light bulbs at $4/lb. Available to schools, non-profits, realtors, chamber of commerce, Lions Club, and similar community groups.
• Pallet Storage Pallet storage service at flat fee of $25/week with a minimum 1-month term. Includes inspections with optional vehicle delivery for add/subtract at $20 per access.
• No Contact Self-Service Drop-Off Self-service drop-off bin located outside the facility, available 24 hours. Free for certified items; small cost for non-certified items. Full-service warehouse with docks, pallet jacks, forklifts, and labor assistance available during operating hours.
• Residential Pickup Service Secure white-glove pickup service for residential customers. Regular service at $155/hr; local service (Fremont, Milpitas, Hayward, Castro Valley, Newark, Redwood City, Almaden area of San Jose, and Dublin) at $85/hr. Fees may be waived for large volumes of certified items.
• Resale/Re-Sell Service E-waste items with high resale value are refurbished and sold on eBay under Seller IDs 'asicyber' and 'heavenlyvines'. Customers receive 50% of net profit for items that resell.
• Solar Panel Recycling One of the few centers accepting solar panels. Working 300W+ panels accepted free; non-working or under 300W panels accepted for $10 fee. R2 certified destruction available at Brea facility at $0.42/lb. Two facilities: Brea (Shred Only) and Union City (Shred & Refurbish).
• Lamp/Bulb Recycling Lamp recycling service accepting straight fluorescent lamps at $1.25/lbs (must be in UN spec boxes), mixed regular lamps at $4/lbs, and special lamps (UV, ARC, neon, germicidal, low pressure sodium) at $9/lbs.
• Battery Recycling Battery recycling service accepting capacitors, transformers, and ballasts at $3/lbs; sorted batteries (single-use and rechargeable, with Li-Ion taped) at $2/lbs; mixed batteries at $4/lbs; and special batteries (silver oxide, Ni-Cd wet, Li compounds, button cells, damaged batteries) at $14/lbs.
• Certified E-Waste Recycling Free recycling of certified e-waste including monitors, TVs, laptops, tablets, iPads, Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPhones, cell phones, projectors, servers, cable boxes, PC internal parts, wires, cables, adapters, hard drives, memory cards, power supply cords, printers, business phones, medical devices, test equipment, amplifiers, and game consoles.
• Non-Certified E-Waste Recycling Fee-based recycling of non-certified items including breakage at $0.25/lbs, white goods (printers, scanners, etc.) at $0.45/lb, large appliances (fridges $60-$250, washers/dryers $40), tires at $40, and items with internal batteries at $2/lbs.
• Concrete Recycling Concrete pickup, demolition, grinding, and recycling services.
• Asset Tag Removal & Documentation Certified Quality Control Specialist records each main item's Make, Model, and Serial Number, and hand-removes every asset tag at $4/unit. Documentation services are billed at $95/hour.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 Million pounds of material diverted from landfill monthly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• City of Union CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with the City of Union City to hire youth from local gangs and teach them basic warehousing skills. Historical partnership focused on community employment programs.
• Alameda County SSA (Social Services Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrently works closely with Alameda County SSA for employment programs for overlooked individuals.
• CURA (Fremont)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrug rehabilitation company in Fremont that provided drivers for the recycling operation. Historical partnership in employing rehab participants.
• VeteransminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans hired for management positions within the company operations.
• Local Non-ProfitsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork with local non-profits to move new and gently used items for reuse, supporting the company's strong focus on reuse over landfill disposal.
• Local ChannelsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWork with local channels to redistribute gently used items, enabling the reuse-focused business model.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: One of the two largest U.S. solid waste and recycling haulers, with national e-waste and recycling programs for commercial and municipal customers. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for the same enterprise and municipality e-waste contracts Recycle1234 serves in the Bay Area.
• Arrow Electronics (Value Recovery): Global electronics distributor with a value-recovery / ITAD practice handling enterprise hardware end-of-life, including data sanitization and resale. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for enterprise ITAD and reverse-logistics business that Recycle1234 targets with its data center and business services.
• Sims Lifecycle Services: Global ITAD and electronics recycling arm of Sims Metal Management, with a broad portfolio spanning enterprise IT, data centers, and consumer electronics. Comparable as a larger, multi-region incumbent competing for the same enterprise ITAD and large-volume e-waste contracts Recycle1234 serves at a regional level.

Direct peers

• IT Renew: IT asset disposition specialist focused on enterprise and data center hardware lifecycle services, including secure data sanitization and resale. Comparable on the ITAD side — DOD-grade data wiping, serial tracking, and refurbishment/resale — the most enterprise-relevant overlap with Recycle1234.
• AnythingIT: U.S. ITAD and e-waste recycling company offering pickup, certified data destruction, and remarketing for businesses and institutions. Comparable on ITAD service design, R2/e-Stewards-style compliance, and the mix of free and fee-based recycling for consumer electronics.
• GEEP (Global Electric Electronic Processing): Multi-region e-waste processor offering ITAD, certified data destruction, and materials recovery for enterprises and OEMs. Comparable operating model — collection, certified processing, refurbishment/resale — and similar compliance posture (R2/e-Stewards) to Recycle1234.
• Total Reclaim: Pacific Northwest e-waste recycling and ITAD operator with services spanning electronics recycling, data destruction, and asset recovery. Highly comparable in operating model (collection + refurbishment + recycling) and customer profile (enterprises, institutions, public-sector).
• All Green Electronics Recycling: National e-waste recycler and ITAD provider serving businesses and consumers with pickup, certified data destruction, and recycling. Comparable to Recycle1234 on core e-waste/ITAD service lines, R2-style compliance, and broad acceptance of consumer electronics and appliances.
• GreenCitizen: Bay Area–based e-waste recycling company offering pickup, drop-off, and ITAD services for businesses and consumers. Directly comparable because of overlapping geography (San Francisco/Bay Area), similar customer mix (residential, business, schools), and parallel service lines including certified e-waste pickup and data destruction.

Emerging players

• ecoATM: U.S. consumer electronics trade-in kiosk operator owned by Outerwall/Apkudo. Comparable as an e-waste intake channel for consumer devices (phones, tablets) with a different distribution model (self-serve kiosks) but overlapping end-of-life consumer electronics flow that Recycle1234 captures via drop-off and pickup.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e-waste-recycling-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about E-Waste Recycling Center