By Shang Celsius, Founder, eWaste.Pro · Updated 2026-10-29
What Wisconsin is doing about electronic waste, real numbers from the state, the gaps that remain, and how churches, schools, nonprofits and neighbors can partner with eWaste.Pro.
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. I want to help change how our neighborhoods handle them.
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. You can follow the details through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Laws like this make a real difference, and the people who run these programs deserve credit.
Recent efforts, 2020 to 2026
Wisconsin DNR publishes yearly E-Cycle Wisconsin reports with urban and rural results.
The numbers tell a story
DNR reports 20,480,170 pounds collected in program year 2025, including 2,759,220 pounds from rural areas. Globally, the Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (UNITAR/ITU) counts a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, with less than a quarter documented as properly recycled.
The work still ahead
Rural collection still lags, and many collectors charge fees.
- 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.
Churches and pastors of Wisconsin: stewardship you can see
To the pastors, deacons, ministry leaders and church members of Wisconsin: caring for creation and caring for neighbors go together. An electronics collection drive is one of the simplest ways to put that into practice. Pick a Saturday or a Sunday after service, invite the whole community, and let people bring the old laptops, phones and TVs they have been holding onto. Your church office has technology to steward as well, from computers holding member and giving records to livestream and sound gear. We help with the plan, the pickup and the data wiping, so your congregation can focus on hospitality.
Schools of Wisconsin: making the Chromebook refresh count
To principals, teachers, PTAs and district tech teams: the devices bought for remote learning around 2020 are aging out, and thousands of Chromebooks and laptops are coming off carts across Wisconsin. That refresh can be a lesson in itself. Students can help count and sort devices, learn where materials go, and see data privacy taken seriously. Working devices can be refurbished for reuse, and everything else is recycled responsibly with records your district can keep.
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 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 talk: call us
Call (888) 899-8896 to talk about your e-waste. Tell us about your event, your church office or your school's old devices, and we will propose a solution that fits. 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.
What happens when you call
- We listen first. Tell us about your congregation, school, nonprofit or neighborhood and what you hope to collect.
- We propose a plan. That might be a collection day, a pickup from a church office, or a school cleanout, with clear guidance on what to bring.
- We show up and follow through. We collect the devices, wipe the data, and send you a summary you can share with your members or neighbors.
You do not need a big event to get started. A single closet of old electronics is reason enough to call.
Questions I hear often
Can a church or nonprofit host a collection?
Absolutely. 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.
Do you serve my part of Wisconsin?
Yes. Our service is nationwide, including towns and rural areas across Wisconsin.
Call us to talk about your e-waste
We will listen and propose a solution that fits your school, church or business. Protect your data, protect the environment, and bring value back to your organization.
Call (888) 899-8896Schedule a pickup
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, churches, public agencies and businesses nationwide.
Sources: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; 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). Rules change, so check with your state environmental agency.