Best Buy’s offering to take away and recycle your unwanted tech and appliances for a $199 fee. The standalone haul-away service includes the pickup of two large items, like a TV or washing machine, as well as an unlimited number of smaller products, from laptops to printers. Best Buy will then send your products off to a “trusted recycling partner,” where they will be repurposed, repaired, or recycled.
You can view the entire list of products Best Buy will pick up and recycle on its haul-away service page, separated by what it considers large and small items. Best Buy says you’ll have to do all the disconnecting and disassembling yourself, so technicians can actually move it out of your home.
The service costs 20 percent less for members of Best Buy’s Totaltech subscription, putting it at around $159. The Totaltech subscription costs $199.99 / year for exclusive pricing, free two-day shipping, and Geek Squad tech support. Best Buy has used the program as a pricey way for people to get easier access to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles that usually sell out instantly (the Xbox Series X is getting a little easier to buy lately, so you probably won’t have to resort to purchasing a subscription). Beginning May 3rd, the Totaltech program will also be the only way for shoppers to access features like an extended 60-day return window, as it eliminates the Elite and Elite Plus tiers of its My Best Buy Rewards program that had similar benefits.
The haul-away service builds upon Best Buy’s existing recycling program, which allows you to drop off old tech for free (or a $29.99 fee if you’re recycling TVs or monitors) at Best Buy stores. There are some exceptions to this program, though, as stores in Pennsylvania and Connecticut don’t accept TVs or monitors for dropoff. And if you live in California, there are no dropoff fees at all.
Additionally, Best Buy already offers to take away a piece of old tech when you order a replacement. If you buy a large piece of tech through Best Buy and have it delivered, you can get your old product hauled away for an added $29.99 for TVs and major appliances or $49.99 for fitness equipment.
Personally, I can’t see myself using Best Buy’s standalone haul-away service unless I’m junking a large appliance or an absurd number of smaller items (not that I know anyone who has dozens of laptops, MP3 players, or old cellphones lying around). It’s not because I don’t want to recycle, but because I don’t think you should have to pay almost $200 for someone to recycle it for you. You can just as easily drop off smaller items at Goodwill or another consignment shop. As for larger products, like TVs, you can sell them locally or even put them on your curb for someone to pick up for free.
