recycling truck in parking lot receiving donations at the Indianapolis Zoo
Presented by Technology Recyclers

Fall Power Recycling Day

Nov. 02 | 8:30am-12:30pm | Zoo South Parking Lot on Harding St.

Power Recycling Day presented by Technology Recyclers

Eliminate your old cell phones and other electronics the environmentally friendly way.

Most electronics will be accepted, including old cell phones, wires, cables, all batteries, TVs, microwaves, computers and periperals. Basically anything with a plug! Computer hard drive memories will be securely cleared before being destroyed. All screens, monitors and TVs will have a $20 cash-only fee – any size or type. Laptops will be recycled at no charge. Large appliances are not accepted. No need to get out of your car, just pull into the designated recycling zone in the Zoo’s South Parking Lot and let our partners at Technology Recyclers unload your items for you.

With your help during past events, we diverted more than 102,000 pounds – that’s 51 tons – of recyclable materials from area landfills.

map of Indianapolis Zoo south parking lot

Designated Recycling Zone

To get to our South Lot: continue west on Washington Street, turn left on South Harding Street, cross the railroad tracks and the parking lot is on the left.

volunteers in green vests collection old drugs for proper disposal
Document Shredding and Drug Drop-Off

Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana will be onsite during Power Recycling Day to offer document shredding for $5 per bag of papers. Additionally the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will be onsite to collect prescription drugs for free disposal!

Old electronics being recycled

Why We Recycle

Electronics, trash, called e-waste, makes up only about 2% of trash generated annually in the U.S., yet it contributes as much as 70% of the environmental pollutants, which makes recycling efforts like the Zoo’s so important.

Consumer interest in recycling their old electronics has not been increasing along with the consumption rate for high-tech gadgetry. A report released in 2019 by the United Nations indicated worldwide production of electronic waste is nearly 50 million tons annually, and that figure could reach 120 million tons by 2050. Since a peak in 2014, when nearly 42 percent (3.4 million tons) of U.S.-generated e-waste was being recycled, that rate dropped to less than 36 percent by 2017, according to a recent EPA study.

The Zoo takes a leadership role in this challenge, not only by hosting two electronics recycling events each year, but also by recycling as much Zoo was as possible – from plastics and office paper to tree trimmings and “Zoo doo.” Special thanks to Waste Management, the Zoo’s official everyday recycling partner.